Ranking the Top 10 MLB players who never won a World Series feat. Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Ted Williams and more (2024)

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Carl Yastremski had a long and storied career with the Boston Red Sox. He played his entire 23-year MLB career with the Red Sox and was loved by the Boston faithful.

Unfortunately, for Yastremski, the Red Sox suffered one of the longest World Series droughts between 1918-2004. The Curse of the Bambino was cruel on Boston fans who had to endure nearly a century without a championship.

Yastremski, though, was a phenomenal player and wouldv'e been an asset to any team in the league. The three-time batting champion (1963, 1967, 1968) also won an American League MVP in 1967. He was an 18-time All-Star and a seven-time Gold Glove winner.

The Red Sox legend came close to winning a World Series in 1975 but fell just short. Boston lost a heartbreaking series in seven games to the "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds team.

#9 Juan Marichal (1960-75)

The Dominican right-hander was regarded as one of the best starting pitchers of his era. He played the majority of his career with the San Francisco Giants but also appeared for the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Juan Marichal is known for his versatility and accuracy on the mound. He finished with an impressive 243-142 win-loss record after 457 career starts. In six of the 17 seasons Marichal played, he finished with 20 or more wins and an ERA below 2.50. In comparison, the great Pedro Martinez only achieved that feat twice during his 18-year career.

Marichal did reach the World Series in 1962 but lost out to the New York Yankees. The Yankees team led by Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford and Ralph Terry was too strong for the Giants and won the series in seven games.

#8 Don Mattingly (1982-1995)

The New York Yankees won the World Series in 1978 and then again in 1996. Unfortunately, for Don Mattingly, his stint with the club was right in the middle of that World Series drought. The Yankees first baseman was an exceptional player and one of the most elite hitters of his generation.

Mattingly finished his career with a batting average of over .300. His career slash line was .307/.358/.471.

During his 14-year MLB career with the Yankees, he was selected to the All-Star game on six occasions and won nine Gold Glove Awards. Mattingly also has an AL MVP crown to his name after finishing the 1985 season with 35 home runs and 145 RBIs.

The Yankees only reached the playoffs once during the Mattingly era. They were defeated by the Seattle Mariners 3-2 in the American League Division Series.

#7 Tony Gwynn (1982-2001)

MLB aficionados that were around to see Tony Gwynn hit understand how talented he was. Gwynn has a knack for hitting and has the numbers to back it up.

Gwynn ranks number 21 in the all-time hits category with 3,141 hits. That places him ahead of Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki, Miguel Cabrera and Rod Carew. He is an eight-time National League batting champion. He was selected to the All-Star game in 15 of the 20 seasons he played in the majors. Gwynn finished with a remarkable .338/.388/.459 slash line.

Perhaps Gwynn's greatest weakness was loyalty. He chose to play out his entire 20-year career with the San Diego Padres. San Diego is a great city, but the franchise is not known for winning. The organization is still in search of their first ever World Series.

#6 Ichiro Suzuki

After a very successful eight-year career in Japan, Ichiro Suzuki made the decision to move to the MLB. Ichiro quickly became an icon with the Seattle Mariners fanbase for his hitting ability and his amiable personality.

Ichiro may have been smaller compared to other players, but that did not deter him from becoming one of the league's leading hitters. He is a contact hitter who is known for his consistency. He finished his MLB career with an incredible .311/.355/.402 slash line.

After an exceptional rookie season, Ichiro became only the second player in MLB history to win Rookie of the Year and AL MVP in the same season. The Japanese sensation was selected to the All-Star game over 10 consecutive seasons (2001-2010). He is a two-time batting champion and a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner.

#5 Ernie Banks (1953-1971)

Outside of Chicago, few baseball fans give Ernie Banks the recognition he deserves. The Cubs teams of the late 50's and early 60's were famous for missing out on the playoffs and finishing close to the bottom of the National League. Banks, however, played the game with great gusto and high energy. He was the main attraction at Wrigley Field.

Amongst the Cubs faithful, Banks is regarded as one of the greatest players in franchise history. He won back-to-back NL MVP Awards in 1958 and 1959. Banks was a 14-time All-Star and a Gold Glove winner. He finished his illustrious career with 2,583 hits, 1,305 runs, 512 home runs and 1,636 RBIs over 2,528 games.

#4 Ken Griffey Jr. (1989-2010)

Ken Griffey Jr. could do it all. He was truly what baseball fans refer to as a five-tool player. Griffey could hit, hit for power, run, field and throw. He managed to do it all at a high level over a 22-year MLB career.

Griffey played the majority of his career with the Seattle Mariners and the Cincinnati Reds. He also had a short stint with the Chicago White Sox.

The left-handed slugger was a 13-time All-Star, and he won the AL MVP in 1997. He has 10 Gold Glove Awards to his name and has won the Silver Slugger Award seven times.

Despite all his success during the regular season, Ken Griffey Jr. was never able to reach a World Series.

#3 Ty Cobb (1905-1928)

Ty Cobb is one of the elder statesmen on this list, but he definitely earned his place. The outfielder played 22 years with the Detroit Tigers before spending a year with the Philadelphia Athletics.

The Hall of Famer still attains a long list of records that look like they may never be broken. Cobb holds the record for the highest batting average by any MLB player. He finished with a .366 lifetime average. He has a record 12 batting titles and won the title for nine consecutive seasons from 1907-1915. He remains second in the all-time MLB hits category behing Pete Rose.

Over a 3,034-game career spanning from 1905-1928, Cobb finished with 4,191 hits, 2,246 runs and 1,938 RBIs. He was the AL MVP in 1911 and won the Triple Crown in 1909.

#2. Barry Bonds (1986-2007)

Barry Bonds is considered by many to be one of the greatest MLB players of his generation.

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Bonds in 1985 where he went on to play seven seasons in the majors. In 1993, he chose to sign with the San Francisco Giants, where he went on to finish his career. During a career that spanned 22 seasons, Bonds was never able to win a World Series.

He holds a number of records that may never be broken. Most notably, he is the all-time leader in home runs (762) ahead of Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714). Bonds also holds the single-season record for most home runs. He hit a record 73 dingers back in 2001, which still stands as an MLB record till today.

#1 Ted Williams (1939-1960)

The great Ted Williams will go down as one of the finest ballplayers to ever set foot on the field. If it wasn't for Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford, he certainly would have claimed, at least, one World Series title. Williams was one of baseball's premier hitters.

One has to wonder about the level of numbers Williams would have put up if his career wasn't interrupted by military service. Williams missed three years of his baseball career due to serving his country.

No MLB player since Ted Williams has ever hit over .400 in a season. His 1941 season was arguably his finest. The left-handed hitter had a .406/.551/.735 slash line with a whopping 1.286 OPS. Williams would go on to hit 29 or more home runs in 10 of his 19 seasons in the MLB.

Williams finished his career with an almost unfathomable .344 batting average after 2,292 total games. He is a six-time batting champion, a 16-time All-Star and a two-time AL MVP.

The year1946 was the only year Williams would come close to achieving his goal of a World Series ring. The Boston Red Sox recorded 104 regular-season wins that year but eventually lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.