.294/.385/.425, OPS -- .810, Hits -- 2,605, HRs -- 170, RBIs -- 980, The fact that he's one of only four players with at least 2,500 hits, 1,500 runs and 800 stolen bases proves he was far more than merely Rickey Henderson Lite. Ill tell you, hes one of the great hitters Ive ever seen, said Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker. In baseballs rich history there have been many players that have excelled in the defensive aspects of the game. Note: All stats are through the 2019 MLB season. These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only, and fans were able to participate in Twitter polls to vote for their favorites. The Best Players of the Last 50 Years - Part VIII - Left Fielders Browns vs. Chiefs: What's the Game Plan for Cleveland David Ortiz insists on calling him "Mr. Williams," Big Papi's nod to the greatest hitter who ever lived. He led all outfielders in putouts nine times, range factor per game ten times, and assists three times. JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score system) was developed by sabermetrician Jay Jaffe as a means to measure a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. 5 greatest Brazilian midfielders of all-time - Sportskeeda 5 best Fielders of all time - Cricket Keeda Sports -- Lauber, The numbers defy sense. Bench led the league in total zone runs as a catcher six times and caught stealing percentage three times. Does ex-teammate-turned-mortal enemy Pete Rose agree with us here? His #33 is retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates and he was honored as part of the first class inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. Brooks Robinson made a living off of amazing plays at third base. The teams are set for action with an 8 p.m. tipoff on SEC Network. Regardless, he makes everybody's short list of the greatest right-handed hitters of all-time. TO. He led the league in putouts from a right fielder and fielding percentage five times. Nets overcome NBA season-high 28-point deficit to stun Celtics The Ultimate Compendium for the Baseball Fan, Including All-Time Teams for Your Favorite Franchise From Yankees to Dodgers and More. Cleveland Indians (1993-2000), Boston Red Sox ('01-08), Los Angeles Dodgers ('08-10), Chicago White Sox ('10), Tampa Bay Rays ('11), Honors The calmness with. .279/.401/.419, OPS -- .820, Hits -- 3,055, HRs -- 297, RBIs -- 1,115, Runs -- 2,295 (all-time leader), SB -- 1,406 (all-time leader), "Rickey being Rickey" was a sight to behold. We've already tackled catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen and shortstops. Because we adjust for timeline and era, our rankings have fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists. Houston Astros All-Time Rankings: Left Field Greatest Defensive Midfielders Of All Time - Top 10 CDM Ever -- Kahrl, Honors He also appeared in 18 All-Star games, earning the honor in all but four of his Major League seasons. In the 2019 season, 35 percent of all plate appearances ended in one of the three, a recent trend that meant even fewer balls in the field of play, which meant fewer chances for a highlight-reel play that could make the hairs on our arms stand at attention. Tweet Email Comment Next The Clooney Garage: Inside George Clooney's Insane Car Collection Related Topics Baseball Richards would depart before the Padres 1984 run to the NL pennant. Sure, he probably was. Mariners top 5 > Rangers: Rusty Greer (1994-2002) -- Lauber, His 1967 season goes down as one of the best ever: He won the Triple Crown, hitting .326/.418/.622 with 44 home runs in a pitcher's era, but most famously carried the Impossible Dream Red Sox to the pennant, hitting .417 with nine home runs and 26 RBIs in September. Football fans have ranked the 50 greatest defenders in - GiveMeSport Here's how WBC offenses stack up with MLB's best, Las Vegas prepared to give A's 'better opportunity', Female minor league manager shadows Lovullo, Paxton (hamstring) unlikely for start of season, Jays' Guerrero to miss WBC with inflamed knee, Rangers, LHP Smith agree to 1-year, $1.5M deal, 7 Cubs combine for 1st spring no-no since 2017, Scherzer tries to test pitch clock limits, gets balk. He committed the fewest errors by a pitcher twice, range factor per nine innings twice, and assists once. The on-field portion of the NFL scouting combine rolls on with Day 2 of the action gearing up Friday as special teams players and defensive backs get set for measurements, testing and on-field drills. "The Wizard" is the all-time leader in dWAR. Top 20 Defensive Baseball Players of All Time, Why WCW's Ring Was So Different From WWE's, Explained, 10 Things WWE Fans Should Know About Dusty Rhodes' Life Outside Wrestling, 5 WWE Wrestlers Who Survived Bad Gimmicks (& 5 Who Had It Define Their Careers). Richie Ashburn played the majority of his career before they awarded Gold Glove awards for elite fielders. The Big Puma ranks fourth in franchise history in games played; second in homers (326); third in runs scored (1,008), RBIs (1,090), doubles (375) and extra-base hits (727); and fifth in total hits (1,548). His defensive contribution to his teams were so significant that he was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2001 and had his #9 retired by the Pirates despite underwhelming stats at the plate. PRIME = WAR in 5 Best Consecutive Seasons. Quarterback Kirk Cousins and tight end Jordan Reed are dominating defenses.Their dominance keyed the 38-24 road win over the Philadelphia Eagles that . Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-92), San Francisco Giants (1993-2007). Teams: Cleveland Indians (1972-78), Texas Rangers (1979-85, 1989), Cincinnati Reds (1985-88), Houston Astros (1988). Bottom line: Roberto Alomar and his record 10 Gold Gloves originally were in this spot, but this Royals lifer got the final nod because of his impressive career metrics. MLB: Ranking top 10 left fielders ever - ESPN.com 344 views, 3 likes, 0 loves, 1 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Field of Dreams Navojoa: Aguerridas Vs Buhas. They are without question among the greatest baseball players of all time, contributing to their respective teams while carving out their own Major League Baseball legacy. No player not even Mantle dominated on his level for the '50s and '60s when he roamed center for the Giants and racked up two MVP awards, four home run titles, four stolen base titles, and one batting title. Baseball has had some amazing glove stories. Ivan Pudge Rodriguez is the epitome of the defensive catcher. Slowpitch | Aguerridas Vs Buhas | Aguerridas Vs Buhas | By Field of This list includes some of the best to ever play the game, including such Major League Baseball legends as Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson. Not only was Mays the best center fielder, he might have been the best all-around player to play the game. Teams: Chicago Cubs (1986-1990, 2004-06), Atlanta Braves (1993-2003), Los Angeles Dodgers (2006, 2008), San Diego Padres (2007-08), Gold Glove Awards: 18 (1990-2002, 2004-08). 1 among White Sox left fielders and ranks fifth overall behind Hall of Famers Luke Appling, Frank Thomas, Eddie Collins and Nellie Fox. In baseball, the left fielder is a defensive position that is responsible for covering the left third of the outfield. Dodgers top 5 >, Key fact: He is Major League Baseballs all-time home run leader, with 762, After spending the first seven years of his career with the Pirates, Bonds signed with the Giants ahead of the 1993 season and sparked the revitalization of the franchise. But I wouldn't put him in the top 100 players. Ben Zobrist also spent time at shortstop and right field in his career. Try this great: second in career Defensive WAR, third in Total Zone Runs and third in Range Factor per nine innings on the all-time list. 300 games) with a .305 AVG.The Rangers have three worthy candidates for the title of best left fielder in club history: Greer, Frank Howard and Al Oliver. D-backs top 5 >, Key fact: Is the Dodgers franchise leader in hits, doubles, triples and total bases, Wheat was a rookie more than 110 years ago, and hes still the Dodgers franchise leader in career hits (2,804), doubles (464), triples (171) and total bases (4,003). Greatest Catches in Baseball History | Stadium Talk -- Scott Lauber, ESPN.com Red Sox reporter, A star on the World Series-winning 1929 and '30 Philadelphia A's, they called him "Bucketfoot Al" because of his batting stance. ALL-TIME #MLBRANK, Top 100: 100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1, Insider analysis: 100-81 | 80-61 | 60-41 | 40-21 | 20-1, Top 10s: LHP | RHP | C | SS | 3B | 2B | 1B | LF | CF | RF, My Top 10: Kurkjian | Stark | Olney | Crasnick | Schoenfield, Stark: The perception of greatness in the Top 100, Szymborski: Who's in the future 100? The Greatest Outfield in Baseball History He won the 2021 Champions League and Club World Cup with Chelsea and the 2020 Euros with Italy. 