Mickey Mantle 3. 5) Dave Kingman. Forgot how much ground he covered in his pre-roids days, didnt you? 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. 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. Too bad he wasn't able to play longer because he finished just 73 hits shy of 3,000. Now guess whos second to Robinson in career Total Zone Runs at the position. 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. Philadelphia A's (1924-32, '40-41, '44), Chicago White Sox ('33-35), Detroit Tigers ('36), Washington Senators ('37-38), Boston Bees ('39), Cincinnati Reds ('39), Boston Red Sox ('43), Honors Cruz is undoubtedly the best left-fielder in Astros history, and is one of the greatest Astros of All-Time. A career .300 hitter with over 2,700 hits, he matches his prowess at the plate with solid defensive play in the middle infield. He made up for a relatively weak throwing arm with a very quick release and a patented spin move down the left field line to hold runners to a single. Someday, Gordons No. 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) Before he was the first baseman on the Giants pennant-winning teams of 1951 and 1954, Whitey Lockman was an outfielder, and a good one, too, but by 1951 Leo Durocher had him trade positions with Monte Irvin. 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? He did not have the career of his father, but who did? Teams: San Diego Padres (1978-81), St. Louis Cardinals (1982-96). 1-ranked left fielder of all time. 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. This Day in Giants History, February 20, 1895: John Montgomery Ward Hates the Reserve Clause, This Day in Giants History: December 3, 1960, Constructing a Team from Players Who Have Been Both Senators/Twins and Giants, Elysian Fielders Constructing a Team from Players Who Have Been Both Senators/Twins and Giants, Constructing a Team of Players Who Have Been Both Braves and Giants, Elysian Fielders The General Managers: John McGraw, 1919-32, The General Managers: John McGraw, 1902-12, Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy, The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, The Numbers Game: Baseball's Lifelong Fascination With Statistics. In baseballs rich history there have been many players that have excelled in the defensive aspects of the game. In 1966, the National League All-Star team fielded a lineup with arguably the greatest outfield ever to appear in a baseball game: Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Hank Aaron. RANK. For true seamheads, this was absolutely rotten news. 100 Greatest Left Fielders of All-Time ALL-TIME TOP 100 LISTS CATCHER FIRST BASE SECOND BASE SHORTSTOP THIRD BASE LEFT FIELD CENTER FIELD RIGHT FIELD PITCHER Baseball's All-Time Greatest Left Fielders Ranked From 1 to 100 CAREER = career war Long Peak = WAR in Best 7 Seasons SHORT PEAK = WAR in Best 3 Seasons Bob Johnson, 1933-42 Securing a pennant or even the World Series. This is a good formation. "The Wizard" is the all-time leader in dWAR. The Phillies Jimmy Rollins took that home, but the Rockies vanquished the Phils in the NL Division Series -- and Holliday went on to earn NLCS MVP honors. Other career achievements include over 351 OBP, 440 OPS, and 215 hits. The Flying Dutchman also has his visage on the most expensive baseball card of all time. Positions: Second base, third base, shortstop. Teams We all know left field is a hitters position. Jim Kaat is regarded as one of the greatest fielding pitchers of all time. Here is our list of the 25 best outfielders of all time: 25. Fielding errors were a rarity in the careers of these players. The Ultimate Compendium for the Baseball Fan, Including All-Time Teams for Your Favorite Franchise From Yankees to Dodgers and More. 344 views, 3 likes, 0 loves, 1 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Field of Dreams Navojoa: Aguerridas Vs Buhas When "Little Louie" led the new wave of Hispanic players in the bigs, the position went from 33 1/3 to 78 rpm in terms of athleticism and entertainment value. He notched an impressive 283 wins and 2,461 strikeouts in his career along with a career ERA of 3.45. 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). Remember, kids, head up and glove down. The 18 greates Coaches in College Football History. Yaz's greatest achievement might have been succeeding Ted Williams in left field at Fenway Park in 1961 and playing at a Hall-of-Fame level for the next 23 years. Defensive WAR shows as much. -- Kahrl, Teams After winning the National League MVP in 2018 and finishing runner-up in 2019, Yelich slashed just . Ty Cobb 4. Sometimes, it's a combination of all of the above. (2:29) Tim Kurkjian, Eduardo Perez and Dallas Braden weigh in on who is the greatest left fielder in MLB history. .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. A few had better range. His 254 assists are the most by an outfielder in the live ball era, which is nutso when you consider that, once word got around, a runner would almost rather have a lobotomy than risk embarrassment by his legendary arm. If not for a tragic auto accident that ended his career prematurely, the three-time Most Valuable Player likely would have become the first black manager in the major leagues. -- 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.' Jorginho is a technically gifted defensive midfielder who prefers playing as a focal point and controlling the tempo of play. ABOUT MISSOURI. .356/.423/.517, OPS -- .940, Hits -- 1,772, HRs -- 54, RBIs -- 785, None other than Babe Ruth said Jackson was "the greatest natural hitter I ever saw." Well-renowned for his passing, Gerson is often considered as one of the best passers in World Cup history. That three of the first four names on this list are . Others are not included in those categories, but excelled in the defensive aspects of the game to such an extent that their inclusion was necessary. The adequate fielding was a bonus. Wheat was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1959. FROM. 