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. Moore was a four-time All-Star who lost three seasons at the peak of his career to serve in World War II. In baseball, the left fielder is a defensive position that is responsible for covering the left third of the outfield. Part of the reason Rose would eventually break Ty Cobb's hit record was because of his incredible durability and longevity. What's the Dodgers' plan at shortstop? "Smooth" ranks second in TZR and 11th in Range Factor per nine innings at the position. Willie Mays 24-time All-Star (second-most in MLB history) David Ortiz insists on calling him "Mr. Williams," Big Papi's nod to the greatest hitter who ever lived. 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. We believe our rankings are the most comprehensive, fair, and accurate. The 18 greates Coaches in College Football History. Photo credit (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) 10. Al Kaline spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers, which earned him the nickname Mr. Tiger. He also played the Green Monster at Fenway Pahk like it was his rec room wall. Clemente was the first Latino starter to win a World Series and the National League MVP. "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. His untimely death while on a humanitarian aid trip to Nicaragua came after a baseball career during which his feats on the baseball diamond matched up to his generosity off of it. Anyone who believes this guy was one-dimensional doesnt know Michael Jack Schmidt. 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. Yankees top 5 >, Key fact: Is the only player in MLB history to hit 50 homers and 50 doubles in a single season, Belle may not have left Cleveland on the greatest terms, but theres no denying the contributions that he made to the club during its run in the 1990s. The MLB now awards the Roberto Clemente Award annually to the player with outstanding baseball skills combined with personal involvement in community work. Ashburn has remained one of the best Phillies center fielders of all time and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995. At the age of 29, Troy Tulowitzkistill has a long MLB career ahead of him. Age During 2022 Season: 34. Big personalities? " It has been 56 since he last played; nobody has passed him yet (although Barry Bonds came close). Teams: Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics (1954-1958), Cleveland Indians (1958-61) Minnesota Twins (1962-64), Los Angeles-California Angels (1964), Philadelphia Phillies (1964-65). In 2002, Bonds was walked intentionally with no one on base eight times. A. The only 3 left fielders with 4 or more Gold Gloves are Barry Bonds (8), Alex Gordon (7, so far), and Yastrzemski (7). He earned two of the best nicknames in baseball history because of his prowess with the glove, the Human Vacuum Cleaner and Mr. On Opening Day in 2010, the southpaw made a kick save on a shot up the middle, quickly ran down the ball in foul territory then executed a no-look, between-the-legs, glove-handed flip to first base for the out, the most insane, off-the-charts play by a pitcher in the history of history. Minosos 41.4 bWAR sits No. -- Caple, The last .400 hitter, decorated veteran, the pull hitter so great the shift couldn't stop him, Williams' legend as the patron saint of the art of hitting is unchallengeable. In the 2017 season, this valuable moveable piece was among the Total Zone Runs leaders at second base and left field. 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. 5. 'The Progress & Freedom Fou Long Peak = WAR in Best 7 Seasons. His defensive skills earned him the nickname The Wizard of Oz. During his 19 year career he appeared in 15 All-Star Games and earned 13 Gold Glove Awards. As fast as he was, somehow those stirrup socks made him look even faster. Here is the No. Some might put an asterisk next to his name, but the performance was the best ever at left field or power production. Because we adjust for timeline and era, our rankings have fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists. He is the last player to hit .400 in a season -- back in 1941. For this calculation, we use a replacement level on defense is the league average. 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 . Mays is the all-time career leaders in putouts by an outfielder and games played by a center fielder. Known as "Pudge" because of his size and attitude, hes the all-time leader in Gold Gloves and swag at the position. Now heres the stat that you never hear: Over 12 seasons, Maz played 1,722 complete games (86 percent), the kind of durability (overuse?) Just three Marlins left-handed hitters have topped 30 home runs in a season -- Floyd in 2001, Carlos Delgado in '05 (33) and Mike Jacobs in '08 (32). Yaz led all outfielders in assists seven times, total zone runs four times, and putouts as a left fielder four times. .