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1. Sam Crawford, 312
2. Ty Cobb, 297
3. Honus Wagner, 252
4. Jake Beckley, 244
5. Roger Connor, 233
6. Tris Speaker, 223
7. Fred Clarke, 223
8. Dan Brouthers, 206
9. Joe Kelley, 194
10. Paul Waner, 190
11. Bid McPhee, 189
12. Eddie Collins Sr., 187
13. Ed Delahanty, 185
14. Sam Rice, 184
15. Jesse Burkett, 182
16. Edd Roush, 182
17. Ed Konetchy, 182
18. Buck Ewing, 178
19. Stan Musial, 177
20. Rabbit Maranville, 177
21. Harry Stovey, 174
22. Goose Goslin, 173
23. Tommy Leach, 172
24. Zack Wheat, 172
25. Rogers Hornsby, 159

1. Tris Speaker, 793
2. Pete Rose Sr., 746
3. Stan Musial, 725
4. Ty Cobb, 724
5. Craig Biggio, 668
6. George Brett, 665
7. Nap Lajoie, 657
8. Carl Yastrzemski, 646
9. Honus Wagner, 640
10. Hank Aaron, 624
11. Paul Molitor, 605
12. Paul Waner, 605
13. Cal Ripken, 603
14. Barry Bonds, 601
15. Luis Gonzales, 596
16. x-Todd Helton, 592
17. Rafael Palmeiro, 585
18. Robin Yount, 583
19. Cap Anson, 581
20. Wade Boggs 578
21. Charlie Gehringer, 574
22. Ivan Rodriguez, 572
23. x-Bobby Abreau, 565
24. Jeff Kent, 560 
25. Eddie Murray, 560

1. Pete Rose Sr., 3215
2. Ty Cobb, 3053
3. Eddie Collins Sr., 2641
4. Cap Anson, 2598
5. Willie Keeler, 2536
6. x-Derek Jeter, 2470
7. Honus Wagner, 2426
8. Rod Carew, 2404
9. Tris Speaker, 2382
10. Tony Gwynn, 2378
11. Paul Molitor, 2366
12. Nap Lajoie, 2360
13. Hank Aaron, 2294
14. Jesse Burkett, 2293
15. Sam Rice, 2272
16. x-Omar Vizquel, 2264
17. Carl Yastrzemski, 2262
18. Wade Boggs 2253
19. Stan Musial, 2253
20. Lou Brock, 2247
21. Paul Waner, 2245
22. Ichiro Suzuki, 2225
23. Rickey Henderson, 2182
24. Robin Yount, 2182
25. Frankie Frisch, 2171

1. Ricky Henderson,1406
2. Lou Brock, 938
3. Billy Hamilton, 937
4. Ty Cobb, 892
5. Tim Raines, 807
6. Vince Coleman, 752
7. Eddie Collins Sr., 743
8. Arlie Latham, 739
9. Max Carey, 738
10. Honus Wagner, 722
11. Joe L. Morgan, 689
12. Willie Wilson, 668
13. Tom T. Brown, 657
14. Bert Campaneris, 649
15. Kenny Lofton, 622
16. Otis Nixon, 620
17. George Davis, 616
18. x-Juan Pierre, 614
19. Dummy Hoy, 594
20. Maury Wills, 586
21. George Van Haltren, 583
22. Ozzie Smith, 580
23. Hugh Duffy, 574
24. Bid McPhee, 568
25. Brett Butler, 558

Active Players Closing In x-Ichiro Suzuki, 472

1. Pete Rose Sr., 4256
2. Ty Cobb, 4191
3. Hank Aaron, 3771
4. Stan Musial, 3630
5. Tris Speaker, 3515
6. Carl Yastrzemski, 3419
7. Cap Anson, 3418
8. Honus Wagner, 3430
9. Paul Molitor, 3319
10. x-Derek Jeter, 3316
11. Eddie Collins Sr., 3313
12. Willie Mays, 3283
13. Eddie Murray, 3255
14. Nap Lajoie, 3252
15. Cal Ripken, 3184
16. George Brett, 3154
17. Paul Waner, 3152
18. Robin Yount, 3142
19. Tony Gwynn, 3141
20. Dave Winfield, 3110
21. Craig Biggio, 3060
22. Rickey Henderson, 3055
23. Rod Carew, 3053
24. Lou Brock, 3023
25. Rafael Palmeiro, 3020

Active Players Closing In x-Alex Rodriquez, 2939

There have been three different "most valuable player" awards in baseball since 1911. The Chalmers Award was the first of those three and it was presented by between 1911 and 1914 by Chalmers Automotive — a Detroit based automobile company. By 1915 the Chalmers Award was no longer considered popular. Rumors about possible cheating and the inability for any player to win more than once were factors which led to its demise.

The Cy Young Award was then Commissioner Ford Frick's idea to honor the best pitcher in Major League Baseball. Hard lessons were learned by the Chalmers Award (1911-1914) earlier in history so the recipients of the Cy Young Award were selected by the Baseball Writers Association of America from the inception of the award. During the first eleven years (1956 - 1966), only one winner from Major League Baseball was selected. Immediately after Commissioner Frick retired, the rules were changed to honor the best pitcher from each league.

