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The Greatest Hitting Pitchers in Baseball History

Updated May 19, 2020 3.6k votes 580 voters 14.3k views32 items

List RulesWhether they knocked record home runs or led in OPS, who are best hitting pitchers in MLB history?

Going down as one of the greatest hitting pitchers in baseball history is a difficult feat, especially when you consider a majority of these star pitchers are only batting every 5 games—at most. Now known as "pitchers who rake", these aces aren't just winning games for their teams with strikeouts and dominant pitching in general; they're stepping up to the plate, getting on base, and scoring runs. Of all the MLB's top hitting pitchers, both old and new, who do you think is the best of all time?

Now, there have been some great hitting pitchers since the early days of professional baseball, but it wasn't until 1980 when the Silver Slugger started being awarded and they really started to get recognized for such an uncommon skill. From early winners like Bob Forsch and Rick Rhoden to modern-day baseball's Madison Bumgarner and Carlos Zambrano, these are certainly pitchers who rake. Of course, we can't forget some of the earliest sluggers of the mound, such as Sloppy Thurston, Jack Scott, and Don Larsen, among many others. Another thing to consider here is these aren't just your average pitchers who can swing the bat—many of them are even the MLB's greatest pitchers.

Take a look at the list of greatest hitting pitchers below and vote up your choices for the best of all time—whether you think that comes down to batting average, home runs, or OPS. Feel free to add others to the list as well.

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46
Babe Ruth
Boston Red Sox, Boston Braves
Position: Right fielder, Outfielder, Left fielder, Pitcher
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Pigtown, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Career batting stats: .342 avg., 714 HRs, 2,214 RBIs

George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American... more
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#34 of 39 Longest Hitting Streaks in Baseball#548 of 2,443 The Most Influential People of All Time
2
109
30
Wes Ferrell
Boston Red Sox, Boston Braves
Position: Pitcher
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Greensboro, North Carolina
Career batting stats: .280 avg., 38 HRs, 208 RBIs

Wesley Cheek "Wes" Ferrell (February 2, 1908 – December 9, 1976) was an American professional... more
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#78 of 146 The Best Boston Red Sox Of All Time#83 of 177 The Best Cleveland Indians Of All Time
3
90
35
Ken Brett
Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies
Position: Pitcher
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Career batting stats: .262 avg., 10 HRs, 44 RBIs

Kenneth Alven Brett (September 18, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American Major League... more
4
127
65
Carlos Zambrano
Chicago Cubs
Position: Starting pitcher, Pitcher
Nationality: Venezuela
Birthplace: Puerto Cabello, Venezuela
Bats: Ambidexterity
Career batting stats: .238 avg., 24 HRs, 71 RBIs

Carlos Alberto Zambrano Matos (born June 1, 1981), nicknamed "Big Z" or "El Toro", is a... more
5
119
64
Mike Hampton
Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies
Position: Starting pitcher, Pitcher
Birthplace: Brooksville, Florida, United States of America
Bats: Right-handed
Career batting stats: .246 avg., 16 HRs, 79 RBIs

Michael William Hampton (born September 9, 1972) is an American former professional baseball... more
6
169
106
Shohei Ohtani
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Position: Pitcher, Designated hitter
Nationality: Japan
Birthplace: Mizusawa, Iwate
Bats: Left-handed
Career batting stats: .292 avg., 36 HRs, 101 RBIs

Shohei Ohtani (born July 5, 1994) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher and designated... more
7
84
37
Don Drysdale
Los Angeles Dodgers, Brooklyn Dodgers
Position: Pitcher
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Career batting stats: .186 avg., 29 HRs, 113 RBIs

Donald Scott Drysdale (July 23, 1936 – July 3, 1993) was an American professional baseball... more
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#5 of 25 Longest Pitching Streaks in Baseball #132 of 255 The Best Players in the Baseball Hall of Fame
8
71
26
Don Larsen
Houston colt .45s, Kansas City Athletics
Position: Pitcher
Birthplace: Michigan City, Indiana, United States of America
Career batting stats: .242 avg., 14 HRs, 72 RBIs

Don James Larsen (August 7, 1929 - January 1, 2020) was an American retired Major League... more
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#3 of 23 The Best Perfect Games In Major League History#163 of 163 Famous People Who Died In 2020
9
163
117
Madison Bumgarner
Arizona Diamondbacks
Position: Pitcher
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Hickory, North Carolina
Bats: Right-handed
Career batting stats: .179 avg., 18 HRs, 61 RBIs

Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), commonly known by his nickname, "MadBum", is an... more
10
71
33
Dontrelle Willis
Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins
Position: Pitcher
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Oakland, California
Bats: Left-handed
Career batting stats: .244 avg., 9 HRs, 39 RBIs

