He won the 2021 Champions League and Club World Cup with Chelsea and the 2020 Euros with Italy. 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. Richards would depart before the Padres 1984 run to the NL pennant. David Ortiz insists on calling him "Mr. Williams," Big Papi's nod to the greatest hitter who ever lived. Maddux was an eight-time All-Star, four time NL Cy Young winner, and racked up an impressive eighteen Gold Glove Awards. -- 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. 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). He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in '16 and remains active with the organization. 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. 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. In 16 years with the Cardinals, he stole 888 bases, hit .297 and accumulated 41.8 bWAR. He played more games in his career than anyone else by more than an entire season. He also stole a record 14 bases in three World Series. Moore was a four-time All-Star who lost three seasons at the peak of his career to serve in World War II. 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. Mays, who finished with 660 HR, 3,283 hits, and 12 Gold Gloves, was the best of the three and the greatest center fielder of all time. Thats how confident the former prep school track-basketball star was in his speed, quickness and ups. Cincinnati Reds (1963-78, '84-86), Philadelphia Phillies ('79-83), Montreal Expos ('84). Some might put an asterisk next to his name, but the performance was the best ever at left field or power production. -- Kahrl, Teams Add to that his limitless joy in playing anywhere that would play him at the end. 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. Embed from Getty Images. Brooks Robinson made a living off of amazing plays at third base. Dave Winfield also won 7, but 5 of his were when he was playing primarily right field. Because range was a valuable commodity at spacious Tiger Stadium, Al Kaline spent nearly 20 percent of his time in center field. Former VP of Player Personnel Gil Brandt's Top 10 Defensive Ends of All Time! 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 . The White Sox retired his No. He was Brooklyns starting left fielder for 17 years, succeeding in both the Dead Ball and Live Ball eras. Jorginho is a technically gifted defensive midfielder who prefers playing as a focal point and controlling the tempo of play. In his 16 year career, he had. Among Cardinals who were primarily left fielders, Brock is No. 3. .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. Robinson was also recognized as an 18-time All-Star and 16-time Gold Glove Award Winner. -- 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. He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011 and had his #12 retired by the Toronto Blue Jays. Justin Upton can hit, but when he takes the field he can be a defensive liability. He also played the Green Monster at Fenway Pahk like it was his rec room wall. Is there a more fundamentally correct baseball player out there? -- 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. Paul Blair's home run thievery in the final game of the 1966 World Series sweep was one of the greatest plays ever in postseason play, but because it came in the pre-YouTube days, it was never recognized as such. In the 2017 season, this valuable moveable piece was among the Total Zone Runs leaders at second base and left field. In 2007, he led all shortstops in both putouts and assists. All you need to know about his defensive prowess can be seen on one epic play in the 1954 World Series opener. Two-time MVP (1946, '49), two Triple Crowns ('42, '47), 19-time All-Star ('40-42, '46-51, '53-60*), Hall of Fame ('66). *played in two All-Star Games in '59 and '60. -- Caple, Barry Bonds the young player was the game's greatest in his day; Barry Bonds the older man was the most feared slugger ever. That gets you all-county in high school; you don't do that in the major leagues. Honors Positions: Shortstop, second base, third base. 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. Quarterback Kirk Cousins and tight end Jordan Reed are dominating defenses.Their dominance keyed the 38-24 road win over the Philadelphia Eagles that . The Grey Eagle was a legends both at the plate and in center field. The top 100 will roll out next week. He led all outfielders in putouts nine times, range factor per game ten times, and assists three times. Thats right more than Ozzie Smith even. Teams: Chicago White Sox (2000-11), Miami Marlins (2012), Toronto Blue Jays (2013-15). The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. 10-time AL All-Star (1980, '82-88, '90-91), AL Gold Glove ('81), three AL Silver Sluggers ('81, '85, '90), AL MVP ('90), Hall of Fame (2009), Championships He is the all-time leader among third basemen in games played, putouts, assists, double plays turned, and total zone runs. Jonty Rhodes features at number one on our list of "Best fielders in world cricket." He was described by Ricky Ponting as "The best defensive fielder of all-time." This probably had some truth to it, because he could stop runs inside the 30-yard circle, like no other fielders could. 