For this calculation, we use a replacement level on defense is the league average. The two-time Most Valuable Player was a natural, the first catcher to be awarded a Gold Glove in his rookie season. Barry Bonds is Major League Baseball's all-time home run leader and the only player to win more than three MVP awards he ended up with seven but is that enough to declare the infamous,. Generally, a players Career Value is worth about 50-60% of the ranking score we assign him. 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. 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. 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. Matthews, too, was primarily a good hitter. 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 will be eligible for Hall of Fame induction in 2017. Willie is a 24-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove award winner, and two-time MVP Award winner. "Smooth" ranks second in TZR and 11th in Range Factor per nine innings at the position. The Top 10 Boston Celtics of all Time. Positions: Second base, third base, shortstop. Minosos 41.4 bWAR sits No. Phillies top 5 >, Key facts: Won the 2007 Rookie of the Year Award and the 2011 NL MVP Award, From a statistical standpoint, only two players have generated more value to the Brewers than Braun, and both (Robin Yount and Paul Molitor) are in the Hall of Fame. 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). Some might put an asterisk next to his name, but the performance was the best ever at left field or power production. Tim Kurkjian, Eduardo Perez and Dallas Braden weigh in on who is the greatest left fielder in MLB history. Hes the all-time leader. -- David Schoenfield, ESPN.com senior writer, Simmons hit .334 for his career and batted .390 one season. -- 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). 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. 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 Just three Marlins left-handed hitters have topped 30 home runs in a season -- Floyd in 2001, Carlos Delgado in '05 (33) and Mike Jacobs in '08 (32). Fernando Redondo. Matthews, too, was primarily a good hitter. 5. Philadelphia A's (1908-09), Cleveland Naps ('10-14), Cleveland Indians ('15), Chicago White Sox ('15-20), Career stats (2:29), All-Time #MLBRank: The 10 greatest left fielders, The greatest lineups ever? 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 He became the first Tiger to earn a $100,000 salary. (Bonds routinely sat in on the pitchers pre-game meeting where they discussed how they were going to pitch to that days opponents.) "The Great One" would be the first player who we would pay to watch play defense. The White Sox retired his No. Yes, his legacy is deservedly controversial, but Ted Williams wasn't close to the all-around player that Bonds was. 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. We all know left field is a hitters position. David Ortiz insists on calling him "Mr. Williams," Big Papi's nod to the greatest hitter who ever lived. No argument here. That gets you all-county in high school; you don't do that in the major leagues. Well-renowned for his passing, Gerson is often considered as one of the best passers in World Cup history. Vizquel is first all time among shortstops for games played at the position and double plays turned. Not only as an outfielder, mind you, but at any position. This is a good formation. 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. 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. He committed the fewest errors by a pitcher twice, range factor per nine innings twice, and assists once. "The Wizard" is the all-time leader in dWAR. Eddie Rosario - Minnesota Twins Age 27 The 27-year old Rosario has been a steady 30+ doubles / 20+ home runs guy for the last. 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. After winning the National League MVP in 2018 and finishing runner-up in 2019, Yelich slashed just . And time ran out on their season. Elegance personified on the field of play. Lets also not forget how the "Little General" revolutionized the position with his hinged glove and one-handed technique. His career, you may have heard, was cut a little short after all. N'Golo Kante. Check out Gil's full list here! Forgot how much ground he covered in his pre-roids days, didnt you? 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. Joe DiMaggio 6. 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 . "Mad Dog" dominated the Gold Glove Award for not one but two decades. 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. 344 views, 3 likes, 0 loves, 1 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Field of Dreams Navojoa: Aguerridas Vs Buhas He was world champion with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982 and a part of the Amazin' Mets of 1986. Over on Ranker, football fans have cast their votes to list the greatest defender of all-time, with over 135,000 votes cast. As a left fielder he has a .979 fielding percentage. Blue Jays top 5 >, Key fact: Only O's player to rank among top 10 in homers (209, eighth) and steals (307, first), Before he grew into a slugging center fielder, Anderson was the Orioles everyday and amply productive left fielder. That makes this category as good a place as any to highlight Anderson, who earned three All-Star nods for his dynamic combination of power and speed. The Ultimate Compendium for the Baseball Fan, Including All-Time Teams for Your Favorite Franchise From Yankees to Dodgers and More. 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 . -- 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. The Washington Redskins, 2015 NFC East division champions, are ready for the playoffs. 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. As opposed to the puss arm who couldnt throw out Sid Bream with the 1992 NLCS on the line. Gold Glove Awards: 8 (1958, 1960-61, 1963-67). The Top 21 Offensive Linemen in NFL History. What's the Dodgers' plan at shortstop? He earned two of the best nicknames in baseball history because of his prowess with the glove, the Human Vacuum Cleaner and Mr. Teams: Tampa Bay Rays (2006-14), Oakland Athletics (2015), Kansas City Royals (2015), Chicago Cubs (2016-19), Positions: Second base, shortstop, outfield. Right field really does have it all. 