Who's baseball's GOAT? From Babe Ruth to Barry Bonds, a case for the best US-born players

"America's pastime" – at least until the NFL performs a hostile takeover of the moniker – baseball has been sewn into the fabric of American life since the end of the 19th century. From Babe Ruth to Jackie Robinson to more contemporary superstars like Ken Griffey Jr. , baseball players have always captured the imagination of fans young and old, with generations of kids on the playground dreaming of growing up to be baseball's next MVP.

When it comes to the history of – especially more recent – baseball history, we must address the elephant in the room: Steroids. While Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens may never get into the Baseball Hall of Fame, they're on our list as two of the 30 greatest players in history. Bonds, the all-time Home Run King, and Clemens, the seven-time Cy Young winner, have both been tied to PEDs but were never suspended by MLB – unlike Alex Rodriguez, who misses out on the list for that reason.

Now, as America celebrates its 250th birthday and teams are handing out $765 million contracts, here's a look at 30 of the greatest United States-born baseball players in history. About USA TODAY's '250 for 250' series Now through July 4, USA TODAY Sports is releasing our "250 for 250" list of America's top homegrown athletes of all time. Each week we'll bring you all-time standouts from across the sports world, and give readers a chance to vote on who should be featured.

USA TODAY's best American baseball players of all time Babe Ruth , St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys (MD) Perhaps the greatest player in baseball history. He was such a prolific slugger that he out-homered every team in the American League in 1920 when he shattered the single-season record with 54 homers.