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. Jesse Barfield ranks 16th in Total Zone Runs at any position. But he posted a .291/.357/.387 slash line across seven seasons, and he still ranks in the franchise's top five in batting average, runs, position-player WAR, hits, triples and stolen bases. Mariners top 5 >, Rangers: Rusty Greer (1994-2002)Key fact: Tied for fourth in franchise history (min. -- Kahrl, Honors He spent the majority of his career with the Texas Rangers among other teams, but a one year stint with the Florida Marlins earned him a World Series title in 2003. Seven-time NL All-Star (1981-87), NL Silver Slugger ('86), All-Star Game MVP ('87), Career stats -- Schoenfield, It isn't easy taking the place of Ted Williams, but Yaz did a pretty good job, winning three batting titles and making 18 All-Star teams. He ranks third in Gold Gloves and fourth in Total Zone Runs among shortstops. Quarterback Kirk Cousins and tight end Jordan Reed are dominating defenses.Their dominance keyed the 38-24 road win over the Philadelphia Eagles that . Is there a more fundamentally correct baseball player out there? Notable Astro Highlights: #25 Retired. "Campy" had no weaknesses other than the assorted hurts that went with the position. Consistency, discipline, and work ethic are essential traits for a player to earn the coveted Gold Glove Award, awarded to elite fielders at the end of each season. Twins top 5 >, White Sox: Minnie Minoso (1951-57, '60-61, '64, '76, '80), Key fact: First black player in franchise history, Minoso debuted for the White Sox on May 1, 1951, hitting a home run on the first pitch he saw against the Yankees, and was a beloved staple of the organization long after he retired. As his speed declined, his defense faded. The ten time All-Star, eight time Gold Glove, led all second basemen in double plays turned for eight consecutive years from 1960 to 1967. He was so feared a hitter that he once was walked intentionally -- with the bases loaded. "Pops," of course. Ted Williams Carl Yastrzemski Willie Stargell Stan "The Man" Musial Luis Gonzalez Jim Rice Goose Goslin Moiss Alou Cleon Jones Gary Sheffield Mike Riley 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. 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,. It's been a rollercoaster couple of years for N'Golo Kante at Chelsea, but there's no disputing that he's back to his very . He led all outfielders in putouts nine times, range factor per game ten times, and assists three times. 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. -- Tim Kurkjian, ESPN.com senior writer, For as much as we dwell on the video-arcade numbers from his final 10 seasons, sometimes we don't make enough of what he did in his first 12: .288/.408/.551, 374 HR, 417 SB, three NL MVP awards. Well-renowned for his passing, Gerson is often considered as one of the best passers in World Cup history. Thursday brings the top 10 infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday. He notched an impressive 283 wins and 2,461 strikeouts in his career along with a career ERA of 3.45. The Missouri men's basketball team is set for its final true road game of the 2022-23 season with a contest at LSU on Wednesday. In addition to breaking Hank Aarons home run record, he also is the all-time leader in total zone runs from a left fielder. Teams 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. Some of the players on this list have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and are considered among the games greatest players. Hes the all-time leader. His 5 All-Star appearances may not be as spectacular as other members of the list, but he led the league assists as a first baseman 5 times, fielding percentage twice, and putouts four times. The best outfielder of the 1980s decade combined excellent range and a bazooka arm that rivaled the best ever (read: Roberto Clemente). 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. -- Kahrl, Who's the greatest left fielder of all-time? A weak hitter with a great glove (see Gregor Blanco) will not play left on the prototypical good team. Phillies top 5 >, Key facts: Won the 2007 Rookie of the Year Award and the 2011 NL MVP Award, From a statistical standpoint, only two players have generated more value to the Brewers than Braun, and both (Robin Yount and Paul Molitor) are in the Hall of Fame. Bill Mazeroski became a baseball icon when he hit the first World Series winning walk off home run in history. Frank White also is 10th in double plays turned. This may not look too poor except the league's outfielders are at .986 during the same time. 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. 