Baseball is a sport that has been around since the 18th century, where it was first played in England. The game concept has certainly evolved since that time, including the fact that we now have proper and more developed concepts of the game like the MLB.
Over the years, we’ve seen all sorts of people have different opinions about baseball. Some people think height is an important factor in the MLB, while others feel that height is not necessarily an advantage.
We want to look at some of the tallest MLB players and see if their heights had any added effect on their games.
Classifying the Tallest MLB Players
Baseball is an international sport, and it’s played in more than just one major competition. The game has also been around for years, and many players have come and gone through the sport.
When classifying the tallest MLB players, it’s important to keep the earlier point in mind in order to prevent errors. If you search for the tallest MLB player, most of the searches you will get in return will talk about the tallest baseball players, but this is not exactly accurate in terms of the MLB.
The tallest MLB player is not necessarily the tallest baseball player globally. Also, the current tallest MLB player might not be as tall as the previous players that have retired from the sport.
Another important thing to keep in mind is baseball is a sport that requires different roles, and there are pitchers and position players. The pitchers are usually taller than the position players, so it is possible to have another category of the tallest player depending on this.
To make things easier for you, we will be talking about the tallest MLB pitcher we’ve seen until now as well as the tallest baseball players in history.
Tallest MLB Player of All Time
The tallest MLB pitcher of all time also happens to be the tallest player in the MLB to date. However, other baseball players were taller than him, but they never made it to the Major Basketball League.
The tallest MLB pitcher of all time is Jon Erich Rauch. Rauch is a baseball legend who has made a name for himself with his amazing height and his accomplishments. He had a recorded height of 6 feet and 11 inches and is still the tallest player in MLB history.
Rauch was born in 1978 in Louisville, Kentucky. His childhood was spent in Westport, Kentucky, where he started developing a passion for baseball. Rauch went to a public high school in Kentucky and he later graduated from Morehead State University, where he focused on baseball.
His Career
After college, Rauch got into the amateur baseball draft in 1999. The Major League Baseball Chicago White Sox held the draft for 50 days to fish out any promising talent. At the end of it, they picked over 1,000 candidates, one of which was Rauch.
After getting into the 1999 MLB amateur draft, Rauch’s professional career started shaping up. In 2002, Rauch got his opportunity to shine on April 2 after making his first debut appearance.
During his early times in the major league baseball competition, Rauch’s statistics showed that he had a 6.59 ERA within 8 games, and he also started six games. After that season, Rauch was returned to the reserve and was not played in 2003. In 2004, Rauch made another appearance, and this was after he performed strongly at the minor league, the Triple-A campaign.
Unfortunately, Rauch’s performance in the major league was not as superb as that in the Triple-A. By July of 2004, Rauch, along with three others, was transferred to the Montreal Expos.
After Rauch was transferred to the Montreal Expos, he quickly set a record on August 13, 2004, after he hit a home run against Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens. On August 13, 2004, Rauch became the tallest player to hit a home run in the MLB.
After a good time at the major leagues, Montreal Expos relocated to Washington, and Rauch had to go back to the minor league. In the minor league, Rauch had a great time and racked up many numbers to his name. He later joined the Nationals in 2005 and was used as a substitute, often with a 3.60 ERA.
In 2006, Rauch had a turnaround in his performance, and he started gathering stats, unlike his first two years in major league baseball. At the end of the season, his stats showed that he had a 4 – 5 record and 3.5 ERA. At the end of the season, Rauch’s statistics came in second in the National Second.
As of 2007, Rauch was at the top of major leagues even though he was coming on as a relief. At the end of the game year, his statistics showed an 8 – 4 record, made four saves, and an ERA of 3.61.
In 2008, Rauch made a major decision and signed with the Nationals for $3.2 million. As of July 22, 2008, Rauch changed to be with the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Emilio Bonifacio.
Rauch’s stay with the Arizona Diamondbacks lasted only one year, after which he was sold to the Minnesota Twins in 2009 in exchange for Kevin Mulvey. The new team allowed Rauch to have a total of 17 appearances before the end of the season, and he had a 5 – 1 record and a 1.72 ERA.
Seven months after joining the team, Rauch was named the official closer. Four days later, he made his first save against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. After some time, Rauch returned to his original place as a long reliever and set-up man.
After Rauch played for the Twins, he moved on to play for the Toronto Blue Jays on January 17, 2011. He signed a one year deal for $3.5 million. During his stay with the Toronto Blue Jays, Rauch had an injury and was out of commission for some time. His record was 5 – 4, ERA 4.47, and 11 saves.
After playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, Rauch went ahead to play for the New York Mets under a signed contract for $3.5 million. He later went on to play for the Miami Marlins in 2013, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Kansas City Royals in 2014. Rauch retired after his 2014 season with the Kansas City Royals.
Tallest Baseball Players In History
Now that we’ve looked at the tallest MLB player, we also want to show you the tallest baseball players in baseball history.
1. Ryan Doherty
Ryan Doherty is one of the two tallest players to have played baseball and most other sports. Doherty stood at 7 feet and 1 inch. Compared to Doherty, Rauch looks short!
From a young age, Doherty already decided he would be a pitcher, and he did a great job of dominating the position of the pitcher at Notre Dame Fighting Irish College. Randy Johnson inspired Doherty’s passion as a pitcher.
Later, Doherty got into the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005; however, he was unrepresented and was his own agent. Doherty went on to make a career for himself in beach volleyball.
2. Loek Van Mil
Not long after Doherty became known as the tallest baseball player, Loek Van Mil also came into the picture. His height was just as astounding as Doherty’s, as he too measured 7 feet and 1 inch!
Van Mil made a name for himself as a pitcher in numerous minor leagues globally. He played for the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Indians. He also played outside the country and on different continents. He participated in Japanese, Australian, and Dutch leagues.
Unfortunately, Van Mil never got the chance to play for the major league because he had many prospects. He also represented the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic of 2017. Sadly, he died a tragic death at the age of 34.
Conclusion
Baseball is a worldwide sport, and many people play it for professional or recreational reasons. In baseball, there is the major league baseball and the minor league.
We’ve looked at the tallest MLB player, Jon Rauch, who had a height of 6 feet and 11 inches. However, Rauch is not the tallest player in the history of baseball. Instead, that title belongs to Ryan Doherty and Loek Van Mil.
If you have a passion for baseball, height doesn’t have to be restrained. You can enjoy the sport irrespective of your height. If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to keep exploring our site.
