One year, one month and one day ago, I ran a list of the top 11 players who wore the number 11. Now, just because it’s the logical thing to do on a day such as this, I give you the top 12 players who wore the number 12.
The Top 12 #12s of All Time
By career WAR according to Baseball-Reference.com, only while wearing the number 12.
1. Roberto Alomar, 62.9
2. Mark Langston, 47.3
3. Gil McDougald, 38.6
4. Dusty Baker, 34.2
5. Bill White, 25.7
6. Cesar Tovar, 25.6
7. Doug Rader, 21.4
8. Alfonso Soriano, 20.5
9. Johnny Briggs, 20.4
10. Tommy Davis, 18.9
11. John Stearns, 18.2
12. Wade Boggs, 18.0
Just missing the cut: Ernie Whitt at 17.9
At 88.3, Boggs has the highest career WAR of any player who wore 12 for a significant period, but most of it came while he was sporting number 26 with the Red Sox. Feel free to switch Bill White and Cesar Tovar or just call it a tie for fifth, as both spent partial seasons wearing another number.
You’re probably wondering if Gil McDougald has one of the best Yankee careers without having his number retired. He’s actually 19th all-time on the team’s WAR leaderboard. The following retired players and their numbers are ahead of him: Willie Randolph, 30; Bernie Williams, 51; Tony Lazzeri, 6, 5, 23, 7; Graig Nettles, 9; Earle Combs, 1; Charlie Keller, 9 (primarily, also 12, 15, 28 and 99) and Jorge Posada, 22.
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