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. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Minosos 41.4 bWAR sits No. 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. Dave Winfield also won 7, but 5 of his were when he was playing primarily right field. But nobody was a more complete package than this gold standard at the hot corner. Willie Mays Mickey Mantle Ty Cobb Ken Griffey Jr. Joe DiMaggio Mike Trout 1. .312/.411/.585, OPS -- .996, Hits -- 2,574, HRs -- 555, RBIs -- 1,831, Charlie Manuel often says that to know Manny is to understand him. Honus Wagner is known as one of the greatest players of all time, but unfortunately he played in an era before advanced defensive statistics. Some have better metrics at the position, but none come close to Willie Mays' combination of athleticism, arm strength, instincts, entertainment value and nickname. Teams: Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics (1954-1958), Cleveland Indians (1958-61) Minnesota Twins (1962-64), Los Angeles-California Angels (1964), Philadelphia Phillies (1964-65). (Bonds routinely sat in on the pitchers pre-game meeting where they discussed how they were going to pitch to that days opponents.) 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. 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. Being shutout for nearly five minutes to start the third quarter Friday once again put the Golden Bears in chase mode. He is the last player to hit .400 in a season -- back in 1941. For true seamheads, this was absolutely rotten news. Teams: St. Louis Cardinals (1974-83), New York Mets (1983-89), Cleveland Indians (1990). Lets also not forget how the "Little General" revolutionized the position with his hinged glove and one-handed technique. Listen Now. 'The Progress & Freedom Fou His 27.4 bWAR is the most among all Indians left fielders and the 23rd highest in franchise history. CAREER = career war. 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. 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. -- Kahrl, Teams 16 Reasons why Lebron is greater than Jordan. Teams: San Diego Padres (1978-81), St. Louis Cardinals (1982-96). 3. 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. 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). Tweet Email Comment Next The Clooney Garage: Inside George Clooney's Insane Car Collection Related Topics Baseball The MLB now awards the Roberto Clemente Award annually to the player with outstanding baseball skills combined with personal involvement in community work. Justin Upton can hit, but when he takes the field he can be a defensive liability. 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. Rays top 5 >, Key fact: His 121.9 fWAR ranks second in AL history to Babe Ruth, The Red Sox have three Hall of Famers at the head of their left-field class, but Williams easily stands out as the most dominant player in team history. Jorginho is a technically gifted defensive midfielder who prefers playing as a focal point and controlling the tempo of play. 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. Teams: New York/San Francisco Giants (1951-52, 1954-1972), New York Mets (1972-73). The players on this list have been recognized as multiple time Gold Glove winners, distinguishing themselves as members to baseballs elite defensive players. Rockies top 5 >. 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. In two short weeks the Cleveland Browns will close the book on their disaster 2015 season. Bench led the league in total zone runs as a catcher six times and caught stealing percentage three times. 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. "Smooth" ranks second in TZR and 11th in Range Factor per nine innings 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. This may not look too poor except the league's outfielders are at .986 during the same time. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers. Gordons 98 outfield assists are tied for the most in MLB since 2010. We have gone to great lengths to make our All-Time Baseball Player Rankings as thorough as possible. Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) is another modern metric that considers multiple factors to determine how many runs the player saved through his direct defensive contributions. He was a 16-time Gold Glove winner and was a three time All-Star. He led the league in putouts from a right fielder and fielding percentage five times. 2 -- Pittsburgh (1971, '79), Career stats He committed the fewest errors by a pitcher twice, range factor per nine innings twice, and assists once. Does ex-teammate-turned-mortal enemy Pete Rose agree with us here? Because range was a valuable commodity at spacious Tiger Stadium, Al Kaline spent nearly 20 percent of his time in center field. Mizzou owns a 21-8 record during the 2023-24 season with an 9-7 mark in SEC play. Anyone who believes this guy was one-dimensional doesnt know Michael Jack Schmidt. The 18 time All Star won the World Series in 1968 and was also the AL Batting Champion in 1955. He played more games in his career than anyone else by more than an entire season. .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. -- Schoenfield, Sure, there is the PED issue. -- 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. Dangerous on the basepaths, Raines led Major League Baseball in stolen bases in 1981 and 84. 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. He won the 2021 Champions League and Club World Cup with Chelsea and the 2020 Euros with Italy. 