Their consistency over baseballs grueling calendar has allowed them to be included among the greatest defensive players of all time. He won one MVP award and probably should have won three. He could beat you with a walk, two stolen bases and a sacrifice fly or with a towering home run. Rodriguez led catchers in caught stealing percentage for eight consecutive seasons and is the career leader in total zone runs among catchers. Here are some other contenders. 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. .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. The Ultimate Compendium for the Baseball Fan, Including All-Time Teams for Your Favorite Franchise From Yankees to Dodgers and More. Long Peak = WAR in Best 7 Seasons. Frank White also is 10th in double plays turned. 1 overall pick in Aprils . 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) A team can hide a poor defender here and he will do minimal damage to them. Who's the greatest left fielder of all-time? But I wouldn't put him in the top 100 players. 1. -- Schoenfield, Charlie Hustle played at least 500 games games in five positions, but he was always best at the plate. Roberto Clemente is a baseball legend. For all of his on field accomplishments, Bonds remains an underrated defensive player. The son of an amateur catcher could single-handedly shut down run games. -- 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. 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. Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-92), San Francisco Giants ('93-2007), Honors Schmidt was a three time NL MVP and was the 1980 World Series MVP, where he led the Phillies to victory. 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. Among Cardinals who were primarily left fielders, Brock is No. 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. I explained my methodology here, and weve previously looked at catchers, first-, second and third basemen, and shortstops. March 03, 2023 9:51 AM. 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). (Insider), Teams Forgot how much ground he covered in his pre-roids days, didnt you? 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. Sure, he probably was. He led outfielders in assists five times and led right fielders in fewest errors committed seven times. Clemente was the first Latino starter to win a World Series and the National League MVP. 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. Photo: Elsa Source: Getty Images 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. 9 in 1983, and a sculpture of Minoso was unveiled at Guaranteed Rate Field in 2004. 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. His arm strength was a half-cut below Roberto Clemente and Rocky Colavito in his day, but it was plenty strong and accurate enough. Regardless, he makes everybody's short list of the greatest right-handed hitters of all-time. Simmons remains the A's all-time leader in batting average (.356), RBIs (1,179), total bases (2,998) and extra-base hits (655). 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 fast as he was, somehow those stirrup socks made him look even faster. This is, quite simply, an amazing list of power, defensive prowess, great arms, speed and high averages. that almost certainly lessened his performance. Teams: Toronto Blue Jays (1981-89), New York Yankees (1989-92). -- David Schoenfield, ESPN.com senior writer, Simmons hit .334 for his career and batted .390 one season. 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. (2:29). 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). Jim Kaat is regarded as one of the greatest fielding pitchers of all time. -- Kahrl, Honors Carl Yastrzemskiplayed three different positions for the Boston Red Sox during his 22-year career. His lifetime OPS was 1.116, which would be a career season for nearly any other player. -- Lauber, Another left fielder with PED issues, Manny hit .312 with 555 home runs. Last month, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. ABOUT MISSOURI. Pudge was named as an All-Star fourteen times and earned thirteen Gold Glove Awards. "The Wizard" is the all-time leader in dWAR. Teams: Atlanta Braves (1996-2007), Los Angeles Dodgers (2008), Texas Rangers (2009), Chicago White Sox (2010), New York Yankees (2011-12). William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 - July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. But nobody was a more complete package than this gold standard at the hot corner. He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 as a first ballot member. This Day in Giants History, February 20, 1895: John Montgomery Ward Hates the Reserve Clause, This Day in Giants History: December 3, 1960, Constructing a Team from Players Who Have Been Both Senators/Twins and Giants, Elysian Fielders Constructing a Team from Players Who Have Been Both Senators/Twins and Giants, Constructing a Team of Players Who Have Been Both Braves and Giants, Elysian Fielders The General Managers: John McGraw, 1919-32, The General Managers: John McGraw, 1902-12, Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy, The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, The Numbers Game: Baseball's Lifelong Fascination With Statistics. 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. 