3 -- Cincinnati (1975, '76) Philadelphia ('80), Career stats He spent his entire 18-year career with the Philadelphia Phillies where he was chosen as an All-Star twelve times and won ten Gold Glove Awards. quei Clube de Barcelos - FC Poto | quei Clube de Barcelos - FC Porto The Flying Dutchman also has his visage on the most expensive baseball card of all time. -- Caple, The best leadoff man in the history of the game, Rickey was a joy to watch: the deep crouch at the plate, the coiled spring taking his lead at first base, the swagger. Top 25 best midfielders in the world 2023 - Global ranking (Bonds routinely sat in on the pitchers pre-game meeting where they discussed how they were going to pitch to that days opponents.) His #6 was retired by the Detroit Tigers and in 1980 he was enshrined in Cooperstown as a first ballot Hall of Famer. Teams: Texas Rangers (1991-2002, 2009), Florida Marlins (2003), Detroit Tigers (2004-08), New York Yankees (2008), Houston Astros (2009), Washington (2010-11), Gold Glove Awards: 13 (1992-2001, 2004, 2006-07). The top five Yankees center fielders of all time, by WAR Positions: Second base, third base, shortstop. .303/.375/.409, OPS -- .784, Hits -- 4,256 (all-time leader), HRs - 160, RBIs -- 1,314, Games -- 3,562 (all-time leader), At-bats -- 14,053 (all-time leader), The epitome of a hustler, on the field and off. Willie is a 24-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove award winner, and two-time MVP Award winner. No one did it so well for so long. Regarded as the one of the best defensive right fielders of all time thanks to a legendary arm that helped him win 12 Gold Gloves, Clemente was a notorious bad-ball hitter who hit .312 lifetime . CAREER = career war. BOSTON (AP) Mikal Bridges was considered a defensive star and complementary offensive player in Phoenix before abruptly having his five-year run there ended when he was shipped to Brooklyn as . Bottom line: This guy never played a postseason game, so unlike Brooks Robinson in the 1970 World Series, Buddy Bell never had a chance to showcase his skills in front of a national audience. Teams: Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics (1954-1958), Cleveland Indians (1958-61) Minnesota Twins (1962-64), Los Angeles-California Angels (1964), Philadelphia Phillies (1964-65). Fantasy baseball: Which prospects have fantasy value in 2023? Jim Kaat is regarded as one of the greatest fielding pitchers of all time. Players are evaluated on five criteria as the foundation of our rankings: We use Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a basis for these calculations. In the 2017 season, this valuable moveable piece was among the Total Zone Runs leaders at second base and left field. As opposed to the puss arm who couldnt throw out Sid Bream with the 1992 NLCS on the line. -- Schoenfield, Sure, there is the PED issue. Rookie of the Year (1963), 17-time All-Star ('65, '67-71, '73-82, '85), MVP ('73), World Series MVP ('75), two Gold Gloves ('69, '70), Silver Slugger ('81), Championships Gold Glove Awards: 7 (1963, 1965, 1967-69, 1971, 1977). More so than any position I've reviewed so far, the right fielders are affected by the 1970 timeline cutoff. His 27.4 bWAR is the most among all Indians left fielders and the 23rd highest in franchise history. -- Caple, When you look at combined value metrics like WAR or Jay Jaffe's JAWS, it might surprise you to find that after LF's all-time trinity of Williams, Bonds and Henderson, Yaz is the guy who doesn't quite rise to their level, but is far better than everyone else on this list. "Campy" had no weaknesses other than the assorted hurts that went with the position. -- Kahrl, Teams Carty stood as one of the best outfielders of his era, and fans showed their respect for his game when they used write-in votes to elect him to the NLs starting lineup in the 1970 All-Star Game. In Jo-Jo Moore and Gary Matthews we see the conventional wisdom about left field come to the fore. Welcome to All-Time #MLBRank, our ranking of the top 100 players in baseball history. Sometimes, it's a combination of all of the above. Ichiro Suzuki Ichiro was the 2001 MVP, an All-Star 10 times, a Gold Glove winner 10 times, the winner of three Silver Slugger awards, and a batting title winner twice. He's won six straight Gold Glove Awards, and no active pitcher has more assists (418) in his career. What's the Dodgers' plan at shortstop? This marked the first and only time a player eclipsed 50 in both homers and doubles. Ted Williams is one of the greatest hitters in MLB history. OK, weve got your crazy right here. Pirates top 5 >, Key fact: Had 39.5 bWAR with Reds (16th in franchise history), After hitting .306/.364/.530 with 29 homers and a league-leading 121 RBIs in 1976, the second of Cincinnati's consecutive World Series title seasons, Foster enjoyed his best season in 77. Best Defensive Outfielders of All Time | All MLB Eras | Center, Right .334/.380/.535, OPS -- .915, Hits -- 2,927, HRs -- 307, RBIs -- 1,828, Simply put, one of the greatest hitters of his generation. Top 6 Best MLB Center Fielders of All Time - rookieroad.com After winning the National League MVP in 2018 and finishing runner-up in 2019, Yelich slashed just . Bell still sits among the all-time franchise greats, ranking seventh in games played (1,181), fifth in hits (1,284), sixth in home runs (202) and fourth in RBIs (740), and he is one of just seven players to have their name unveiled on the Blue Jays Level of Excellence at Rogers