GGOATRANK
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Baseball · Pitcher · United States

Burleigh Grimes

1916–1934 · Last legal spitball pitcher in the major leagues and a 270-game winner.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
85.8
Cultural & brand footprint 50/100 · total legacy 75.7
Career wins
270
World Series titles
1
Career complete games
314
Career innings pitched
4,180
20-win seasons
5

Category profile

Dominance
80
Peak
90
Longevity
90
Honours
80
Statistics
92

Career timeline · Home runs per season

SeasonHome runs per seasonShare of career
19173
191819
191910
192023
192122
192217
192321
192422
192512
192612
192719
192825
192917
193016
193117
19326
19334

Data sources

  • MLB.com
  • Baseball Reference
  • National Baseball Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Burleigh Grimes ranks #159 in Baseball

Burleigh Grimes ranks 159th among Baseball athletes on GOAT Rank and 1484th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 85.8 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 80, Peak 90, Longevity 90, Honours 80, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full Baseball reference universe of 262 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1916–1934 with 17 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1928, which sets the Peak component at 90. Statistics is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 15% of the final score. The underlying career record includes career wins 270, world series titles 1, career complete games 314, career innings pitched 4180.

Immediately ahead sits Goose Goslin on 85.8, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Bill Foster on 85.6. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Burleigh Grimes GOAT Score explained

Dominance80/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Grimes stood above the field while competing. Scored 80/100 against the full Baseball cohort.
Peak90/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1928. Scored 90/100.
Longevity90/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 18 years of competition and 17 recorded seasons. Scored 90/100.
Honours80/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 80/100.
Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.

Burleigh Grimes — frequently asked

Is Burleigh Grimes the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Burleigh Grimes ranks 159th in Baseball with a GOAT Score of 85.8, behind Babe Ruth on 94.6.
What is Burleigh Grimes's GOAT Score?
85.8 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 80 (25%), Peak 90 (20%), Longevity 90 (20%), Honours 80 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Burleigh Grimes rank all time?
1484th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 159th within Baseball.
Burleigh Grimes vs Goose Goslin: who ranks higher?
Burleigh Grimes, on 85.8 against Goose Goslin's 85.8 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with Ruth