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). Baseball's best left field players include some amazing legends of the game, with names like Ted Williams, Stan Musial and Carl Yastrzemski. He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in '16 and remains active with the organization. We have gone to great lengths to make our All-Time Baseball Player Rankings as thorough as possible. Bobby Knoop and Bill Mazeroski are the only second basemen to lead the league in Total Zone Runs, Range Factor per nine innings and double plays turned as many as four times each. 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. Greg Maddux is widely considered to be the greatest fielding pitcher of all-time. Over on Ranker, football fans have cast their votes to list the greatest defender of all-time, with over 135,000 votes cast. 2 -- Pittsburgh (1971, '79), Career stats -- 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. 10. And none led the league in Total Zone Runs more times (eight). FROM. 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. Yelich had -6 defensive runs saved in his first season as a primary left fielder in 2020, though that's far from the biggest concern of the Brewers. (2:29). After winning the National League MVP in 2018 and finishing runner-up in 2019, Yelich slashed just . He also stole a record 14 bases in three World Series. He is the career leader in putouts by a pitcher. Dude, the underappreciated superstar once gunned down a baserunner in three consecutive innings. 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. -- 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. No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on each player's career with that franchise. that almost certainly lessened his performance. 100 Greatest Center Fielders of All-Time May 15, 2019 4 Comments Updated 12/29/2022 Major League Baseball as we know it, that is two leagues American and National, playing by the same rules with the champion from each squaring off against the other for baseball supremacy was born in 1901. Note: All stats are through the 2019 MLB season. Who are the best MLB center fielders of all time? Truth is, few ever played the field with more flair and confidence. Ken Griffey Jr. 5. Widely considered to be the greatest catcher in the history of baseball, Johnny Bench was a key member of the Big Red Machine teams that won four National League pennants and two World Series titles. -- Caple, In the conversation because he was the NL's answer to Rickey Henderson and arguably the greatest player in Expos history, he was also one of the players robbed of his best opportunities to star in a bigger market by the owners' collusion conspiracy of the '80s. He also knew how to play the Green Monster pretty well. 297/.355/.536 with 21 home runs, 69 RBIs, 30 walks, .892 OPS, 137 OPS+, three defensive runs saved, zero outs above average and a 3.0 fWAR. During an era with a plethora of talent at the shortstop position, Omar Vizquel was the best defensive player of them all. Some have better metrics at the position, but none come close to Willie Mays' combination of athleticism, arm strength, instincts, entertainment value and nickname. By the way, he ranked among the top five in assists in 15 consecutive seasons, five of them as the league leader, and his pickoff move was just plain filthy. For most of his career, Ozzie Smith was the premier defensive shortstop in baseball. Teams: New York/San Francisco Giants (1956, 1958), St. Louis Cardinals (1959-1965, 1969), Philadelphia Phillies (1966-68). OK, weve got your crazy right here. 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? 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). He played more games in his career than anyone else by more than an entire season. But at his peak, he was excellent, a guy who could get on base, would play wherever his team needed him (he was a regular second base, left field, right field, third base and first base) and rarely missed a game. Bench led the league in total zone runs as a catcher six times and caught stealing percentage three times. He's also on the short list of Total Zone Runs (fourth), Range Factor per nine innings (fifth) and jaws dropped (many) in major league history. Seven-time MVP (1990, '92-93, 2001-04), 14-time All-Star ('90, '92-98, '00-04, '07), eight Gold Gloves ('90-94, '96-98), 12 Silver Sluggers ('90-94, '96-97, '00-04), Career stats Roberto Clemente is a baseball legend. That makes this category as good a place as any to highlight Anderson, who earned three All-Star nods for his dynamic combination of power and speed. In baseballs rich history there have been many players that have excelled in the defensive aspects of the game. The six-time All-Star led the NL in homers every year from 1946-52, and he hit 35 or more homers every season from 47-53. 