Centre. Impossible. Here are the ultimate left field rankings. As central midfielders often go across boundaries, with mobility and passing ability, they are often referred to as deep-lying midfielders, play-makers, box-to-box midfielders, or holding midfielders. Top 10 MLB left fielders for 2022 season - Audacy Even if only half of the 18 were based on merit he ranked first in Total Zone Runs 13 times and fielding percentage three times the result would be difficult to ignore. That three of the first four names on this list are . Clementes defensive skills were virtually unparalleled, with Roberto earning 12 Golden Gloves and 15 All-Star appearances. Would you believe that hes the only shortstop among the top 10 in Range Factor per nine innings (sixth) and Total Zone Runs (seventh) in baseball history? Hes also the all-time leader in Total Zone Runs from here to Funkstown. We feel its important to acknowledge that baseball is harder to play today than it was 25 years ago, and 50 years ago, and so on. 2 -- Oakland (1989), Toronto ('93), Career stats -- Lauber, Pops hit 475 home runs but as produtive as he was, Pops was known for his team leadership. -- Schoenfield, Not only the all-time leader in stolen bases (and the single season record holder as well), Rickey also holds the record for most career runs (2,295). Athletics top 5 >, Mariners: Raul Ibanez (1996-2000, '04-08, '13)Key fact: Ranks among Mariners' top 10 in games, hits, homers, RBIs and runsLeft field traditionally has been a revolving door for the Mariners, but Ibanez provided some stability during his three stints with the team. -- Schoenfield, He's known primarily for taking money to throw the 1919 World Series but Jackson hit an astounding .356 for his career and batted .382 with a dozen home runs his final season. -- Lauber, Another left fielder with PED issues, Manny hit .312 with 555 home runs. The Best Defensive Left Fielders | Elysian Fielders However, we also adjust for era, integration and level of competition, and missed playing time due to factors beyond the control of the player. He led that 1968 team in batting average, home runs and OPS, earning one of his four All-Star selections in the process. He was a six-time All-Star and won two Gold Gloves as a member of the White Sox, topping .300 in six seasons. Schmidt was a three time NL MVP and was the 1980 World Series MVP, where he led the Phillies to victory. Key facts: Three-time All-Star, seven-time Gold Glove Award winner, This was pretty much a no-brainer. And without further ado, our list of the greatest defensive outfielders of all time, sorted by era: Tris Speaker (1907-1928) Ty Cobb (1905-1928) Fielder Jones (1896-1908) Ty Cobb 4. The year after, he hit 40 homers with 120 RBIs, leading the NL. He could have won two more Gold Gloves if they had been awarded, in which case he would rank second in American League history. Now guess whos second to Robinson in career Total Zone Runs at the position. Bottom line: His dWar number is skewed by misspent time in center field. -- Kahrl, Teams -- Kahrl, Teams During his Hall of Fame career, Kaline received 10 Gold Glove awards for his work in Right and Center field. He was the ultimate glue guy, a personal favorite of manager Casey Stengel for good reason. The Washington Redskins, 2015 NFC East division champions, are ready for the playoffs. Teams: New York/San Francisco Giants (1951-52, 1954-1972), New York Mets (1972-73). He is considered to be one of the greatest five tool players of all time. Hard to imagine he played for seven -- count 'em, seven -- teams. Ed Delahanty Delahanty was one of the first great hitters in the game's history. Some of the players on this list came long before Web Gems were a daily part of our national pastime. Baseball's All-Time Greatest Center Fielders Ranked From 1 to 100. He led all pitchers in assists in eleven seasons, range factor among pitchers fourteen times, and had three seasons in which he did not commit an error. He won an NL batting title in 1918 en route to a career batting average of .317. Arozarena and Meadows split left field duties almost evenly in 2021 and that duo should take on the majority of starts there again this season. The four time All-Star has played his entire career with the Colorado Rockies where he has won two Gold Glove Awards and three Fielding Bible Awards. Mays is the all-time leader in putouts in center field, fifth in assists, and second in double plays as a center fielder. (2:29). He batted .336/.458/.677 with 46 home runs and 123 RBIs to earn the first of five NL MVP Awards in San Francisco. *played in two All-Star Games in '59 and '60. "Pops," of course. We all know left field is a hitters position. Who is the best left fielder in MLB? -- Lauber, You know the quote: Williams once supposedly