Positions: Shortstop, second base, third base. But I wouldn't put him in the top 100 players. His #6 was retired by the Detroit Tigers and in 1980 he was enshrined in Cooperstown as a first ballot Hall of Famer. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers. Matthews, too, was primarily a good hitter. 18-time All-Star ('63, '65-79, '82-83), All-Star Game MVP ('70), MVP (1967), Triple Crown ('67), seven Gold Gloves ('63, '65, '67-69, '71, '77), Hall of Fame ('89), Career stats Joe DiMaggio 6. Age During 2022 Season: 34. -- Schoenfield, Charlie Hustle played at least 500 games games in five positions, but he was always best at the plate. He led the American League in fielding percentage as a second basemen four times, assists twice, and committed the fewest errors as a second baseman twice. Sometimes, it's a combination of all of the above. Ozzie Smith is generally regarded as the greatest defensive player of all time. 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. Ken Griffey Jr. 5. Bench was named to fourteen All-Star Games and earned ten Gold Glove Awards in his seventeen seasons in the majors. These impressive fielding statistics earned him eight Gold Gloves when combined with his hitting statistics earned him seven NL MVP Awards and fourteen All-Star appearances. Truth is, few ever played the field with more flair and confidence. I explained my methodology here, and weve previously looked at catchers, first-, second and third basemen, and shortstops. SHORT PEAK = WAR in Best 3 Seasons. 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. Ibanez leads all Mariners left fielders and ranks among the franchise's overall top 10 in games (1,110), hits (1,077), homers (156), doubles (216), extra-base hits (392), RBIs (612), runs (540), walks (367) and slugging percentage (.466). Rockies top 5 >. He is the all-time leader in assists, double plays, and unassisted double plays by an outfielder. He deserves to be in the Hall of Defense at the very least. 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). Richie Ashburn played the majority of his career before they awarded Gold Glove awards for elite fielders. Only Keith Hernandez won more Gold Gloves among National Leaguers at his best position. .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. No Gavin Lux -- big problem. Forgot how much ground he covered in his pre-roids days, didnt you? Jim Kaat is regarded as one of the greatest fielding pitchers of all time. -- Lauber, Pops hit 475 home runs but as produtive as he was, Pops was known for his team leadership. His 27.4 bWAR is the most among all Indians left fielders and the 23rd highest in franchise history. Mike Schmidt is the only third baseman among the top 10 in Gold Gloves (second), Range Factor per nine innings (seventh) and Total Zone Runs (ninth). He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 as a first ballot member. The adequate fielding was a bonus. 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. Bill Mazeroski became a baseball icon when he hit the first World Series winning walk off home run in history. It seems reasonable to require greater longevity than 23 innings when trying to identify the greatest outfield in major-league history. Mizzou owns a 21-8 record during the 2023-24 season with an 9-7 mark in SEC play. As fast as he was, somehow those stirrup socks made him look even faster. Rose finished with 4,256 hits and he also touched home plate with a run 2,165 times. He ranks third in Gold Gloves and fourth in Total Zone Runs among shortstops. He split time between left field and first base while in Queens . Teams: Chicago White Sox (2000-11), Miami Marlins (2012), Toronto Blue Jays (2013-15). Key facts: Three-time All-Star, seven-time Gold Glove Award winner, This was pretty much a no-brainer. In 2002, Bonds was walked intentionally with no one on base eight times. Bell also ranks fifth in Range Factor per nine innings (3.18) overall. That's short for Three True Outcomes, also known as walks, strikeouts and home runs. He was the ultimate glue guy, a personal favorite of manager Casey Stengel for good reason. 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.. He won eleven Gold Glove Awards and was named 1979 NL MVP. That year, Foster posted a .320/.382/.620 slash line with a club-record -- and Major League-leading -- 52 homers and 149 RBIs, winning NL MVP honors. He is the last player to hit .400 in a season -- back in 1941. Roberto Clemente is a baseball legend. Keith Hernandez was welcomed into Americas living rooms on Seinfeld after a solid Major League career with three teams. Teams: San Diego Padres (1978-81), St. Louis Cardinals (1982-96). 1. Jonty Rhodes features at the topmost on the list of "Top-5 best fielders of all times". -- 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. 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). 4 jersey will be retired. Hernandez also delivered the iconic Seinfeld line I am Keith Hernandez, perhaps making up for him missing out on Cooperstown. We have gone to great lengths to make our All-Time Baseball Player Rankings as thorough as possible. In 2007, he led all shortstops in both putouts and assists. 10. 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 . Before developing into the most prolific home run hitter of all time, Barry Bonds was an outfielder with amazing range. His arrival helped turn a 90-loss team into a 103-win team. Zack Greinke is the modern Greg Maddux, only with less range, surer hands (one error per 319 innings pitched) and a superior pickoff move. He notched an impressive 283 wins and 2,461 strikeouts in his career along with a career ERA of 3.45. -- 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. "The Curacao Kid" ranks second in Total Zone Runs (253) in baseball history. Willie is a 24-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove award winner, and two-time MVP Award winner. 5) Dave Kingman. Although not always earning the recognition of home run hitters or ace pitchers, excell. Want a crazy stat? He was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995 by the Veterans Committee. 