The World of Baseball

Every decade has produced a plethora of superstars in the history of Major League Baseball. It is very difficult to compare one era from another. The Montreal Expos had some great players throughout their history before becoming the Washington Nationals in 2005. One of these players is Tim Raines. Raines played 23 seasons, mostly with the Expos from 1979 to 1990.

Raines had a great rookie season in 1981. He led the National League (NL) in stolen bases with 71 in just 88 games. Raines finished 2nd to Fernando Valenzuela in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. He would become the best leadoff hitter in the NL for the rest of the decade.

Raines made seven All-Star teams (1981-1987). He won the 1987 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. Raines led the NL in stolen bases four times (1981-1984). He led the NL in runs scored twice (1983, 1987). Raines won the 1986 NL batting title (.334). He also led the NL in on-base percentage in 1986 (.413).

Tim Raines is the most efficient base stealer of all time. He finished his career with 808 stolen bases, which according to Baseball Reference, is 5th all time. Raines won two championships with the Yankees in 1996 and 1998. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.