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). He was the ultimate glue guy, a personal favorite of manager Casey Stengel for good reason. 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). 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. Now guess whos second to Robinson in career Total Zone Runs at the position. 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. Here are some other contenders. Schmidt was a three time NL MVP and was the 1980 World Series MVP, where he led the Phillies to victory. He is the all-time leader among third basemen in games played, putouts, assists, double plays turned, and total zone runs. He deserves to be in the Hall of Defense at the very least. Teams: Cleveland Indians (1972-78), Texas Rangers (1979-85, 1989), Cincinnati Reds (1985-88), Houston Astros (1988). He also had a .992 OPS over 29 postseason games with Houston. We all know left field is a hitters position. The players on this list have been recognized as multiple time Gold Glove winners, distinguishing themselves as members to baseballs elite defensive players. "The Wizard" is the all-time leader in dWAR. His pitching credentials are some of the greatest of his era with 355 career wins, a 3.16 career ERA, and 3,371 career strikeouts. Teams: New York/San Francisco Giants (1951-52, 1954-1972), New York Mets (1972-73). 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. Who would have bet he could do all that? The son of an amateur catcher could single-handedly shut down run games. Other career achievements include over 351 OBP, 440 OPS, and 215 hits. Gold Glove Awards: 7 (1963, 1965, 1967-69, 1971, 1977). His pitching credentials are some of the greatest of his era with 355 career wins, a 3.16 career ERA, and 3,371 career strikeouts. Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook. Midfielders may play an exclusively right back role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. But despite sitting out those two seasons, he still easily ranks first among Braves left fielders in bWAR. 9 in 1983, and a sculpture of Minoso was unveiled at Guaranteed Rate Field in 2004. The Top 21 Offensive Linemen in NFL History. We'll run you through the top 50 below, with the likes of Javier . 2 -- Philadelphia A's (1929-30), Career stats 2021 Statistics: . -- Lauber, Was he one of the best pure hitters ever? Yelich had -6 defensive runs saved in his first season as a primary left fielder in 2020, though that's far from the biggest concern of the Brewers. And runs, are the most important stat in baseball. TO. It is the most memorable part of a legacy that saw Jones hit .291 with 93 homers and 91 steals over 12 years as a Met. NAME. The two-time Most Valuable Player was a natural, the first catcher to be awarded a Gold Glove in his rookie season. Fernando Redondo. Dave Winfield also won 7, but 5 of his were when he was playing primarily right field. Suspended forever after his age-32 season, since we don't have the back slope of his career to judge him fully, not someone I'd rank among these others. Brock was at his best in October, hitting .391 -- second only to Pepper Martin (.418) in franchise history -- with 34 hits in 21 World Series games. Cleveland Indians (1993-2000), Boston Red Sox ('01-08), Los Angeles Dodgers ('08-10), Chicago White Sox ('10), Tampa Bay Rays ('11), Honors -- Kahrl, Teams In baseballs rich history there have been many players that have excelled in the defensive aspects of the game. Despite these statistical shortcomings, we do know that he finished first among shortstops in fielding percentage four times, had the best range factor for shortstops four times, and led shortstops in putouts twice. Possessing a cannon for an arm, he terrified base runners with his pick off moves and laser throws to catch runners stealing. Some call him the Babe Ruth of defense. Weve been examining the best three-year peaks of defensive play by Giant players, as measured by baseball-reference.coms rfield. In 1982 when he was the second oldest player in the Major Leagues, he won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. His career, you may have heard, was cut a little short after all. Maddux had his #31 retired by both the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. 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. Padres top 5 >, Rockies: Matt Holliday (2004-08, 18)Key fact: Led NL in average (.340), RBIs (137), hits (216) and total bases (386) in 2007Rockies fans will argue until the end of time that Holliday's 2007 performance -- a .340/.405/.607 slash line with 46 home runs and league-leading totals in hits (216), doubles (50) and total bases (386) -- should have netted him the NL MVP Award.
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