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. But with the Rays' best defensive alignment being Arozarena in left, Kevin Kiermaier in center field, and Margot in right field, Meadows figures to see a lot more at-bats as the designated hitter. Carl Yastrzemskiplayed three different positions for the Boston Red Sox during his 22-year career. 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. - http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap30000008159. 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. -- David Schoenfield, ESPN.com senior writer, Simmons hit .334 for his career and batted .390 one season. For true seamheads, this was absolutely rotten news. MLB's 10 Greatest Left Fielders of All Time Marcel Smith November 26, 2008 10. 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. " It has been 56 since he last played; nobody has passed him yet (although Barry Bonds came close). Al Kaline spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers, which earned him the nickname Mr. Tiger. Seven-time NL All-Star (1981-87), NL Silver Slugger ('86), All-Star Game MVP ('87), Career stats During an era with a plethora of talent at the shortstop position, Omar Vizquel was the best defensive player of them all. Crawford stole 50 or more bases in five seasons with the Rays, including 60 in 2009, which is still a franchise record. 9 in 1983, and a sculpture of Minoso was unveiled at Guaranteed Rate Field in 2004. Yaz led all outfielders in assists seven times, total zone runs four times, and putouts as a left fielder four times. Mike Schmidt is one of the best hitting and fielding third basemen of the modern era. Anyone who believes this guy was one-dimensional doesnt know Michael Jack Schmidt. Cruz is undoubtedly the best left-fielder in Astros history, and is one of the greatest Astros of All-Time. Impossible. He was so feared a hitter that he once was walked intentionally -- with the bases loaded. Hes also the all-time leader in Total Zone Runs from here to Funkstown. Greg Maddux is widely considered to be the greatest fielding pitcher of all-time. 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. Some might put an asterisk next to his name, but the performance was the best ever at left field or power production. "The Cat" was nearly as quick as he was strong no catcher had a higher caught stealing percentage in MLB history and his ability to call games and handle pitchers was widely known. The best center fielder since Willie Mays combined great instincts, a quick first step and precise routes to the ball. -- Kahrl, Teams Hard to imagine he played for seven -- count 'em, seven -- teams. He also stole a record 14 bases in three World Series. -- Kahrl, Teams Note: All stats are through the 2019 MLB season. 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. Dave Winfield also won 7, but 5 of his were when he was playing primarily right field. 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. In itself, that's a testament to his greatness. 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. And runs, are the most important stat in baseball. 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). It's hard to disagree that Charlie Keller is the greatest left fielder in Yankees 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 Vizquel is first all time among shortstops for games played at the position and double plays turned. 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. Yes, his legacy is deservedly controversial, but Ted Williams wasn't close to the all-around player that Bonds was. Without the award, the evidence for Ashburns defensive greatness relies on his defensive statistics, which were virtually unparalleled during his 15-year career. Tweet Email Comment Next The Clooney Garage: Inside George Clooney's Insane Car Collection Related Topics Baseball If only the world had seen more of Jackson, whose association with the Black Sox scandal cut short his career at age 32. .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. -- Kahrl, Who's the greatest left fielder of all-time? Baseball Best MLB Defensive Players of All Time By Paul Ladewski, updated on December 5, 2022 Old-Time Baseball Photos / Facebook TTO has done more to hurt defense than Daniel Murphy ever could on his worst day. 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 Brooks was a two time World Series Champion and was named World Series MVP in 1970. As opposed to the puss arm who couldnt throw out Sid Bream with the 1992 NLCS on the line. 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. Mike Trout FAQ Who are the best MLB center fielders of all time? Although he played only 1,027 games during his nine-year career, Greer ranks 10th in franchise history with 1,166 hits. Defense is why he flew into the Hall with ease on his first try (91.7%). The Argentine midfielder was capable of carrying on his own the . -- Kahrl, Honors Clemente was the first Latino starter to win a World Series and the National League MVP. Tim Kurkjian, Eduardo Perez and Dallas Braden weigh in on who is the greatest left fielder in MLB history. Possessing a cannon for an arm, he terrified base runners with his pick off moves and laser throws to catch runners stealing. Over his 11 seasons in Cincinnati, Foster went to five All-Star Games and was the team's biggest power threat during the Big Red Machine years. Relying on positioning and reading hitters proved inadequate to maintain the standards hed set. Generally, a players Career Value is worth about 50-60% of the ranking score we assign him. He also appeared in 18 All-Star games, earning the honor in all but four of his Major League seasons. He could have won two more Gold Gloves if they had been awarded, in which case he would rank second in American League history. A few had better range. