Can You Identify the MLB Team If We Give You Three of Their Greatest Hitters Ever?

By: Daniel Yetman
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You Identify the MLB Team If We Give You Three of Their Greatest Hitters Ever?
Image: Keith Allison via WikiCommons

About This Quiz

You probably know most of the all-time greats on your favorite team and a few iconic teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, but how well do you know the players on smaller market teams?

Many of MLB's best players started their careers with small-market franchises only to move on to teams with bigger budgets once they hit free agency. Look at Alex Rodriguez, for example; he started his career in Seattle and Texas before signing a record-breaking contract with the Yankees. Very few players in today's game spend their entire career with one team. Ryan Howard, Derek Jeter and Joe Mauer are in the minority. 

In order for the smaller market teams to remain competitive year after year, they need to prioritize their farm team so that they can constantly replace their star players that depart via free agency. The Oakland Athletics are the king of this. So far in 2019, the Red Sox lead the league in payroll with a budget of 225 million. The Oakland Athletics have the #26 payroll at about 66 million and are half a game ahead of the Red Sox as of the All-Star break. 

Hopefully, this quiz isn't like a pop fly — over your head. Let's get started to see if you can go around the horn and name all 30 teams!





Cal Ripkin Jr., Brooks Robinson and Eddie Murray are three of the greatest hitters on which team?
Arizona Diamondbacks
St. Louis Cardinals
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Cal Ripkin Jr. has the record for most hits in an Orioles uniform with 3,184. Adam Jones, who signed with the Diamondbacks in 2019, has the record for the most Oriole hits of any player still active in the MLB with 1,781.

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Paul Konerko, Frank Thomas and Harold Baines played for what team?
Chicago White Sox
Chicago Cubs
Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Angels
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

These three sluggers are the top three on the White Sox's all-time home run list. Frank 'The Big Hurt' Thomas leads the pack with 448 career dingers with the Sox. Konerko hit 432 dingers, and Baines 221.

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Todd Helton, Larry Walker and Vinny Castilla played with the following team.
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburg Pirates
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Rockies have always been known for producing hitters. These three guys are the top three on Colorado's all-time home run list. However, Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado, Troy Tulowitzki, Charlie Blackmon and Matt Holliday could also all be considered in the top three best hitters.

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Amos Otis, Frank White and George Brett are the all-time hits leaders on which of the following?
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Angels
Chicago Cubs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

These three players are the top three on Kansas City's all-time hit list. George Brett leads the way with 3,154 hits in 2707 games with the Royals. The current active leader is Alex Gordan, who has 1,549 hits with the Royals.

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Giancarlo Stanton, Hanley Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera are three of the best hitters to play for which team?
Detroit Tigers
Miami Marlins
Washington Nationals
Milwaukee Brewers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Miami is one of the newer teams in the league, and they have had a quick turn over in their players. Only two players have played more than 1,000 games with the Marlins, Luis Castillo and Jeff Conine.

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David Wright, Mike Piazza and Darryl Strawberry are three of which team's all-time greats?
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Chicago White Sox
Chicago Cubs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Darryl Strawberry has the highest career OPS of any player who has played more than 1,000 games with the Mets with .878. Three players have a higher career at Mets OPS but have played fewer games: John Olerud, Mike Piazza and Yoenis Cespedes.

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Which team did Mike Schmidt, Ryan Howard and Del Ennis play for?
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburg Pirates
Atlanta Braves
New York Mets
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

These three players lead the Phillies in all-time home runs with 548, 382 and 249 respectfully. Chuck Klein is the all-time Phillies OPS leader of players with more than 1,000 games played. From 1928 to 1944 he had a .935 OPS.

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You probably recognize the names Barry Bonds, Willie Mays and Mel Ott. Which teams did they play for?
Toronto Blue Jays
Oakland Athletics
Pittsburg Pirates
San Fransisco Giants
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Barry Bonds is the all-time league leader in home runs, but he doesn't lead the Giants all-time list since he started his career with the Pirates. Bonds has 586 home runs in a Giants uniform while Mays sits number one with 646 dingers.

