In baseballs rich history there have been many players that have excelled in the defensive aspects of the game. New York Mets: Five best left fielders all-time in franchise history -- 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. -- Kahrl, Honors Regardless, he makes everybody's short list of the greatest right-handed hitters of all-time. 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. 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. -- Lauber, Was he one of the best pure hitters ever? Not only was Mays the best center fielder, he might have been the best all-around player to play the game. He was enshrined in Cooperstown in 1989 and no Cincinnati Red will ever wear his #5 again. 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. Nine AL Silver Sluggers (1995, '99-06), 12-time AL All-Star ('95, '98-08), World Series MVP (2004), Career stats Jim Edmonds Jim Edmonds poses for a picture at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, on February 25, 2005. A. Other career achievements include over 351 OBP, 440 OPS, and 215 hits. -- Kahrl, Teams 5 best Fielders of all time - Cricket Keeda Sports Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-92), San Francisco Giants ('93-2007), Honors Subjectively, I would go with Yaz as the best defensive left fielder of all time. "Smooth" ranks second in TZR and 11th in Range Factor per nine innings at the position. PRIME = WAR in 5 Best Consecutive Seasons. The Say Hey Kid is a living baseball treasure. Maddux had his #31 retired by both the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. Without that, he'd be far beyond 500 career home runs, and get far more credit on this list. 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. -- 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. Left Field JAWS Leaders | Baseball-Reference.com 16 Reasons why Lebron is greater than Jordan. The only 3 left fielders with 4 or more Gold Gloves are Barry Bonds (8), Alex Gordon (7, so far), and Yastrzemski (7). Next up are left fielders. His defensive skills were so highly regarded that his glove was known as the place where triples go to die. The three-time World Series champion was named MVP in 1912 and won the batting title in 1916. Related:Worst MLB Defensive Players l Greatest Baseball Players. We have gone to great lengths to make our All-Time Baseball Player Rankings as thorough as possible. 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. Bottom line: 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. He also leads the club in total steals (409), as well as hits (1,480), batting average (.296) and triples (105). Seven-time All-Star ('64-66, '71-73, '78), World Series MVP (1979), MVP ('79), Hall of Fame ('88), Championships 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. He led all outfielders in putouts nine times, range factor per game ten times, and assists three times. Ashburn has remained one of the best Phillies center fielders of all time and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995. Yaz won the Triple Crown and AL MVP in 1967. He led the league in putouts from a right fielder and fielding percentage five times. "Mad Dog" dominated the Gold Glove Award for not one but two decades. 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. The top five Yankees center fielders of all time, by WAR A five-time All-Star, "King Kong" Keller completed his Yankees career with a slash line of .286/.410/.518, slugging 184 homers with 723 RBIs in 1,066 games. 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. The unquestioned best leadoff hitter of all time. His 5 All-Star appearances may not be as spectacular as other members of the list, but he led the league assists as a first baseman 5 times, fielding percentage twice, and putouts four times. 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. Elite center fielders for the Cardinals - STLtoday.com Photo credit (Getty Images) 2. Teams: Chicago White Sox (1956-1965, 1969-1973), Baltimore Orioles (1966-68), Gold Glove Awards: 9 (1958-62, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970). He also won the 1986 NL batting title, earned a Silver Slugger Award that year and was named to seven consecutive All-Star teams. Anyone who believes this guy was one-dimensional doesnt know Michael Jack Schmidt. Justin Upton can hit, but when he takes the field he can be a defensive liability. .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." What's the Dodgers' plan at shortstop? Positions: Second base, third base, shortstop. 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. 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. 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 batted .336/.458/.677 with 46 home runs and 123 RBIs to earn the first of five NL MVP Awards in San Francisco. He split time between left field and first base while in Queens . Indeed, he turned the double play into an art form, sort of like a Mikhail Baryshnikovski in cleats. After winning the National League MVP in 2018 and finishing runner-up in 2019, Yelich slashed just . Willie Mays 24-time All-Star (second-most in MLB history) For this calculation, we use a replacement level on defense is the league average. 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 A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. However, we also adjust for era, integration and level of competition, and missed playing time due to factors beyond the control of the player. A weak hitter with a great glove (see Gregor Blanco) will not play left on the prototypical good team. Greg Maddux is widely considered to be the greatest fielding pitcher of all-time. Honus Wagner is known as one of the greatest players of all time, but unfortunately he played in an era before advanced defensive statistics. (2:29) Tim Kurkjian, Eduardo Perez and Dallas Braden weigh in on who is the greatest left fielder in MLB history. Teams: St. Louis Cardinals (1974-83), New York Mets (1983-89), Cleveland Indians (1990). 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. While Gonzalez is best remembered for his base hit off Mariano Rivera that won the 2001 World Series for the D-backs, he also ranks second in franchise history among D-backs position players with 30 bWAR, trailing only Paul Goldschmidt. But Bonds is among the greatest players of all time, with 762 home runs, a career OPS of 1.051. Top 15 Worst Defensive Players in Baseball Today - TheSportster 5) Dave Kingman. Saving a perfect game or no-hitter. Ichiro Suzuki Ichiro was the 2001 MVP, an All-Star 10 times, a Gold Glove winner 10 times, the winner of three Silver Slugger awards, and a batting title winner twice. In 1977, he set what was then a rookie record with 56 stolen bases, and he batted .290 en route to a third-place finish in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. Keith Hernandez was welcomed into Americas living rooms on Seinfeld after a solid Major League career with three teams. No argument here. Teams: Baltimore Orioles (1965-81), Los Angeles Dodgers (1982). He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011 and had his #12 retired by the Toronto Blue Jays. All told, Anderson appeared in 623 games in left over his 14 seasons in Baltimore, good for second in franchise history. Teams: New York/San Francisco Giants (1951-52, 1954-1972), New York Mets (1972-73). Bell also ranks fifth in Range Factor per nine innings (3.18) overall. 