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). Gordons 98 outfield assists are tied for the most in MLB since 2010. Ashburn has remained one of the best Phillies center fielders of all time and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995. The best center fielder since Willie Mays combined great instincts, a quick first step and precise routes to the ball. 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. Photo credit (Getty Images) 2. Top 100 Center Fielders of All-Time - Baseball Egg Joe DiMaggio 6. Dave Kingman had two separate stints with the Mets, navigating the Shea Stadium grass from 1975-1977 and 1981-1983. This marked the first and only time a player eclipsed 50 in both homers and doubles. The Man of Steal swiped an astonishing 130 bags in 1982, which remains a single-season record in the Modern Era (since 1900), and became MLB's all-time stolen-base king in '91. 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). I explained my methodology here, and weve previously looked at catchers, first-, second and third basemen, and shortstops. He will be eligible for Hall of Fame induction in 2017. A. 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 .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. 1 overall pick in Aprils . TTO has done more to hurt defense than Daniel Murphy ever could on his worst day. 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. As fast as he was, somehow those stirrup socks made him look even faster. Forgot how much ground he covered in his pre-roids days, didnt you? -- 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). Thats right more than Ozzie Smith even. He was the league leader in Total Zone Runs five times. In Jo-Jo Moore and Gary Matthews we see the conventional wisdom about left field come to the fore. .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." A premium defender in front of the Green Monster and another star who saw the low-scoring '60s cut into his prime seasons. The Puerto Rican flash was ahead of his time, what with his sweeping glove motions and one-handed technique, which were no-nos in his day. Gold Glove Awards: 8 (1958, 1960-61, 1963-67). 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. 1. Andruw Jones is one of the best defensive outfielders ever; so why The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Yaz excelled at playing balls off of Fenways Green Monster and for his efforts has had his #8 retired by the Boston Red Sox. Dangerous on the basepaths, Raines led Major League Baseball in stolen bases in 1981 and 84. 'The Progress & Freedom Fou *Honorable mentions - Ernst Ocwirk, Sergio Busquests, Edgar Davids, Dunga, Diego Simeone, Graeme Souness, Didier Deschamps. This team boasts a potent offense capable of thriving in postseason football.Success on that side of the ball is being inspired by record-setting playmakers. Teams: Los Angeles-California Angeles (1964-69), Chicago White Sox (6970) Kansas City Royals (1971-72). 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 Top 10 Seattle Mariners of all Time. 9 in 1983, and a sculpture of Minoso was unveiled at Guaranteed Rate Field in 2004. #Brazil squad prior a World Cup Qualifier in 1969: #CarlosAlbertoTorres #Joel #Flix # . 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 enshrined in Cooperstown in 1989 and no Cincinnati Red will ever wear his #5 again. 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 Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. He played nearly 1,500 games in the field with nine different teams. Elegance personified on the field of play. Want a crazy stat? For all of his on field accomplishments, Bonds remains an underrated defensive player. Fielding errors were a rarity in the careers of these players. Rockies top 5 >. 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). Long Peak = WAR in Best 7 Seasons. (2:29) Tim Kurkjian, Eduardo Perez and Dallas Braden weigh in on who is the greatest left fielder in MLB 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. He was an important force in the heart of the lineup for the World Series-winning '91 squad. 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. Ranking the 9 greatest left fielders in MLB history - Audacy He batted .336/.458/.677 with 46 home runs and 123 RBIs to earn the first of five NL MVP Awards in San Francisco. 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. 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. 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. Before developing into the most prolific home run hitter of all time, Barry Bonds was an outfielder with amazing range. FROM. Teams: Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics (1954-1958), Cleveland Indians (1958-61) Minnesota Twins (1962-64), Los Angeles-California Angels (1964), Philadelphia Phillies (1964-65). Greg Maddux is widely considered to be the greatest fielding pitcher of all-time. 4 jersey will be retired. This is, quite simply, an amazing list of power, defensive prowess, great arms, speed and high averages. His #1 is retired by the St. Louis Cardinals and he's a Hall of Famer who helped win a World Series title in 1982. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers. He was world champion with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982 and a part of the Amazin' Mets of 1986. As opposed to the puss arm who couldnt throw out Sid Bream with the 1992 NLCS on the line. He won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards and eleven total for his career. Subjectively, I would go with Yaz as the best defensive left fielder of all time. Who are the best center fielders of all time? A ranked list Impossible. The Best Defensive Left Fielders | Elysian Fielders 5) Dave Kingman. At the age of 29, Troy Tulowitzkistill has a long MLB career ahead of him. Indeed, he turned the double play into an art form, sort of like a Mikhail Baryshnikovski in cleats. 