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Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist and Carl Crawford are three of the best hitters to ever play for what team?
Miami Marlins
Tampa Bay Rays
Kansas City Royals
Houston Astros
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Longoria, Crawford and Zobrist are the top three on Rays' all-time RBI list. They're also the only players to play more than 1,000 games for the Rays. Jose Canseco might be the biggest name to play for the Rays, but he played less than 200 games.

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Vladimir Guerrero, Bryce Harper and Larry Walker are among the top players to play for this franchise. Who are we talking about?
Washington Nationals (and Montreal Expos)
St. Louis Cardinals
Oakland Athletics
Chicago Cubs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Vladimir Guerrero leads the Expos/Nationals franchise in OPS for players who've played more than 1,000 games. Over 1,004 games, he hit an insane .978. He also ranks highly on the team's all-time list for most major hitting stats like home runs, stolen bases, RBIs and batting average.

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Carlos Delgado, Jose Bautista and Vernon Wells are among the best players to ever play for this team. Which team is it?
Toronto Blue Jays
St. Louis Cardinals
Oakland Athletics
Chicago Cubs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Carlos Delgado is arguably the best hitter to ever don a Blue Jays uniform. In 1,423 games, he leads the team in all-time OPS (.949), home runs (336), doubles (343), walks (827) and RBIs (1,058). He's number two in all-time games played behind Tony Fernandez.

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Stan Musial, Albert Pujols and Roger Hornsby are three of the all-time greats for which team?
St. Louis Cardinals
Baltimore Orioles
Oakland Athletics
Milwaukee Brewers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Cardinals are one of the most successful teams in baseball history. You could make an argument that Mark McGwire also belongs in the top three Cardinals hitters of all-time since he hit his record 70 home run season in a Cardinals uniform.

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Tony Gwynn, Garry Templeton and Dave Winfield are among three of the best hitters to play this team.
San Diego Padres
Miami Marlins
Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Dodgers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

These three players are also the only players in franchise history to play more than 1,000 games. Tony Gwynn has the title of greatest Padre hitter locked down. His 3,141 hits are almost three times higher than second-place Templeton's 1,135.

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Jose Canseco, Jimmy Foxx and Reggie Jackson are among the top hitters to play for which of these teams?
Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians
Houston Astros
Oakland Athletics
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jimmie Foxx leads the Athletics in all-time OPS with an outstanding 1.079 over 1,256 games. To put that in perspective Mike Trout has a career .998 as of the 2019 All-Star break. Foxx's best season came in 1932 when he had 58 home runs.

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Harmon Killebrew, Goose Goslin and Joe Mauer are among the three greatest players from what team?
Minnesota Twins
Cleveland Indians
Cincinnati Reds
Los Angeles Angels
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When it comes to Twins hitters, Harmon Killebrew stands out at the top. In his 2,329 career games, he hit 559 home runs and amassed 1,540 RBIs. Like a lot of successful hitters, Killebrew also got his share of strikeouts. He leads the team with 1,629.

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Can you name the team that these three stars played for: Gary Sheffield, Duke Snider and Jackie Robinson?
Chicago White Sox
Chicago Cubs
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

So many great players have passed through the Dodgers organization that it's hard to pick just three. Some honorable mentioned include Gil Hodges, Eric Karros, Roy Campanella, Zack Wheat and Jack Fournier. Zack Wheat is the all-time games played leader with 2,322.

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Hank Aaron, Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones are among the best hitters with this team. Which team is it?
New York Mets
St. Louis Cardinals
Atlanta Braves
New York Yankees
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hammerin' Hank Aaron is one of the greatest hitters of all-time. He hit 733 of his career 755 home runs with the Atlanta Braves/Milwaukee Braves over 3,076 games. He also amassed 3,600 hits with the team to give him more than an 800 hit lead on the team's all-time list.

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Sammy Sosa Anthony Rizzo and Ernie Banks are among the greatest hitters for which of the following teams?
Chicago White Sox
New York Yankees
Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's no surprise that Sammy Sosa is the Cubs' all-time home run leader. In 1,811 games, he hit 545 long flys. Second on the Cubs' all-time home run list is Ernie Banks, who hit a total of 512 in the 2528 games he played with the Cubs.

