CC Sabathia is a baseball legend who had an outstanding career with the New York Yankees, where he is considered a legendary player. The many important milestones he has achieved in his career are more than enough of an endorsement to choose the best MLB player of all time. Surprisingly, he did not choose another legend like Babe Ruth.
Ruth is considered by many sports fans to be one of the greatest players in baseball history and one of the most influential figures in the history of the Yankees, a team on which Sabathia also shined. The records and four World Series won by the Sultan of Swat between 1920 and 1934 make him a cultural icon who changed the New York franchise forever.
For Sabathia, however, another player takes Ruth’s place as the greatest player in MLB history. His choice may seem controversial due to the name he selected. However, the former Milwaukee Brewers player’s words are backed up by his achievements, which include a World Series title in 2009 and a career with more than 200 wins and more than 3,000 strikeouts.
Sabathia names the greatest MLB player of all time
Sabathia had no hesitation in picking Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani as the greatest baseball player of all time. “Ohtani is the greatest to ever play baseball, and it’s not even up for debate. I hate it when they compare him to Babe Ruth,” Sabathia said without hesitation on Connect The Dots Podcast, in a statement made in December 2023.
“Ohtani is playing at a time when players are better than they’ve ever been, they’re pitching harder, they’re hitting harder, and he’s the best of them all,” exclaimed Yankees legend CC Sabathia.
Ohtani’s impact as an MLB star
Shohei Ohtani is the superstar pitcher for the Dodgers, the team that won the 2024 MLB World Series over the Yankees, where Sabathia played for much of his career. The 30-year-old Japanese player has the most lucrative contract in sports history, having signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with Los Angeles in 2023.
Ohtani’s impact on MLB is so great that he has revolutionized the league with his ability to perform as an elite pitcher and hitter. For many, his name is one of the candidates to be ranked as the best in history. What is clear is that the debate is no longer rare.
Sabathia’s other individual achievements as a professional
Sabathia is a famous star in MLB history. During his time as a professional player, he was selected to the All-Star Game six times throughout his career, three of them as a member of the Yankees (2010, 2011 and 2012). He made a good case for his undoubted selection of Ohtani as the best player he has ever seen.