Selected players
| * | 'Legends' chosen by select panel |
| ** | Player still active in 1999 |
| ö | Player is deceased |
| † | Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame |
In 1999, the Major League Baseball All-Century Team was chosen by popular vote of fans. To select the team, a panel of experts first compiled a list of the 100 greatest Major League Baseball (MLB) players from the 20th century. Over two million fans then voted on the players using paper and online ballots. [1]
The top two vote-getters from each position, except outfielders (nine), and the top six pitchers were placed on the team. A select panel then added five legends to create a thirty-man team: [1] —Warren Spahn (who finished #10 among pitchers), Christy Mathewson (#14 among pitchers), Lefty Grove (#18 among pitchers), Honus Wagner (#4 among shortstops), and Stan Musial (#11 among outfielders). [1]
The nominees for the All-Century team were presented at the 1999 MLB All-Star Game at Fenway Park. [2] Preceding Game 2 of the 1999 World Series, the members of the All-Century Team were revealed. Every living player named to the team attended. [3]
| * | 'Legends' chosen by select panel |
| ** | Player still active in 1999 |
| ö | Player is deceased |
| † | Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame |
There was controversy over the inclusion in the All-Century Team of Pete Rose, who had been banned from baseball for life 10 years earlier. Some questioned Rose's presence on a team officially endorsed by Major League Baseball, but fans at the stadium gave him a standing ovation. During the on-field ceremony, which was emceed by Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, NBC Sports' Jim Gray questioned Rose about his refusal to admit to gambling on baseball. [4] Gray's interview became controversial, with some arguing that it was good journalism, [5] while others objected that the occasion was an inappropriate setting for Gray's persistence. [6] After initially refusing to do so, Gray apologized a few days later. [7] On January 8, 2004, more than four years later, Rose admitted publicly to betting on baseball games in his 2004 autobiography My Prison Without Bars .
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