Dontrelle Wayne Willis (born January 12, 1982), nicknamed "The D-Train", is an American former... more
11
99
59
Zack Greinke
Houston Astros
Position: Pitcher
Nationality: American
Birthplace: Orlando, Florida
Bats: Right-handed
Career batting stats: .222 avg., 9 HRs, 32 RBIs

Donald Zackary Greinke (born October 21, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher... more
12
75
40
Michael Lorenzen
Career batting stats: .253 avg., 6 HRs, 20 RBIs

Michael Clifton Lorenzen is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds... more
13
80
50
Adam Wainwright
St. Louis Cardinals
Position: Relief pitcher, Starting pitcher
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Brunswick, Georgia, United States of America
Bats: Right-handed
Career batting stats: .200 avg., 10 HRs, 70 RBIs

Adam Parrish Wainwright (born August 30, 1981) is an American professional baseball pitcher... more
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#208 of 273 The Top Current Baseball Players#119 of 278 The Best Starting Pitchers of All Time

14
61
32
Rick Rhoden
Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates
Position: Pitcher
Birthplace: Boynton Beach, Florida
Career batting stats: .238 avg., 9 HRs, 75 RBIs

Richard Alan Rhoden (born May 16, 1953) is a professional golfer and was a Major League... more
15
44
17
Sloppy Thurston
Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Browns
Position: Pitcher
Birthplace: Fremont, Nebraska
Career batting stats: .270 avg., 5 HRs, 79 RBIs

Hollis John Thurston (June 2, 1899 – September 14, 1973) was an American Major League Baseball... more
16
55
28
Micah Owings
Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds
Position: Starting pitcher, Pitcher
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Gainesville, Georgia
Bats: Right-handed
Career batting stats: .283 avg., 9 HRs, 35 RBIs

Micah Burton Owings (born September 28, 1982) is an American former professional baseball... more
17
46
26
Don Robinson
Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants
Position: Pitcher
Birthplace: Ashland, Kentucky, United States of America
Career batting stats: .231 avg., 13 HRs, 69 RBIs

Don Allen "Donnie" Robinson (born June 8, 1957), is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for... more
18
40
23
Bob Forsch
St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros
Position: Pitcher
Birthplace: Sacramento, California
Career batting stats: .213 avg., 12 HRs, 84 RBIs

Robert Herbert Forsch (January 13, 1950 – November 3, 2011) was an American right-handed... more
19
39
23
Carl Mays
New York Giants, Boston Red Sox
Position: Pitcher
Birthplace: Liberty, Kentucky
Career batting stats: .268 avg., 5 HRs, 111 RBIs

Carl William Mays (November 12, 1891 – April 4, 1971) was a right-handed pitcher in Major... more
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#139 of 149 The Greatest New York Yankees Of All Time#225 of 511 The Best Baseball Players NOT in the Hall of Fame
20
33
19
Claude Hendrix
Chicago Cubs, Chicago Whales
Position: Pitcher
Birthplace: Olathe, Kansas
Career batting stats: .241 avg., 14 HRs, 97 RBIs

Claude Raymond Hendrix (April 13, 1889 – March 22, 1944) born in Olathe, Kansas, USA, is a... more
21
33
20
Jack Scott
Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants
Position: Pitcher
Career batting stats: .275 avg., 5 HRs, 73 RBIs

John William Scott (April 18, 1892 – November 30, 1959) was an American professional baseball... more
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25
18
Les Sweetland
Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs
Position: Pitcher
Birthplace: St. Ignace, Michigan
Career batting stats: .272 avg., 0 HRs, 34 RBIs

Lester Leo Sweetland (August 15, 1901 – March 4, 1974) was a professional baseball pitcher in... more
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31
26
Yovani Gallardo
Milwaukee Brewers
Position: Pitcher
Nationality: Mexico
Birthplace: Penjamillo, Mexico
Bats: Right-handed
Career batting stats: .201 avg., 12 HRs, 42 RBIs

Yovani Gallardo (pronounced gah-YAR-doh) (born February 27, 1986) is a Mexican professional... more

24
62
67
Noah Syndergaard
New York Mets
Position: Pitcher
Birthplace: Mansfield, Texas
Bats: Right
Career batting stats: .159 avg., 6 HRs, 15 RBIs

Noah Seth Syndergaard (born August 29, 1992), nicknamed Thor, is an American professional... more
25
65
78
Tom Glavine
Atlanta Braves, New York Mets
Position: Starting pitcher, Pitcher
Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Concord, Massachusetts, United States of America
Bats: Left-handed
Career batting stats: .186 avg., 1 HR, 90 RBIs

Thomas Michael Glavine (born March 25, 1966) is an American retired professional baseball... more
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Ken Brett

Michael Lorenzen

Sloppy Thurston

Claude Hendrix

Jack Scott

Les Sweetland