10 stars on the hunt for first World Series ring

Many of our greatest baseball players never won a World Series. Ted Williams never won one. Neither did Ken Griffey Jr., Ty Cobb, Tony Gwynn, Barry Bonds, Harmon Killebrew or Ernie Banks. (Heck, while we’re here, Mike Trout hasn’t won a postseason game, much less a championship.)

This is not quite as big a deal in baseball as it is in other sports. For Hall of Famers such as Dan Marino, Karl Malone, Randy Moss, Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley, never winning a title will be part of their biographies forever. But not winning a World Series isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Bonds or Williams. It’s a very different sport.

Still, you’d like to see the all-time greats get a World Series title. Half the fun of the Dodgers’ championship in 2020 revolved around Clayton Kershaw adding that final line to his Cooperstown résumé. These are some of the greatest players we’ve ever seen, and it just feels right for them to win a title before they retire.

Today we look at 10 active players who have had the best, most storied careers but have yet to win a World Series … and have a chance to do so this year. Some of these guys are sure-fire Hall of Famers, some are still trying to build a case and some aren’t particularly close but have been among the game’s best for years. This could be their year.

Gerrit Cole, SP, Yankees

Has appeared in 7 postseasons (1 World Series)

The year after he finally won his first Cy Young Award, Cole has taken a step backwards in 2024, both in health (15 starts) and effectiveness (3.97 ERA, his highest since 2017). He’s still one of the last starting pitchers any team wants to face in a postseason series. He signed with the Yankees for three main reasons: 1) That big contract; 2) It was the team he cheered for as a kid; 3) To have the best chance to win a World Series. He can still help make that happen in 2024.

Has appeared in 6 postseasons (1 World Series)

A World Series ring remains the only thing Harper doesn’t have at this point. The Nationals, rather famously, won one the year after Harper left. The Phillies then reached the World Series in 2022 and came just short of making it again last year. The first postseason series Harper played in, the 2012 NLDS against the Cardinals, began when Harper was only 19 years old. His next postseason game will be his 50th. He’s responsible for some all-time playoff moments. He’s gotta get a ring eventually … right?