MLB has seen some giants take the field – and we’re not talking about San Francisco.
Jared Beck could be one of those physical giants. The Baltimore Orioles selected the 7-foot tall pitcher out of Saint Leo University in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. Only time will tell if Beck can set the Major League Baseball record for tallest player in league history.
Though Beck doesn’t classify for this ranking yet, MLB has had several tall athletes play ball. Here is a list of the tallest players to ever play in the league:
Who are the tallest MLB players of all time?
The two tallest ever MLB players are pitchers who were just under 7-feet: Jon Rauch and Sean Hjelle, with the latter currently playing for the San Francisco Giants. Here’s a ranking of players who were 6-feet-9 or taller, with one position dominating the list:
T-1. Jon Rauch (P): 6-foot-11
Rauch is probably the first player to come to mind. The former pitcher is tied for the tallest player in MLB history as his career spanned 11 seasons. He had a career ERA of 3.90 and last pitched in 2013 with the Miami Marlins.
MLB
T-1. Sean Hjelle (P): 6-foot-11
This is Hjelle’s first season in the majors. The 25-year-old has appeared in three games so far and has posted an ERA of 9.00.
T-3. Randy Johnson (P): 6-foot-10
Johnson, who many might know as “The Big Unit,” was a 10-time All-Star who thrived with the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. He posted a win-loss percentage of 64.6 and had a career ERA of 3.29.
T-3. Chris Young (P): 6-foot-10
Young earned an All-Star nod with the San Diego Padres in 2007 during his 13-year career. He had a win-loss percentage of 54.1 with a career ERA of 3.95. Young is currently the general manager of the Texas Rangers.
T-3. Eric Hillman (P): 6-foot-10
Hillman pitched for three seasons from 1992-1994 with the New York Mets. He started 36 out of 49 games but had a win-loss percentage of 22.2 with a career ERA of 4.85.
T-3. Aaron Slegers (P): 6-foot-10
Slegers is currently pitching for the Los Angeles Angels after making his MLB debut in 2017 with the Minnesota Twins. Slegers is primarily a relief pitcher who has a career ERA of 5.46.
T-3. Andrew Sisco (P): 6-foot-10
Sisco had a three-year career from 2005-2007. He debuted with the Kansas City Royals before coming to the Chicago White Sox in 2007, which would be his last season in the majors. He was a relief pitcher with a career ERA of 5.18.
T-3. Andrew Brackman (P): 6-foot-10
Brackman’s MLB career lasted just three games in 2011. He played for the New York Yankees and logged 2.1 innings pitched. He allowed only one hit and zero runs in that span.
9. Mark Hendrickson (P): 6-foot-9
Hendrickson is a unique one. He was first drafted by an MLB team in 1992 but opted to attend college instead. After graduating and playing both basketball and baseball at Washington State, he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996 and the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997. He played in the NBA from 1996-2000 until making the switch to MLB in 2002. He is one of 13 athletes to play in both leagues. His last season was in 2011 with the Orioles.