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. "The Glove" is the MLB career leader in Total Zone Runs and double plays at the position and it would take a search party to find the next in line. 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). 1 overall pick in Aprils . Baseball's All-Time Greatest Center Fielders Ranked From 1 to 100. He posted a .609 OBP one year. Best Midfielders of All Time Andres Iniesta Xavi Lothar Matthaus Andrea Pirlo - One of the Best Midfielders of all Time Ryan Giggs Steven Gerrard Michael Laudrup (DEN) Paul Scholes - A Great Central Midfielder Didi Frank Lampard Joshua Kimmich - A Popular Name Among the Best Defensive Midfielders Diego Maradona - All-Time Best Midfielder Quick and agile Ichiro could get to balls and set-up as quickly as anyone. In 16 years with the Cardinals, he stole 888 bases, hit .297 and accumulated 41.8 bWAR. While Bobby Veach has a strong case as one of the Tigers' great run producers of the Dead Ball Era, Horton's legacy as a hometown hero and clutch performer in the Tigers' 1968 World Series have secured his place in franchise history. Marlins top 5 >, Key fact: Caught final out of 1969 World Series, One of the engines of the 1969 Miracle Mets, Jones hit .340 in 137 games that season, starting in left field for 119 of them. Cincinnati Reds (1963-78, '84-86), Philadelphia Phillies ('79-83), Montreal Expos ('84). Ill tell you, hes one of the great hitters Ive ever seen, said Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker. In 1983 he left to play for San Diego and made two All-Star games as a Padre and led San Diego to their first ever pennant in 1984. Joe DiMaggio 6. Barry Bonds is Major League Baseball's all-time home run leader and the only player to win more than three MVP awards he ended up with seven but is that enough to declare the infamous,. Answer (1 of 21): The first player that comes to mind would be Suzuki Ichiro, who could throw seeds all the way to the third-base bag from rightfield. Matthews, too, was primarily a good hitter. Get Jay Jaffe's book The Cooperstown Casebook where he outlines who should and shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame based on his JAWS metric used here.. Cardinals top 5 >, Key fact: Had 4,262 total bases with Cubs, second to only Ernie Banks in club history, There is no debate over who should be the Cubs No. 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. White Sox top 5 >, Key fact: Only Angels player to record at least 2,000 hits with the club, With his smooth left-handed swing, Anderson set numerous club records during his time with the Angels, including the most hits (2,368), total bases (3,743), doubles (489), RBIs (1,292) and runs scored (1,024). And Bill White almost certainly would have one more (1956) if the award had been in existence. Right field really does have it all. That campaign ranks among the best of any player in franchise history: Floyd recorded a .317/.390/.578 slash line with 31 home runs, 123 runs scored, and 103 RBIs. The talented footballer was voted UEFA Men's Player of the Year. 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 . 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 Who is the best left fielder in MLB? Midfielders may play an exclusively right back role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. Greg Maddux is widely considered to be the greatest fielding pitcher of all-time. Winner of the World Cup, UEFA Champions League, multiple Serie A titles and domestic cups, Andrea Pirlo is one of the most decorated midfielders in European football history. Kante is a winner / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/GettyImages. Ted Williams Carl Yastrzemski Willie Stargell Stan "The Man" Musial Luis Gonzalez Jim Rice Goose Goslin Moiss Alou Cleon Jones Gary Sheffield Mike Riley Cubs top 5 >, Key fact: Is only player ever to have at least a share of the league lead in home runs seven years in a row, Simply put, Kiner is one of the greatest sluggers in the Pirates long history. The Argentine midfielder was capable of carrying on his own the . Barry Bonds Bill Terry Gary Matthews Gregor Blanco Jo-Jo Moore John McGraw, Leo Durocher, Monte Irvin, Whitey Lockman. Bench led the league in total zone runs as a catcher six times and caught stealing percentage three times. -- 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. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com baseball writer, Honors And runs, are the most important stat in baseball. That's short for Three True Outcomes, also known as walks, strikeouts and home runs. He was a 16-time Gold Glove winner and was a three time All-Star. How Many Good Giants Were Good Prospects? As opposed to the puss arm who couldnt throw out Sid Bream with the 1992 NLCS on the line. Maddux was an eight-time All-Star, four time NL Cy Young winner, and racked up an impressive eighteen Gold Glove Awards. -- Caple, Teams TO. For most of his career, Ozzie Smith was the premier defensive shortstop in baseball. In 1982 when he was the second oldest player in the Major Leagues, he won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. Clemente was the first Latino starter to win a World Series and the National League MVP. He led the league in putouts from a right fielder and fielding percentage five times. He was enshrined in Cooperstown in 1989 and no Cincinnati Red will ever wear his #5 again. 