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). Generally, a players Career Value is worth about 50-60% of the ranking score we assign him. Bill Russell - Wikipedia Yankees top 5 >, Key fact: Is the only player in MLB history to hit 50 homers and 50 doubles in a single season, Belle may not have left Cleveland on the greatest terms, but theres no denying the contributions that he made to the club during its run in the 1990s. The Argentine midfielder was capable of carrying on his own the . Barry Bonds also had a plus arm. Mike Trout FAQ Who are the best MLB center fielders of all time? Mariners top 5 >, Rangers: Rusty Greer (1994-2002)Key fact: Tied for fourth in franchise history (min. This guy didnt hit enough to play regularly (career .642 OPS), but some team always wanted Rey Sanchez. The Top Ten Left Fielders of All-Time | Pitcher List Here are the ultimate left field rankings. "The Wizard" is the all-time leader in dWAR. The son of an amateur catcher could single-handedly shut down run games. 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. 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. He won eleven Gold Glove Awards and was named 1979 NL MVP. He posted a .609 OBP one year. Hes also the all-time leader in Total Zone Runs from here to Funkstown. The Tigers have won their last two games . 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. Mays is the all-time leader in putouts in center field, fifth in assists, and second in double plays as a center fielder. The Flying Dutchman also has his visage on the most expensive baseball card of all time. 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. AJ Pollock is one of the best left fielders in baseball right now. Matthews, too, was primarily a good hitter. Big personalities? "Motormouth" played so shallow in the field, he could almost shake hands with the second-base umpire. David Ortiz insists on calling him "Mr. Williams," Big Papi's nod to the greatest hitter who ever lived. 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. The Big Puma ranks fourth in franchise history in games played; second in homers (326); third in runs scored (1,008), RBIs (1,090), doubles (375) and extra-base hits (727); and fifth in total hits (1,548). -- Caple, "Pops" was a legend long before his last great season in '79, but the high-mound '60s muted his greatness: He slugged .491 in his 20s before they lowered the mound, then .555 afterward in 1969-1979. We'll run you through the top 50 below, with the likes of Javier . In addition to breaking Hank Aarons home run record, he also is the all-time leader in total zone runs from a left fielder. 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. Many who have known Manny would disagree. In 16 years with the Cardinals, he stole 888 bases, hit .297 and accumulated 41.8 bWAR. Some call him the Babe Ruth of defense. Robinson was also recognized as an 18-time All-Star and 16-time Gold Glove Award Winner. Mets top 5 >, Key fact: Was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017, Raines accomplishments go far beyond his standing among the franchises left fielders. Over on Ranker, football fans have cast their votes to list the greatest defender of all-time, with over 135,000 votes cast. "The Curacao Kid" ranks second in Total Zone Runs (253) in baseball history. 1. These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only, and fans were able to participate in Twitter polls to vote for their favorites. He won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards and eleven total for his career. Would you believe that hes the only shortstop among the top 10 in Range Factor per nine innings (sixth) and Total Zone Runs (seventh) in baseball history? 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. His #6 was retired by the Detroit Tigers and in 1980 he was enshrined in Cooperstown as a first ballot Hall of Famer. Teams: Baltimore Orioles (1964-76), New York Yankees (1977-80), Cincinnati Reds (1979). Thursday brings the top 10 infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com baseball writer, Honors He was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995 by the Veterans Committee. He committed the fewest errors by a pitcher twice, range factor per nine innings twice, and assists once. He also knew how to play the Green Monster pretty well. Which helped him earn the 1979 MVP award at age 39. Here is the No. Raines Sr. belongs in the Hall of Fame. Maybe other gamblers should have paid him to make sure the White Sox won that series. Yes, his legacy is deservedly controversial, but Ted Williams wasn't close to the all-around player that Bonds was. His lifetime OPS was 1.116, which would be a career season for nearly any other player. Tweet Email Comment Next The Clooney Garage: Inside George Clooney's Insane Car Collection Related Topics Baseball 3. 2021 Statistics: . JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score system) was developed by sabermetrician Jay Jaffe as a means to measure a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. 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. -- 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. Best left fielders in A's history - mlb.com -- Caple, Still judged for his inclusion in the Black Sox scandal, and still condemned for it. He will be eligible for Hall of Fame induction in 2017. 300 games) with a .305 AVG.The Rangers have three worthy candidates for the title of best left fielder in club history: Greer, Frank Howard and Al Oliver. Who is the best left fielder in MLB? 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. -- Lauber, Here's how good Rickey was: Even if he never stole a base he'd be a Hall of Famer. 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 . Ted Williams is one of the greatest hitters in MLB history. 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 World's Most Entertaining Car Website. He was the ultimate glue guy, a personal favorite of manager Casey Stengel for good reason.