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers. The All-Star Game usually occurs in early to mid-July and marks the symbolic halfway point in the Major League Baseball season (though not the mathematical halfway point; in most seasons, that actually takes place one week earlier). The game is usually played on a Tuesday, with no regular season games scheduled on the day before or the day after. 

Monies collected under the MLB luxury tax are apportioned as follows: The first $5m is held in reserve, to pay for possible luxury tax refunds. This isn't comparable to a tax return you might expect if you decided to donate car or truck parts this year, the sums of money involved in the luxury tax refund are much greater. Once it is clear that there are no refunds to be issued, this money is then earmarked for the Industry Growth Fund (IGF). 50% of the remaining money is used to fund player benefits, 25% is used to fund baseball programs in developing countries with no high-school baseball, and 25% is put into the Industry Growth Fund. The cap on spending before the luxury tax (officially called the Competitive Balance Tax) kicks in changes during each season of the current collective bargaining agreement. According to the agreement, affected teams must send a check to the commissioner's office by Jan. 31. These are a lot of checks to be writing and they're not cheap checks either. 

In contrast to increased tolerance regarding on-field behavior, the personal lives of umpires received unprecedented scrutiny. In November 1988 Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, acting on behalf of club owners, released ten-year National League umpire Dave Pallone because of the fear that the arbiter's homosexuality might compromise his on-field performance and baseball's image. NL president Bill White suspended Bob Engel in April 1990 after he was charged with two misdemeanor counts of shoplifting baseball cards; baseball's insistence upon the unquestioned integrity of umpires prompted the twenty-five-year veteran to retire immediately upon his conviction in July. And in 1991 two unidentified umpires, one in each league, were placed on a year's "probation" because of alleged association with bookmakers even though there was no indication that they had ever bet on baseball games.

Eight years later the Umpires Association made major advances under the new leadership of Richard G. "Richie" Phillips, a Philadelphia lawyer who also represented National Basketball Association referees. A second umpire's strike on August 25, 1978, lasted only one day, owing to a court injunction against the Association, but a third strike from Opening Day to May 18, 1979, won major concessions for the union, including a salary schedule of $22,000 to $55,000, based on years of service; annual no-cut contracts; $77 per diem while traveling; and two weeks' midseason vacation. The aftermath of the prolonged strike, which demonstrated the power of the Association and the inadequacy of replacement umpires, was marked by ill will between the union umpires and "the Class of '79"--the four "scab" umpires retained on each league's staff. 

Spurred by war-induced prosperity, continental expansion, and television revenue, baseball led the transformation of professional sport from a commercial business to an entertainment industry. Moreover, baseball, like all organized sport, felt the impact of the social and cultural changes that swept over America. After World War Two umpiring truly became a profession, and by the end of the 1980s major league umpires were not only far better trained and organized than ever before but also a forceful and independent voice in baseball affairs.

Although major league umpires, save for a few short-lived experiments, wore blue serge suits and officiated according to the same rule book, subtle and not-so-subtle differences in the style and technique of umpiring developed between the two leagues. Inasmuch as league presidents from the beginning hired, assigned, and instructed their umpires, personal preferences were reflected in the umpiring staffs early in the century. Then inter-league chauvinism sustained and accentuated the distinctiveness. Under Ban Johnson's leadership, the American League soon boasted an overall staff that was superior to the National League, just as the Junior Circuit had more star players, stronger teams, and more successful managers during the same period. Because Johnson believed that all of his umpires were good enough to work the World Series, the prestigious (and lucrative) assignment was rotated among his staff, whereas postseason honors in the National League went selectively to the best (or most favored) umpires. In return for backing his umpires to the hilt, Johnson demanded reserve and restraint on the field, whereas National League presidents adopted a more laissez-faire attitude toward their umpires.

Between World Wars One and Two, when baseball dominated the nation's sport consciousness as the National Pastime, umpiring became a career vocation instead of a limited occupational opportunity. Expanded schedules meant seven months of employment, and umpires received better salaries and more recognition. Staff stability became the norm: an umpire who passed muster the first two or three years could look forward to a long career. Umpires continued to be vexed by arguments with players, insults from fans, and occasional flying objects, but the vicious rowdiness declined. The physical abuse was curtailed significantly because of the stiff penalties imposed for fighting and bottle tossing, while the verbal abuse abated as league officials and the press did an about-face after the infamous Black Sox Scandal by proclaiming the umpire the personification of the game's integrity. To underscore their role as independent arbitrators, umpires had to make travel arrangements separate from players and patronize different bars, hotels, and restaurants.

With the 1903 peace agreement between the National League and the new American League, major league baseball entered the modern era and brought stature and stability for umpires. Byron Bancroft "Ban" Johnson, president of the upstart American League, led in providing the strong support from league officials that was essential to the morale and effectiveness of the umpires. Noted for his backing of umpires when he had been the head of the Western League, Johnson insisted that umpires be respected and backed up his words by supporting their decisions and suspending players who were guilty of flagrant misconduct.