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). SHORT PEAK = WAR in Best 3 Seasons. 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. Willie Mays 24-time All-Star (second-most in MLB history) But Bonds is among the greatest players of all time, with 762 home runs, a career OPS of 1.051. FOR ST. LOUIS: 1,298 games (1,133 starts in CF) CARDINALS STATS:.280 BA, .739 OPS, 80 HR . His lifetime OPS was 1.116, which would be a career season for nearly any other player. Hernandez also delivered the iconic Seinfeld line I am Keith Hernandez, perhaps making up for him missing out on Cooperstown. Bench led the league in total zone runs as a catcher six times and caught stealing percentage three times. 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. Teams: New York/San Francisco Giants (1956, 1958), St. Louis Cardinals (1959-1965, 1969), Philadelphia Phillies (1966-68). 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. 9 in 1983, and a sculpture of Minoso was unveiled at Guaranteed Rate Field in 2004. 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. He also retired with the highest career fielding percentage and once went 95 consecutive games without committing an error. 1. TTO has done more to hurt defense than Daniel Murphy ever could on his worst day. He deserves to be in the Hall of Defense at the very least. 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. 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. 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. Thursday brings the top 10 infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday. Raines Sr. belongs in the Hall of Fame. He was an important force in the heart of the lineup for the World Series-winning '91 squad. The Definitive List of the 7 Best Left Fielders Right Now 7. Photo credit (Getty Images) 2. He led third basemen in assists seven times, double plays turned six times, total zone runs seven times, and range factor four times. 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. .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." 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). It's hard to disagree that Charlie Keller is the greatest left fielder in Yankees history. 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. His 254 assists are the most by an outfielder in the live ball era, which is nutso when you consider that, once word got around, a runner would almost rather have a lobotomy than risk embarrassment by his legendary arm. This is, quite simply, an amazing list of power, defensive prowess, great arms, speed and high averages. 1 left fielder for each club, as chosen by MLB.com's beat reporters. Astros top 5 >, Athletics: Rickey Henderson (1979-84, '89-93, '94-95, '98), Key fact: 72.7 bWAR is highest of any position player in As history, Widely considered the greatest leadoff hitter ever, Henderson had four separate stints with the A's and is the franchise's all-time leader in position-player bWAR (72.7), runs (1,270), walks (1,227) and stolen bases (867). Two-time MVP (1946, '49), two Triple Crowns ('42, '47), 19-time All-Star ('40-42, '46-51, '53-60*), Hall of Fame ('66). (2:29). Andy Flower, with Jonty Rhodes (left), steps aside from role of assistant coach with Punjab Kings. 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. that almost certainly lessened his performance. In 2007, he led all shortstops in both putouts and assists. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. His #6 was retired by the Detroit Tigers and in 1980 he was enshrined in Cooperstown as a first ballot Hall of Famer. Ozzie Smith is generally regarded as the greatest defensive player of all time. Mays is the all-time leader in putouts in center field, fifth in assists, and second in double plays as a center fielder. More so than any position I've reviewed so far, the right fielders are affected by the 1970 timeline cutoff. In 1982 when he was the second oldest player in the Major Leagues, he won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. Greg Maddux is widely considered to be the greatest fielding pitcher of all-time. 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. Left Field JAWS Leaders. Dude, the underappreciated superstar once gunned down a baserunner in three consecutive innings. He could have won two more Gold Gloves if they had been awarded, in which case he would rank second in American League history. He was Brooklyns starting left fielder for 17 years, succeeding in both the Dead Ball and Live Ball eras. Not only was Mays the best center fielder, he might have been the best all-around player to play the game. Worthy of this list as well as the Hall of Fame. 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 Players are evaluated on five criteria as the foundation of our rankings: We use Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a basis for these calculations. Gil McDougald's fielding percentage and Range Factor per nine innings exceeded the league average at each of three positions. Don't think so. 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. He led that 1968 team in batting average, home runs and OPS, earning one of his four All-Star selections in the process. " It has been 56 since he last played; nobody has passed him yet (although Barry Bonds came close). He is the last player to hit .400 in a season -- back in 1941. 5) Dave Kingman. Related:Worst MLB Defensive Players l Greatest Baseball Players. He is also the all-time career leader in assists as a shortstop and total zone runs. Who is the best left fielder in MLB? The best center fielder since Willie Mays combined great instincts, a quick first step and precise routes to the ball. In 16 years with the Cardinals, he stole 888 bases, hit .297 and accumulated 41.8 bWAR. Robinson was also recognized as an 18-time All-Star and 16-time Gold Glove Award Winner. Honus Wagner is known as one of the greatest players of all time, but unfortunately he played in an era before advanced defensive statistics. No, not in home runs, Sluggo, but Total Zone Runs among left fielders. 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. That three of the first four names on this list are . 344 views, 3 likes, 0 loves, 1 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Field of Dreams Navojoa: Aguerridas Vs Buhas.