In 1999, theMajor League Baseball All-Century Team was chosen by popular vote offans. To select the team, a panel of experts first compiled a list of the 100 greatestMajor League Baseball (MLB) players from the 20th century. Over two million fans then voted on the players using paper andonlineballots.[1]
The top two vote-getters from each position, except outfielders (nine), and the top six pitchers were placed on the team. A select panel then added five legends to create a thirty-man team:[1]—Warren Spahn (who finished #10 among pitchers), Christy Mathewson (#14 among pitchers), Lefty Grove (#18 among pitchers), Honus Wagner (#4 among shortstops), and Stan Musial (#11 among outfielders).[1]
The nominees for the All-Century team were presented at the1999 MLB All-Star Game atFenway Park.[2] Preceding Game 2 of the1999 World Series, the members of the All-Century Team were revealed. Every living player named to the team attended.[3]
| * | 'Legends' chosen by select panel |
| ** | Player still active in 1999 |
| ö | Player is deceased |
| † | Elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame |
| Player | Position | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Nolan Ryan† | Pitcher | 992,040 |
| Sandy Koufax† | Pitcher | 970,434 |
| Cy Young†ö | Pitcher | 867,523 |
| Roger Clemens** | Pitcher | 601,244 |
| Bob Gibson†ö | Pitcher | 582,031 |
| Walter Johnson†ö | Pitcher | 479,279 |
| Warren Spahn†ö* | Pitcher | 337,215 |
| Christy Mathewson†ö* | Pitcher | 249,747 |
| Lefty Grove†ö* | Pitcher | 142,169 |
| Johnny Bench† | Catcher | 1,010,403 |
| Yogi Berra†ö | Catcher | 704,208 |
| Lou Gehrig†ö | First baseman | 1,207,992 |
| Mark McGwire** | First baseman | 517,181 |
| Jackie Robinson†ö | Second baseman | 788,116 |
| Rogers Hornsby†ö | Second baseman | 630,761 |
| Mike Schmidt† | Third baseman | 855,654 |
| Brooks Robinson†ö | Third baseman | 761,700 |
| Cal Ripken Jr.†** | Shortstop | 669,033 |
| Ernie Banks†ö | Shortstop | 598,168 |
| Honus Wagner†ö* | Shortstop | 526,740 |
| Babe Ruth†ö | Outfielder | 1,158,044 |
| Hank Aaron†ö | Outfielder | 1,156,782 |
| Ted Williams†ö | Outfielder | 1,125,583 |
| Willie Mays†ö | Outfielder | 1,115,896 |
| Joe DiMaggio†ö | Outfielder | 1,054,423 |
| Mickey Mantle†ö | Outfielder | 988,168 |
| Ty Cobb†ö | Outfielder | 777,056 |
| Ken Griffey Jr.†** | Outfielder | 645,389 |
| Pete Roseö | Outfielder | 629,742 |
| Stan Musial†ö* | Outfielder | 571,279 |
There was controversy over the inclusion in the All-Century Team ofPete Rose, who had beenbanned from baseball for life 10 years earlier. Some questioned Rose's presence on a team officially endorsed by Major League Baseball, but fans at the stadium gave him a standing ovation. During the on-field ceremony, which wasemceed byHall of Fame broadcasterVin Scully,NBC Sports'Jim Gray questioned Rose about his refusal to admit to gambling on baseball.[4] Gray's interview became controversial, with some arguing that it was good journalism,[5] while others objected that the occasion was an inappropriate setting for Gray's persistence.[6] After initially refusing to do so, Gray apologized a few days later.[7] On January 8, 2004, more than four years later, Rose admitted publicly to betting on baseball games in his 2004 autobiographyMy Prison Without Bars.