said, "All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street folks will say, 'There goes the greatest hitter that ever lived.' Garvey was as an All-Star for the NL in eight straight seasons and while with the Dodgers would win four pennants and a World Series in 1981. The talented footballer was voted UEFA Men's Player of the Year. Honorable Mention: Rickey Henderson (29.7 fWAR) and Bobby Murcer (27.1 fWAR) The Yankees have a rich history of impactful center fielders. Before Barry Bonds became a controversial, divisive figure, before he was conserving energy in left field, he was a tremendously talented five-tool player. MLB's 10 Greatest Left Fielders of All Time - Bleacher Report Want a crazy stat? Bench was named to fourteen All-Star Games and earned ten Gold Glove Awards in his seventeen seasons in the majors. The Hall of Famer leads all Expos/Nationals players in offensive WAR (48.2), runs scored (947), singles (1,163), triples (82), walks (793), runs created (1,047), stolen bases (635), stolen base percentage (85.7) and win probability added (38.9). Hes the all-time leader. The level of offensive talent at his position meant he was only selected to three All-Star Games, but Vizquel retired as the all-time leader in hits by a Venezuelan. Angels top 5 >, Key fact: His .959 OPS with the Astros is the second highest in franchise history, Berkman is one of the three greatest offensive players in Astros history, joining Hall of Famers Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio. The 20 Greatest Athletes of all Time Gordons 98 outfield assists are tied for the most in MLB since 2010. I dont think you can be any better a hitter than Ryan Braun. Brewers top 5 >, While Stan Musial played all over the outfield and could be included at any of the three positions, were going to rank him with the right fielders in a few weeks. Three-time AL All-Star (1933-35), Hall of Fame ('53), Championships He was an especially strong presence in Seattle's lineup from 2004-08, batting .291/.354/.477 with 113 home runs and 489 RBIs in 755 games. Check out Gil's full list here! 9. 9 in 1983, and a sculpture of Minoso was unveiled at Guaranteed Rate Field in 2004. Photo credit (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) 10. A seven-time NL MVP, 14-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, Bonds holds Major League Baseballs all-time records for home runs (762) and walks (2,558) and is the only player to hit 500 home runs and steal 500 bases. Yaz won the Triple Crown and AL MVP in 1967. Teams: Tampa Bay Rays (2006-14), Oakland Athletics (2015), Kansas City Royals (2015), Chicago Cubs (2016-19), Positions: Second base, shortstop, outfield. His best work was done in the outfield where he earned seven Gold Glove Awards. -- Jim Caple, ESPN.com senior writer, Another whites-only era star, you can acknowledge that and then enjoy his being the Hall of Famer who never did stop putting his foot in the bucket at bat, as well as the key role he played as a guy with tremendous plate coverage starring for Connie Mack's last A's dynasty in 1929-31. 100 Greatest Center Fielders of All-Time - The Baseball Scholar Last month, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Seven-time All-Star ('64-66, '71-73, '78), World Series MVP (1979), MVP ('79), Hall of Fame ('88), Championships This may not look too poor except the league's outfielders are at .986 during the same time. Honors .285/.379/.462, OPS -- .841, Hits -- 3,419, HRs -- 452, RBIs -- 1,844, Say what you want about his 3,419 hits or his 452 home runs. Top 100 Center Fielders of All-Time - Baseball Egg Best fielders in world cricket: The top 10 ever Reds top 5 >, Key fact: Had 30 bWAR with D-backs, second most among position players in franchise history, The acquisition of Gonzalez from the Tigers in exchange for outfielder Karim Garcia on Dec. 28, 1998, received little attention at the time, but it would go down as one of the best trades in franchise history. In 1982 when he was the second oldest player in the Major Leagues, he won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. When the last out settled into his glove a half-inning later, Jones had to leap the left-field fence to avoid a mob of Mets fans streaming onto the field. For others, it's the situation. Bell also ranks fifth in Range Factor per nine innings (3.18) overall. I did not see many plays where he left his feet going forward (towards . This is a good formation. Although not always earning the recognition of home run hitters or ace pitchers, excell. One of the five greatest left-handed hitters in MLB history, "Stan the Man" helped the Cardinals to win World Series titles in 1942, 1944 and 1946. See, the career leader in Total Zone Runs at the position had a certain mystique about him, an unmatched flair and grace and passion that set him apart from the rest.