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers. JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score system) was developed by sabermetrician Jay Jaffe as a means to measure a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. Montreal Expos (1979-90, 2001), Chicago White Sox ('91-95), New York Yankees ('96-98), Oakland A's ('99), Baltimore Orioles ('01), Florida Marlins ('02), Honors The calmness with. The Ultimate Compendium for the Baseball Fan, Including All-Time Teams for Your Favorite Franchise From Yankees to Dodgers and More. Overall, Holliday had a .319 average with 130 homers over six seasons with the Rockies. Dave Kingman had two separate stints with the Mets, navigating the Shea Stadium grass from 1975-1977 and 1981-1983. Matthews, too, was primarily a good hitter. Richards made a different kind of impact in left. As even the Cubbies discovered, you can win a World Series with a guy like this. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Does ex-teammate-turned-mortal enemy Pete Rose agree with us here? -- Lauber, Another left fielder with PED issues, Manny hit .312 with 555 home runs. Bottom line: His dWar number is skewed by misspent time in center field. He was Brooklyns starting left fielder for 17 years, succeeding in both the Dead Ball and Live Ball eras. 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. We believe our rankings are the most comprehensive, fair, and accurate. Fielding errors were a rarity in the careers of these players. He committed the fewest errors by a pitcher twice, range factor per nine innings twice, and assists once. -- 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. 344 views, 3 likes, 0 loves, 1 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Field of Dreams Navojoa: Aguerridas Vs Buhas News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Left Field JAWS Leaders. His 253 hits with the A's in 1925 remains the single-season Major League record for a right-handed batter. Frank White also is 10th in double plays turned. Who would have bet he could do all that? 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 Securing a pennant or even the World Series. Yaz had better range than many center fielders and a stronger arm than some right fielders. The Top 10 Boston Celtics of all Time. 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. He also won the 1986 NL batting title, earned a Silver Slugger Award that year and was named to seven consecutive All-Star teams. His career, you may have heard, was cut a little short after all. Nine AL Silver Sluggers (1995, '99-06), 12-time AL All-Star ('95, '98-08), World Series MVP (2004), Career stats During his time with the ballclub, Keller was a five-time All-Star, four-time World Series. Barry Bonds Bill Terry Gary Matthews Gregor Blanco Jo-Jo Moore John McGraw, Leo Durocher, Monte Irvin, Whitey Lockman. 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). 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. 9. that almost certainly lessened his performance. Well-renowned for his passing, Gerson is often considered as one of the best passers in World Cup history. Braves top 5 >, Marlins: Cliff Floyd (1997-2002)Key fact: Was an All-Star in 2001, when he had 31 home runs with 103 RBIsAfter gaining valuable experience as a reserve on the 1997 World Series championship team, Floyd became a regular in '98 and blossomed into an All-Star in 2001. The adequate fielding was a bonus. 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. Thats how confident the former prep school track-basketball star was in his speed, quickness and ups. 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. Here is the No. He became the first Tiger to earn a $100,000 salary. 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: Baltimore Orioles (1964-76), New York Yankees (1977-80), Cincinnati Reds (1979). .282/.360/.529, OPS -- .889, Hits -- 2,232, HRs -- 475, RBIs -- 1,540, The most feared slugger on the "We Are Family" Pirates? Records are made to be broken, but MLB's all-time hit king might never lose his crown. Just imagine if he hadn't lost three prime years to serve in World War II. Orioles top 5 >, Key fact: Had four All-Star selections with Rays, the most in franchise history, In his nine seasons with Tampa Bay, Crawford displayed the athleticism and talent that made him a coveted three-sport athlete and a highly regarded prospect. 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. In Jo-Jo Moore and Gary Matthews we see the conventional wisdom about left field come to the fore. Baseball's Best @ 150, The Book That Counts Down the Best Players, Pitchers, And Fielders in Baseball History at the 150th Anniversary of the Major Leagues (1871-2020). 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 . As his speed declined, his defense faded. Baseball's All-Time Greatest Center Fielders Ranked From 1 to 100. 3 -- Cincinnati (1975, '76) Philadelphia ('80), Career stats Not only as an outfielder, mind you, but at any position. Honors Known for his intensity, he won two batting titles while hitting .334 in his career and drove in 100-plus runs his first 11 seasons. 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. Fernando Redondo. Teams: Chicago White Sox (1956-1965, 1969-1973), Baltimore Orioles (1966-68), Gold Glove Awards: 9 (1958-62, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970). Regardless, he makes everybody's short list of the greatest right-handed hitters of all-time. Nationals top 5 >, Key fact: Hit .331/.445/.507 with 110 runs and 123 RBIs in 1910, Were considering Modern Era players (1900 and later), so Hall of Famers Ed Delahanty and Billy Hamilton aren't included in these rankings. -- Schoenfield, The last player to hit .400, Teddy Ballgame batted .334 with 521 home runs despite missing five seasons while serving in two wars And when he homered in his last at-bat, there went the greatest hitter who ever lived. Greg Maddux is widely considered to be the greatest fielding pitcher of all-time. The unquestioned best leadoff hitter of all time. Indians top 5 >. The best left fielder of the millennium ranks behind only Barry Bonds and Carl Yastrzemski on the career Total Zone Runs list. RANK. Check out Gil's full list here!