 George Brett
George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953 in Glen Dale, West Virginia) is a former Major League Baseball player for the Kansas City Royals. He is considered one of the greatest third basemen in Major League Baseball history.
His 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history, and 15th all-time. Baseball historian Bill James regards him as the second-best third baseman of all time, trailing only his contemporary, Mike Schmidt. Brett was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999, with what was then the fourth-highest voting percentage in baseball history (98.2%), trailing only Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, and Ty Cobb. In 2007, Cal Riken Jr. passed Brett with 98.5% of the vote. He received the highest percentage for an infielder ever, higher than all-time outfielders Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Ted Williams, and Joe DiMaggio. That same year, he ranked Number 55 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Brett is one of four players in MLB history to accumulate 3000 hits, 300 home runs, and a career .300 batting average (the others are Stan Musial, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron). Most indicative of his hitting style, Brett is fifth on the career doubles list, with 665 (trailing Tris Speaker, Pete Rose, Stan Musial, and Ty Cobb). Combining his superior hitting skill with his great defensive ability and team focus (& humility), George Brett is arguably one of the most complete baseball players of all time.
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