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. -- 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. This is a good formation. No one did it so well for so long. Top 6 Best MLB Center Fielders of All Time - rookieroad.com He led the league in putouts from a right fielder and fielding percentage five times. To put it simply, Royals coach Rusty Kuntz said, he is the gold standard of left fielders in baseball. Royals top 5 >, Key facts: Four-time All-Star; led 1968 World Series champion Tigers in average, homers and OPS, This is the only position where the Tigers don't have a Hall of Famer to consider, and it makes for an interesting debate. Keith Hernandez was welcomed into Americas living rooms on Seinfeld after a solid Major League career with three teams. NAME. He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 as a first ballot member. 1. He. His lifetime OPS was 1.116, which would be a career season for nearly any other player. Is there a more fundamentally correct baseball player out there? It seems reasonable to require greater longevity than 23 innings when trying to identify the greatest outfield in major-league history. 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. .298/.444/.607, OPS -- 1.051, Hits -- 2,935; HRs -- 762 (all-time leader), RBIs -- 1,996; BBs -- 2,558 (all-time leader); IBBs -- 688 (all-time leader), He is, after Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, the greatest hitter ever. He also had a .992 OPS over 29 postseason games with Houston. His arm strength was a half-cut below Roberto Clemente and Rocky Colavito in his day, but it was plenty strong and accurate enough. Willie Mays was involved in perhaps the most iconic play in baseball history which has been dubbed The Catch, when he ran down a Vic Wertz blast in the 1954 World Series. The Top 21 Offensive Linemen in NFL History. Greg Maddux is widely considered to be the greatest fielding pitcher of all-time. He led all outfielders in putouts nine times, range factor per game ten times, and assists three times. RANK. In 16 years with the Cardinals, he stole 888 bases, hit .297 and accumulated 41.8 bWAR. But despite sitting out those two seasons, he still easily ranks first among Braves left fielders in bWAR. "Campy" had no weaknesses other than the assorted hurts that went with the position. Next up are left fielders. His #6 was retired by the Detroit Tigers and in 1980 he was enshrined in Cooperstown as a first ballot Hall of Famer. And Bill White almost certainly would have one more (1956) if the award had been in existence. Baseball's best left field players include some amazing legends of the game, with names like Ted Williams, Stan Musial and Carl Yastrzemski. 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. 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. No first baseman won more Gold Gloves (11) in his career. Ted Williams Boston Red Sox With Red Sox: 19 seasons Best season: 1941 (10.4 WAR, .406/.553/.735, 37 homers, MVP runner-up) Sorry, Barry. 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. He also played the Green Monster at Fenway Pahk like it was his rec room wall. 10 greatest midfielders of all time - Sportskeeda 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. David Ortiz insists on calling him "Mr. Williams," Big Papi's nod to the greatest hitter who ever lived. 3 -- Cincinnati (1975, '76) Philadelphia ('80), Career stats Here is our list of the 25 best outfielders of all time: 25. His #20 is retired by the Phillies and he was inducted as a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1995. Schmidt was a three time NL MVP and was the 1980 World Series MVP, where he led the Phillies to victory. Weve been examining the best three-year peaks of defensive play by Giant players, as measured by baseball-reference.coms rfield. Midfielders may play an exclusively right back role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. PRIME = WAR in 5 Best Consecutive Seasons. 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. Mickey Mantle 3. In addition to breaking Hank Aarons home run record, he also is the all-time leader in total zone runs from a left fielder. Barry Bonds Bill Terry Gary Matthews Gregor Blanco Jo-Jo Moore John McGraw, Leo Durocher, Monte Irvin, Whitey Lockman. Willie Mays 24-time All-Star (second-most in MLB history) Don't think so. But he stole 1,406 of them, the most ever, and scored the most runs in MLB history. Justin Upton can hit, but when he takes the field he can be a defensive liability. If only the world had seen more of Jackson, whose association with the Black Sox scandal cut short his career at age 32. And Williams never posted a .609 OBP. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers. 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. Yaz led all outfielders in assists seven times, total zone runs four times, and putouts as a left fielder four times. -- David Schoenfield, ESPN.com senior writer, Simmons hit .334 for his career and batted .390 one season. What's the Dodgers' plan at shortstop? Welcome to All-Time #MLBRank, our ranking of the top 100 players in baseball history. 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. Bonds spent the final 15 seasons of his career with the Giants, hitting .312/.477/.666 with 586 home runs 1,440 RBIs over 1,976 games. The Say Hey Kid is a living baseball treasure. The Ultimate Compendium for the Baseball Fan, Including All-Time Teams for Your Favorite Franchise From Yankees to Dodgers and More. The Flying Dutchman also has his visage on the most expensive baseball card of all time. Ranking The 5 Greatest Left Fielders In Yankees 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 The Grey Eagle was a legends both at the plate and in center field. 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. Thursday brings the top 10 infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday. Saving a perfect game or no-hitter. 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.