7 Cubs pitchers combine for no-hitter vs Machado, Padres, Jays 'playing it safe' after Guerrero tweaks knee, Top moments from Brady, Manning, Jordan and other athletes hosting 'Saturday Night Live', Fantasy baseball rankings, projections, strategy and cheat sheets, PitchCom-tipping: Loud device leaks Twins calls, Eflin's first start after $40M deal impresses Rays, Rangers' Leclerc to miss WBC with neck injury, Rockies' Rodgers may need surgery, '23 at risk, Rojas to withdraw from WBC, stay with Dodgers. 9 in 1983, and a sculpture of Minoso was unveiled at Guaranteed Rate Field in 2004. What's the Dodgers' plan at shortstop? Left Field JAWS Leaders. Who are the best MLB center fielders of all time? Ed Delahanty Delahanty was one of the first great hitters in the game's history. He is also the all-time career leader in assists as a shortstop and total zone runs. His great first step, speed and knowledge of the tendencies of his own teams pitchers and opposing hitters allowed him to get to everything hit his way. Is there a more fundamentally correct baseball player out there? Although not always earning the recognition of home run hitters or ace pitchers, excelling in the defensive elements of baseball is crucial to teams winning baseball games. He ranks third in Gold Gloves and fourth in Total Zone Runs among shortstops. Relying on positioning and reading hitters proved inadequate to maintain the standards hed set. N'Golo Kante. .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. Not only was Mays the best center fielder, he might have been the best all-around player to play the game. Blue Jays top 5 >, Key fact: Only O's player to rank among top 10 in homers (209, eighth) and steals (307, first), Before he grew into a slugging center fielder, Anderson was the Orioles everyday and amply productive left fielder. #Brazil squad prior a World Cup Qualifier in 1969: #CarlosAlbertoTorres #Joel #Flix # . Mariners top 5 > Rangers: Rusty Greer (1994-2002) Next up are left fielders. All-time, I would say that you would find a consensus of 6 right fielders that stand above the crowd by most opinions - Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Mel Ott, Roberto Clemente, and Al Kaline.Of those 6, 4 (Aaron, Robinson, Clemente, and Kaline) debuted in the mid-1950's and . Astros top 5 >, Athletics: Rickey Henderson (1979-84, '89-93, '94-95, '98), Key fact: 72.7 bWAR is highest of any position player in As history, Widely considered the greatest leadoff hitter ever, Henderson had four separate stints with the A's and is the franchise's all-time leader in position-player bWAR (72.7), runs (1,270), walks (1,227) and stolen bases (867). Who is the best left fielder in MLB? Rangers top 5 >, Braves: Rico Carty (1963-72)Key fact: Ranks first among Braves left fielders in bWAR (23.2)Nearly 50 years after Carty played his final game for Atlanta, theres still reason to wonder how great his career might have been had he not missed 1968 with tuberculosis and '71 with a fractured right knee cap. Positions: Shortstop, second base, third base. 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. No one did it so well for so long. -- Lauber, Pops hit 475 home runs but as produtive as he was, Pops was known for his team leadership. He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in '16 and remains active with the organization. (Insider), Teams -- 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. Pingback: Elysian Fielders The Best Defensive Right Fielders, (c) Copyright 2013-15 ElysianFielders.com, This Day in Giants History: September 25, 1986, Elysian Fielders The Best Defensive Right Fielders, This Day in Giants History, February 27, 1962: Saran Wrap for Candlestick Park. Teams: Kansas City Royals (2004-10), Milwaukee Brewers (2011-12), Los Angeles Angels (2012), Los Angeles Dodgers (2013-15), Arizona Diamondbacks (2016-19), Houston Astros (2019-present). I did not see many plays where he left his feet going forward (towards . He batted .336/.458/.677 with 46 home runs and 123 RBIs to earn the first of five NL MVP Awards in San Francisco. Players are evaluated on five criteria as the foundation of our rankings: We use Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a basis for these calculations. Honors 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. Three-time AL All-Star (1933-35), Hall of Fame ('53), Championships -- Kahrl, Honors A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and a 12-time NBA All-Star, he was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career. The Grey Eagle was a member of the second ever Baseball Hall of Fame class and still holds the records for career outfield assists and doubles. 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. It doesnt make sense, in our opinion, for most of the great baseball players to have played prior to World War II, when MLB was segregated. The Top 10 Seattle Mariners of all Time. Gold Glove Awards: 7 (1963, 1965, 1967-69, 1971, 1977). "Charlie Hustle" was durable and one of baseball's greatest hitters. No player did so at a higher rate in the free-agent era. 3 -- Cincinnati (1975, '76) Philadelphia ('80), Career stats -- Lauber, A seven-time All-Star who stole 808 bases, Raines also played in the majors with his son, Tim Jr. In ranking the top 25, many great players were left off the list including Hall of Famers Andre Dawson, Jim Rice, Al Simmons, Duke Snider, Dave Winfield, Lou Brock and others. TTO has done more to hurt defense than Daniel Murphy ever could on his worst day. 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. He is the all-time leader in defensive games and putouts among catchers.