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. Truth is, few ever played the field with more flair and confidence. Joe DiMaggio 6. "Charlie Hustle" was durable and one of baseball's greatest hitters. Williams ended his MLB career with 426 homers, 434 doubles, 2,711 hits and a .290/.361/.492 slash line. 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. N'Golo Kante. Cruz is undoubtedly the best left-fielder in Astros history, and is one of the greatest Astros of All-Time. Yaz had better range than many center fielders and a stronger arm than some right fielders. Records are made to be broken, but MLB's all-time hit king might never lose his crown. Quick and agile Ichiro could get to balls and set-up as quickly as anyone. Mariners top 5 >, Rangers: Rusty Greer (1994-2002)Key fact: Tied for fourth in franchise history (min. Bob Johnson, 1933-42 Long Peak = WAR in Best 7 Seasons. -- Caple, "Manny being Manny" wasn't merely the clownish contemporary riff on a Ruthian theme, his raw stats also wouldn't look out of place among the greats in whites-only era between the wars, even acknowledging his late-career suspensions for PEDs. He also retired with the highest career fielding percentage and once went 95 consecutive games without committing an error. But Bonds is among the greatest players of all time, with 762 home runs, a career OPS of 1.051. -- Kahrl, Honors -- 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. Midfielders may play an exclusively right back role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. No player did so at a higher rate in the free-agent era. Vizquel is first all time among shortstops for games played at the position and double plays turned. Whiteland built a double-digit lead at the pivotal moment of the third quarter then hit just enough free throws in the game's final minute to secure a 47-45 victory over Shelbyville . His 253 hits with the A's in 1925 remains the single-season Major League record for a right-handed batter. The contribution to championship teams (player performance in seasons where his team wins the pennant) is a small factor in most cases. 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. Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-92), San Francisco Giants ('93-2007), Honors His eight grand slams are also the most in franchise history, as are his 10 RBIs in a single game against the Yankees on Aug. 21, 2007. The Ultimate Compendium for the Baseball Fan, Including All-Time Teams for Your Favorite Franchise From Yankees to Dodgers and More. Roberto Alomar was a fixture on the Toronto Blue Jays World Series winning teams and would go on to have an impact on several other exciting teams. ABOUT MISSOURI. 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. -- Caple, Still judged for his inclusion in the Black Sox scandal, and still condemned for it. We'll run you through the top 50 below, with the likes of Javier . 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. 16 Reasons why Lebron is greater than Jordan. The Washington Redskins, 2015 NFC East division champions, are ready for the playoffs. We have gone to great lengths to make our All-Time Baseball Player Rankings as thorough as possible. Roberto Clemente is a baseball legend. 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. No Gavin Lux -- big problem. Teams: Toronto Blue Jays (1981-89), New York Yankees (1989-92). Baseball's All-Time Greatest Center Fielders Ranked From 1 to 100. 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. - http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap30000008159. Mike Schmidt is one of the best hitting and fielding third basemen of the modern era. A weak hitter with a great glove (see Gregor Blanco) will not play left on the prototypical good team. The 18 time All Star won the World Series in 1968 and was also the AL Batting Champion in 1955. Regarded as one of Italy's greatest ever midfielders, Tardelli was the cornerstone of Juventus' successful side of the late 70s and early 80s, winning five Scudettos during his time in Turin. This definition appears very frequently and is found in the following Acronym Finder categories: Slang/chat, popular culture. In two short weeks the Cleveland Browns will close the book on their disaster 2015 season. 