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 best left fielder of the millennium ranks behind only Barry Bonds and Carl Yastrzemski on the career Total Zone Runs list. 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. Brooks Robinson made a living off of amazing plays at third base. The 18 greates Coaches in College Football History. His career, you may have heard, was cut a little short after all. He also knew how to play the Green Monster pretty well. 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). He was a six-time All-Star and won two Gold Gloves as a member of the White Sox, topping .300 in six 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. He is the last player to hit .400 in a season -- back in 1941. TO. -- 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. 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. Andy Flower, with Jonty Rhodes (left), steps aside from role of assistant coach with Punjab Kings. 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. Only Keith Hernandez won more Gold Gloves among National Leaguers at his best position. 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. (2:29), All-Time #MLBRank: The 10 greatest left fielders, The greatest lineups ever? 1 left fielder for each club, as chosen by MLB.com's beat reporters. Nine AL Silver Sluggers (1995, '99-06), 12-time AL All-Star ('95, '98-08), World Series MVP (2004), Career stats He also appeared in 18 All-Star games, earning the honor in all but four of his Major League seasons. 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 could have won two more Gold Gloves if they had been awarded, in which case he would rank second in American League history. Some of the players on this list have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and are considered among the games greatest players. Listen Now. NAME. Maddux was an eight-time All-Star, four time NL Cy Young winner, and racked up an impressive eighteen Gold Glove Awards. 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. Joe DiMaggio 6. A career .300 hitter with over 2,700 hits, he matches his prowess at the plate with solid defensive play in the middle infield. 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. Dave Kingman had two separate stints with the Mets, navigating the Shea Stadium grass from 1975-1977 and 1981-1983. Baseball has had some amazing glove stories. In his 16 year career, he had. Richie Ashburn played the majority of his career before they awarded Gold Glove awards for elite fielders. 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. And Williams never posted a .609 OBP. -- 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. AJ Pollock is one of the best left fielders in baseball right now. Hard to imagine he played for seven -- count 'em, seven -- teams. .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. 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. Relying on positioning and reading hitters proved inadequate to maintain the standards hed set. His #20 is retired by the Phillies and he was inducted as a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1995. Honorable Mention: Rickey Henderson (29.7 fWAR) and Bobby Murcer (27.1 fWAR) The Yankees have a rich history of impactful center fielders. Barry Bonds also had a plus arm. .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." Remember, kids, head up and glove down. No one did it so well for so long. Here are the ultimate left field rankings. JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score system) was developed by sabermetrician Jay Jaffe as a means to measure a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. Teams: Chicago White Sox (2000-11), Miami Marlins (2012), Toronto Blue Jays (2013-15). Reds top 5 >, Key fact: Had 30 bWAR with D-backs, second most among position players in franchise history, The acquisition of Gonzalez from the Tigers in exchange for outfielder Karim Garcia on Dec. 28, 1998, received little attention at the time, but it would go down as one of the best trades in franchise history. Thats how confident the former prep school track-basketball star was in his speed, quickness and ups. Bell also ranks fifth in Range Factor per nine innings (3.18) overall. How We Ranked Baseballs Greatest Players, PRIME = WAR in 5 Best Consecutive Seasons. The 20 Greatest Athletes of all Time -- 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.' 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. His defensive accomplishments are remarkable: seven Gold Gloves, three Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards, and the ALs Rawlings Platinum Glove Award in 2014. Big numbers? 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. Part of the reason Rose would eventually break Ty Cobb's hit record was because of his incredible durability and longevity. -- Kahrl, Who's the greatest left fielder of all-time? " It has been 56 since he last played; nobody has passed him yet (although Barry Bonds came close). Teams: Chicago White Sox (1956-1965, 1969-1973), Baltimore Orioles (1966-68), Gold Glove Awards: 9 (1958-62, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970). Age During 2022 Season: 34. Willie Mays Mickey Mantle Ty Cobb Ken Griffey Jr. Joe DiMaggio Mike Trout 1. Records are made to be broken, but MLB's all-time hit king might never lose his crown. 