https://www.mlb.com/news/ranking-all-50-states-by-wins-above-replacement
22) Iowa: 222 players, 1,156.5 WAR
Bob Feller’s dad built the real Field of Dreams on his Iowa farm long before the Kevin Costner flick. Each of the six Iowa-born Hall of Fame players debuted prior to World War II.
Not as bad as I thought, but still not very good. Compare that to...
* * *
1) California: 2,311 players, 11,519.2 WAR
The most populous state laps the field on this list, with 24 Hall of Famers and four players who achieved north of 100 WAR (Barry Bonds, Ted Williams, Tom Seaver and Randy Johnson). Spencer Torkelson, who was
taken by the Tigers with this year’s No. 1 overall pick, is from Petaluma.
2) New York: 1,216 players, 5,893.7 WAR
The state that houses Cooperstown and spawned four Major League teams also produced four 100-WAR guys (Eddie Collins, Lou Gehrig, Warren Spahn and Alex Rodriguez, though A-Rod moved at a young age), and Southampton (Long Island) native Carl Yastrzemski (96.4) is close.
3) Pennsylvania: 1,434 players, 5,853.3 WAR
From “The Kid” (Ken Griffey Jr.) to “The Man” (Stan Musial), incredible talent hailed from here -- and that’s just tiny Donora (Griffey and Musial share not just a birthplace but a birth date of Nov. 21). The Keystone State also lays claim to Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Reggie Jackson and many others.
4) Ohio: 1,040 players, 4,805.0 WAR
This was the birthplace not just of Cy Young, but of the guy who won the most Cy Youngs (Roger Clemens). Both the Dayton-born Clemens and Cincinnati-born Pete Rose might not ever make it to the Hall of Fame, but they definitely bump up the Buckeye State WAR total.
5) Texas: 942 players, 4,157.7 WAR
The Lone Star State birthed Hall of Famers Tris Speaker, Rogers Hornsby, Frank Robinson, Greg Maddux, Joe Morgan, Eddie Mathews, Nolan Ryan and Ernie Banks, and Clayton Kershaw figures to join the list. Two of this year’s top four overall Draft picks --
Heston Kjerstad (Orioles) and
Asa Lacy (Royals) -- are Texans.