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. Willie Mays Mickey Mantle Ty Cobb Ken Griffey Jr. Joe DiMaggio Mike Trout 1. Moore was installed as the Giants leadoff hitter by Bill Terry in one of his first acts after taking over for John McGraw in 1932. He also ranks among the top 100 in career Total Zone Runs at second base (28th), shortstop (99th) and all positions (100th). Key fact: Bell was the first Blue Jays player to win the AL MVP Award (1987), Bell starred for the Blue Jays through the mid- and late 1980s, earning the first MVP Award in club history in 1987. Having helped lead the Rangers to three division titles in four years (1996-99) with a .315/.398/.502 batting line and 80 home runs, Greer gets the edge. Ted Williams is one of the greatest hitters in MLB history. The sixtime All-Star was a two time batting champ, but his fielding statistics were truly special. Sometimes, it's a combination of all of the above. Barry Bonds Bill Terry Gary Matthews Gregor Blanco Jo-Jo Moore John McGraw, Leo Durocher, Monte Irvin, Whitey Lockman. Indeed, he turned the double play into an art form, sort of like a Mikhail Baryshnikovski in cleats. Ill tell you, hes one of the great hitters Ive ever seen, said Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker. As a right fielder, it drops down to .969 giving him a total average of .972. Without the award, the evidence for Ashburns defensive greatness relies on his defensive statistics, which were virtually unparalleled during his 15-year career. He was world champion with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982 and a part of the Amazin' Mets of 1986. Willie Mays 24-time All-Star (second-most in MLB history) News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Mays is the all-time career leaders in putouts by an outfielder and games played by a center fielder. This is, quite simply, an amazing list of power, defensive prowess, great arms, speed and high averages. TTO has done more to hurt defense than Daniel Murphy ever could on his worst day. Here's a list of my top ten defensive left fielders, these guy's all had speed, a powerful arm & knew how to read the ball both off the bat & off the wall. OK, weve got your crazy right here. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in '53. theScore examines the most important developments and biggest talking points from Saturday's slate of action in England's top flight.Foden bouncing back in a big wayTroubled by his ankle and out . 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. Jim Kaat is regarded as one of the greatest fielding pitchers of all time. 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). .344/.482 (all-time leader)/.634, OPS -- 1.116, Hits -- 2,654; HRs -- 521, RBIs -- 1,839, The player He also had a .992 OPS over 29 postseason games with Houston. The adequate fielding was a bonus. Weve been examining the best three-year peaks of defensive play by Giant players, as measured by baseball-reference.coms rfield. He also helped the Red Sox to their first world series title in 86 years. 1 left fielder for each club, as chosen by MLB.com's beat reporters. Players are evaluated on five criteria as the foundation of our rankings: We use Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a basis for these calculations. -- 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.' NAME. In baseball, the left fielder is a defensive position that is responsible for covering the left third of the outfield. that almost certainly lessened his performance. Big numbers? He blew open Game 2 of the NL Championship Series with a late two-run homer, hit a key leadoff double in the eighth inning of World Series Game 5, then scored the go-ahead run in the Mets title-clinching 5-3 victory. 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. He has led all shortstops in double plays turned three times and is the active leader among shortstops in range factor, fielding percentage, and total zone runs. It seems reasonable to require greater longevity than 23 innings when trying to identify the greatest outfield in major-league history. 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. Yes, his legacy is deservedly controversial, but Ted Williams wasn't close to the all-around player that Bonds was. FOR ST. LOUIS: 1,298 games (1,133 starts in CF) CARDINALS STATS:.280 BA, .739 OPS, 80 HR . 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 Relying on positioning and reading hitters proved inadequate to maintain the standards hed set. Who are the best MLB center fielders of all time? Does ex-teammate-turned-mortal enemy Pete Rose agree with us here? He was so feared a hitter that he once was walked intentionally -- with the bases loaded. Teams: Los Angeles-California Angeles (1964-69), Chicago White Sox (6970) Kansas City Royals (1971-72). Notable Astro Highlights: #25 Retired. Fielding errors were a rarity in the careers of these players. We've already tackled catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen and shortstops. AJ Pollock, Los Angeles Dodgers. He did not have the career of his father, but who did? .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. 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 Smith led the National League in fielding percentage among shortstops eight times, double plays turned five times, and range factor seven times. 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. The players on this list have been recognized as multiple time Gold Glove winners, distinguishing themselves as members to baseballs elite defensive players. Teams: San Diego Padres (1978-81), St. Louis Cardinals (1982-96).