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. Fernando Redondo. Raines Sr. belongs in the Hall of Fame. Ivan Pudge Rodriguez is the epitome of the defensive catcher. Keller compiled an AL-best .922 OPS in 1943, then missed most of the next two seasons while serving in the United States Merchant Marines. "The Great One" would be the first player who we would pay to watch play defense. Here is the No. He batted .336/.458/.677 with 46 home runs and 123 RBIs to earn the first of five NL MVP Awards in San Francisco. 1. Mickey Mantle 3. The Top 10 Seattle Mariners of all Time. 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. The Say Hey Kid is a living baseball treasure. -- Kahrl, Teams Ben Zobrist also spent time at shortstop and right field in his career. Tris Speaker was one of the greatest players in baseball history. 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, 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. 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 He is the all-time leader in assists, double plays, and unassisted double plays by an outfielder. Dave Winfield also won 7, but 5 of his were when he was playing primarily right field. Robinson was also recognized as an 18-time All-Star and 16-time Gold Glove Award Winner. Teams: Baltimore Orioles (1965-81), Los Angeles Dodgers (1982). *Honorable mentions - Ernst Ocwirk, Sergio Busquests, Edgar Davids, Dunga, Diego Simeone, Graeme Souness, Didier Deschamps. Vizquel is first all time among shortstops for games played at the position and double plays turned. 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. In 2007, he led all shortstops in both putouts and assists. 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. Braun ranks in the franchises all-time top five in games, runs, hits, RBIs, extra-base hits and stolen bases, and he has been the Brewers all-time home run king since breaking Younts mark on Aug. 19, 2013 exactly 20 years after Yount went deep for the final time in his career. 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. 1. 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. He committed the fewest errors by a pitcher twice, range factor per nine innings twice, and assists once. Without the award, the evidence for Ashburns defensive greatness relies on his defensive statistics, which were virtually unparalleled during his 15-year career. 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. .334/.380/.535, OPS -- .915, Hits -- 2,927, HRs -- 307, RBIs -- 1,828, Simply put, one of the greatest hitters of his generation. The top 100 will roll out next week. The adequate fielding was a bonus. He was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995 by the Veterans Committee. 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. Mays is the all-time leader in putouts in center field, fifth in assists, and second in double plays as a center fielder. A seven-time NL MVP, 14-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, Bonds holds Major League Baseballs all-time records for home runs (762) and walks (2,558) and is the only player to hit 500 home runs and steal 500 bases. He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011 and had his #12 retired by the Toronto Blue Jays. Al Kaline spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers, which earned him the nickname Mr. Tiger. Before developing into the most prolific home run hitter of all time, Barry Bonds was an outfielder with amazing range. In 1966, the National League All-Star team fielded a lineup with arguably the greatest outfield ever to appear in a baseball game: Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Hank Aaron. During his Hall of Fame career, Kaline received 10 Gold Glove awards for his work in Right and Center field. What's the Dodgers' plan at shortstop? He was a 16-time Gold Glove winner and was a three time All-Star. 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. Want a crazy stat? He led third basemen in assists seven times, double plays turned six times, total zone runs seven times, and range factor four times. This list includes some of the best to ever play the game, including such Major League Baseball legends as Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson. That three of the first four names on this list are . He did not have the career of his father, but who did? 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. Cruz is undoubtedly the best left-fielder in Astros history, and is one of the greatest Astros of All-Time. Two-time MVP (1946, '49), two Triple Crowns ('42, '47), 19-time All-Star ('40-42, '46-51, '53-60*), Hall of Fame ('66). 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. He is regarded as the " the best defensive fielder of all time" by the former Australian Captain Ricky Ponting. Marlins top 5 >, Key fact: Caught final out of 1969 World Series, One of the engines of the 1969 Miracle Mets, Jones hit .340 in 137 games that season, starting in left field for 119 of them. -- 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. 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. Saving a perfect game or no-hitter. The best outfielder of the 1980s decade combined excellent range and a bazooka arm that rivaled the best ever (read: Roberto Clemente). Overall, Holliday had a .319 average with 130 homers over six seasons with the Rockies. 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. 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.