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. We'll run you through the top 50 below, with the likes of Javier . He was world champion with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982 and a part of the Amazin' Mets of 1986. 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. "Motormouth" played so shallow in the field, he could almost shake hands with the second-base umpire. Teams: Chicago Cubs (1991-97), New York Yankees (1997, 2005), San Francisco Giants (1998), Kansas City Royals (1999-2001), Atlanta Braves (2001), Boston Red Sox (2002), New York Mets (2003), Seattle Mariners (2003), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2004). He did not have the career of his father, but who did? He is considered to be one of the greatest five tool players of all time. Robinson was also recognized as an 18-time All-Star and 16-time Gold Glove Award Winner. The Top 10 Seattle Mariners of all Time. 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. The Grey Eagle was a legends both at the plate and in center field. Some had stronger arms. He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in '16 and remains active with the organization. Before developing into the most prolific home run hitter of all time, Barry Bonds was an outfielder with amazing range. The Ultimate Compendium for the Baseball Fan, Including All-Time Teams for Your Favorite Franchise From Yankees to Dodgers and More. (2:29) Tim Kurkjian, Eduardo Perez and Dallas Braden weigh in on who is the greatest left fielder in MLB history. A. 5) Dave Kingman. 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 . Willie Mays 2. But they still have some very meaningful football left to play on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefsand next week when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit FirstEnergy Stadium.If theTennessee Titanssomehow win their next two games, two losses by the Browns would secure them the No. 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. 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. Hes the all-time leader. As central midfielders often go across boundaries, with mobility and passing ability, they are often referred to as deep-lying midfielders, play-makers, box-to-box midfielders, or holding midfielders. The criteria were a combination of Gold Glove Awards (since 1957) and metrics such as Defensive Wins Above Replacement (dWAR), Total Zone Runs (an estimate of runs saved in the field) and Range Factor per nine innings with an assist from YouTube on occasion. 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 Williams ended his MLB career with 426 homers, 434 doubles, 2,711 hits and a .290/.361/.492 slash line. 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. Before Barry Bonds became a controversial, divisive figure, before he was conserving energy in left field, he was a tremendously talented five-tool player. .334/.380/.535, OPS -- .915, Hits -- 2,927, HRs -- 307, RBIs -- 1,828, Simply put, one of the greatest hitters of his generation. During his Hall of Fame career, Kaline received 10 Gold Glove awards for his work in Right and Center field. For others, it's the situation. Hes also the all-time leader in Total Zone Runs from here to Funkstown. Some call him the Babe Ruth of defense. Statistic Description: Defensive Wins Above Replacement for position players A defensive measure of wins above replacement, but given only the defensive stats of the player and his position adjustment. That's short for Three True Outcomes, also known as walks, strikeouts and home runs. 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 Without that, he'd be far beyond 500 career home runs, and get far more credit on this list. Richards made a different kind of impact in left. Dude, the underappreciated superstar once gunned down a baserunner in three consecutive innings. He also won the 1986 NL batting title, earned a Silver Slugger Award that year and was named to seven consecutive All-Star teams. I did not see many plays where he left his feet going forward (towards . 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. 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. Dont bet on it. .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 helped the Red Sox to their first world series title in 86 years. For some, a great grab is when a fielder reaches over the wall or does an acrobatic move. Bob Johnson, 1933-42 ABOUT MISSOURI. No player did so at a higher rate in the free-agent era. that almost certainly lessened his performance. 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. Nine AL Silver Sluggers (1995, '99-06), 12-time AL All-Star ('95, '98-08), World Series MVP (2004), Career stats 1 among White Sox left fielders and ranks fifth overall behind Hall of Famers Luke Appling, Frank Thomas, Eddie Collins and Nellie Fox. Regardless, he makes everybody's short list of the greatest right-handed hitters of all-time. Teams: Baltimore Orioles (1964-76), New York Yankees (1977-80), Cincinnati Reds (1979). The differences seen in baseball across different eras are significant, and television and radio were not always available to document the miraculous plays of major leaguers on a daily basis. Seven-time NL All-Star (1981-87), NL Silver Slugger ('86), All-Star Game MVP ('87), Career stats 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. 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. Check out Gil's full list here! Yaz had better range than many center fielders and a stronger arm than some right fielders. 