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Jim Thome, Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez are the top three home run hitters to ever play for which team?
Atlanta Braves
Cleveland Indians
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

These three players lead Cleveland's all-time home run list with 337, 242 and 236 dingers respectfully. The current active leader is Carlos Santana, who has 193 homers with the Indians. Nap Lajoie is first on the all-time hits leader with 2,052 at the turn of the 20th century.

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Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman all played for which of the following teams?
Houston Astros
Tampa Bay Rays
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburg Pirates
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Craig Biggio leads all Astro Hitters with 2,850 career games played. He's exactly 700 games ahead of the second-place Jeff Bagwell. The current active leader for games played with the Astros is Jose Altuve, who has played 1,174 games.

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Which team did these studs play for: Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Ichiro Suzuki?
Pittsburg Pirates
Cincinnati Reds
Texas Rangers
Seattle Mariners
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Mariners have had their share of stars over the years. Ichiro Suzuki is the all-time hit leader with 2,542. He also has the highest batting average of any Mariner with more than 1,000 games played with a career .321 average.

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Alex Rodriguez, Adrian Beltre and Josh Hamilton all played for whom?
Texas Rangers
Los Angeles Dodgers
New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Juan Gonzalez has the highest career OPS of any player with more than 1,000 games played in a Rangers uniform. The best season of his career came in 1996 when he hit .314 with 47 home runs and 144 RBIs.

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Roberto Clemente, Honus Wagner and Paul Waner were all members of which club?
Pittsburg Pirates
Detroit Tigers
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Roberto Clemente leads the Pirates' all-time hits list with precisely 3,000. He's also tied with Honus Wagner for the most games played in a Pirates uniform with 2,433. Willie Stargell is the team's all-time home run leader.

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Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig all played for which team?
Boston Red Sox
Baltimore Orioles
Chicago Cubs
New York Yankees
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Yankees have had their share of star players over the years. The number 50 player on the Yankees all-time hits list is Mark Teixeira to put their depth in perspective. Derek Jeter leads the Yankees with 11,195 at bats and 3,465 hits.

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Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Cecil Cooper all played for which franchise?
Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds
Clevland Indians
Arizona Diamondbacks
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ryan Braun is the all-time Brewers home run leader with 334 as of the 2019 All-Star break. Of players who've had at least 3000 at bats with the Brew Crew, Prince Fielder leads the team in OPS with .929.

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Mike Trout, Tim Salmon and Albert Pujols all played with which of the following teams?
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
St. Louis Cardinals
New York Mets
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's kind of funny that the number one and number three batter on the Angels all-time home run list are named after fish. Perhaps their next star will be named Jim Tuna. Tim Salmon leads the team with 299 home runs.

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Where did Miguel Cabrera, Al Kaline and Ty Cobb play?
Detroit Tigers
St. Louis Cardinals
New York Yankees
Chicago White Sox
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ty Cobb leads the Tigers with the most at bats with 10,586. Over his career, he put up an amazing .951 OPS with a career .369 batting average. He hit over .400 three times in his career, including a .420 average in 1911.

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Pete Rose, Joey Votto and Barry Larkin are stars who played with whom?
Detroit Tigers
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburg Pirates
New York Mets
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pete Rose has more than 1,000 more hits than the second-place Barry Larkin on the Reds' all-time list. En route to reaching 4,256 hits, Pete Rose hit 3,358 with the Reds. He is also the only Red with more than 10,000 at bats.

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It was hard to pick only three players for this team but we came up with David Ortiz, Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski. What team are we talking about?
Boston Red Sox
St. Louis Cardinals
New York Yankees
Chicago Cubs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The top 30 Red Sox players of all-time would probably make it into the top three with most teams. Ted Williams leads the Red Sox all-time home run list with 521. He also has the highest career batting average at .344 and on-base percentage at .482.

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Can you tell us what team Paul Goldschmidt, Luis Gonzalez and Steve Finley all played with?
Arizona Diamondbacks
Miami Marlins
Colorado Rockies
Atlanta Braves
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are only two players who have played more than 1,000 games with the Diamondbacks. Luis Gonzalez leads most statistical categories with 1,194 games played, 224 home runs, 1,337 hits, and 774 RBIs. Now Cardinal Paul Goldschmidt is the other player with more than 1,000 games played.

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You Got:
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Keith Allison via WikiCommons