The Tallest Players in Baseball History
There are certain sports where being tall isn’t the biggest advantage. Unlike football or basketball, sports like baseball tend to be advantageous for those that are around the average height. However, there have still been plenty of players that made their way into the MLB while towering over most of their teammates and fans.
Some players round up and say that they’re seven feet tall, but when using official heights, there hasn’t been any seven-footer in baseball history. There are a few that were awfully close, however. Here are the tallest players to make the MLB and how they fared on the field.
6’10”: Andy Sisco
Andy Sisco was a second-round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2001 and made his debut four years later with the Kansas City Royals. Sisco appeared in 151 Major League games with both the Royals and Chicago White Sox but never got back into the league after 2007. In that season, he had an 8.36 earned run average in 19 games.
6’10”: Aaron Slegers
Born in Long Beach, California, the 6’10” Aaron Slegers made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Minnesota Twins as a relief pitcher and bounced around the league quite a bit over the next few years. Used as a call-up guy with multiple teams, Slegers has appeared in over 45 Major League games with an ERA of over five.
6’10”: Andrew Brackman
While most of the players on the list saw significant playing time in the MLB, the same can not be said for Andrew Brackman. Brackman was a first-round selection in 2007 by the New York Yankees, but spent much of his career in the minors. Brackman finally made his debut in 2011, but played in just three Major League games (all with the Yankees), pitching a total of 2.1 innings.
6’10”: Randy Johnson
Without a doubt, the best player on the list is Randy Johnson, who was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. Johnson was a near-unanimous selection thanks to his dominant career. Known as “The Big Unit,” Johnson was a 10-time All-Star and had the best earned run average in the league on four different occasions. He finished his career after the 2009 season, and over 22 years with six different teams, had 303 wins with 4,875 strikeouts. Johnson also won the 2001 World Series MVP to cement his legacy.
6’10”: Eric Hillman
Eastern Illinois University hasn’t produced a lot of big leaguers, but it did so in 1987 when Eric Hillman was drafted by the New York Mets. Hillman waited in the Minor Leagues for several years to get his opportunity but finally made his Mets debut in 1992. Hillman didn’t last on the big league roster very frequently, though, as he played in just 49 games with the last coming in 1994. Hillman finished with a record of 4-14 and a 4.85 earned run average.
6’10”: Chris Young
Not to be confused with the centerfielder, this Chris Young was a solid pitcher throughout his Major League career. After being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, he made his Major League debut in 2004 as a member of the Texas Rangers. Young would play in the MLB for 13 seasons and spent time with five teams. During that time, he made one All Star Game appearance (2007) and won the 2015 World Series as a member of the Kansas City Royals.
6’11”: Jon Rauch
The first of the two 6’11” men to make their way into Major League Baseball is Jon Rauch, who made his debut in 2002 at 23 years old. Rauch ended up having a longer career than some might remember, as he lasted for 11 seasons and played for seven different franchises. Rauch finished his career with a record of 43-40 and actually had a solid earned run average of 3.90.
6’11”: Sean Hjelle
Sean Hjelle made history in 2022 when he was called up to the San Francisco Giants roster to appear in eight games during the season. The call-up made him the first man since Rauch to join the 6’11” club. Hjelle made his way through the minors after getting to all levels of it, meaning that it was a long time coming.