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. Vizquel is first all time among shortstops for games played at the position and double plays turned. Big numbers? And time ran out on their season. FROM. Too bad he wasn't able to play longer because he finished just 73 hits shy of 3,000. 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. Mays is the all-time leader in putouts in center field, fifth in assists, and second in double plays as a center fielder. Quick and agile Ichiro could get to balls and set-up as quickly as anyone. As a right fielder, it drops down to .969 giving him a total average of .972. (2:29). Ashburn has remained one of the best Phillies center fielders of all time and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995. -- Kahrl, Honors A premium defender in front of the Green Monster and another star who saw the low-scoring '60s cut into his prime seasons. 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. He also played the Green Monster at Fenway Pahk like it was his rec room wall. 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. Maddux was an eight-time All-Star, four time NL Cy Young winner, and racked up an impressive eighteen Gold Glove Awards. The adequate fielding was a bonus. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers. Not only was Mays the best center fielder, he might have been the best all-around player to play the game. So before defense becomes extinct altogether and it's too late, lets pay homage to the best glovemen at each position in baseball history. Yaz excelled at playing balls off of Fenways Green Monster and for his efforts has had his #8 retired by the Boston Red Sox. 2x All-Star (1980, 1985) 2x Silver-Slugger (1983 . During an era with a plethora of talent at the shortstop position, Omar Vizquel was the best defensive player of them all. Bell also ranks fifth in Range Factor per nine innings (3.18) overall. He ranks third in Gold Gloves and fourth in Total Zone Runs among shortstops. 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) That leaves half or just under half from his long peak (seven best seasons), short peak (three best seasons), and prime (five best consecutive seasons). COLUMBUS - Scoring lulls hindered Shelbyville all season. N'Golo Kante. Teams: Chicago White Sox (2000-11), Miami Marlins (2012), Toronto Blue Jays (2013-15). 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. Records are made to be broken, but MLB's all-time hit king might never lose his crown. Related:Worst MLB Defensive Players l Greatest Baseball Players. 5. Subjectively, I would go with Yaz as the best defensive left fielder of all time. AJ Pollock is one of the best left fielders in baseball right now. Well-renowned for his passing, Gerson is often considered as one of the best passers in World Cup history. The best center fielder since Willie Mays combined great instincts, a quick first step and precise routes to the ball. 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. 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 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. Teams: Tampa Bay Rays (2006-14), Oakland Athletics (2015), Kansas City Royals (2015), Chicago Cubs (2016-19), Positions: Second base, shortstop, outfield. The four time All-Star has played his entire career with the Colorado Rockies where he has won two Gold Glove Awards and three Fielding Bible Awards. 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. No, not in home runs, Sluggo, but Total Zone Runs among left fielders. -- 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. Tigers top 5 >, Key fact: His 132 wRC+ is the highest among primary left fielders in club history, In five seasons with the Twins, Mack provided an effective and consistent combination of power, average, on-base ability and speed while playing all three outfield spots, good for a .309/.375/.479 slash line with 67 homers, 119 doubles, 24 triples and 71 stolen bases and a 17.9 fWAR in Minnesota. Jesse Barfield ranks 16th in Total Zone Runs at any position. As a left fielder he has a .979 fielding percentage. Key facts: Three-time All-Star, seven-time Gold Glove Award winner, This was pretty much a no-brainer. Maybe other gamblers should have paid him to make sure the White Sox won that series. 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). 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. -- Lauber, In one sense, the hits record made him overrated -- his career OPS+ is the same as Justin Upton or Ken Griffey SENIOR -- and he hung on way too long when he was no longer productive. Giants top 5 >, Padres: Gene Richards (1977-83)Key fact: Ranks among Padres' top five in average, hits, runs, triples, steals and position-player WARHistorically, the Padres outfield thump has come from right field. 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. 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). Carl Yastrzemskiplayed three different positions for the Boston Red Sox during his 22-year career. 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. Hernandez also delivered the iconic Seinfeld line I am Keith Hernandez, perhaps making up for him missing out on Cooperstown. 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. Jim Kaat is regarded as one of the greatest fielding pitchers of all time. The talented footballer was voted UEFA Men's Player of the Year. Here is our list of the 25 best outfielders of all time: 25. Don't think so. 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. 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. As fast as he was, somehow those stirrup socks made him look even faster. 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?
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