greatest defensive left fielders of all time

Justin Upton can hit, but when he takes the field he can be a defensive liability. He led that 1968 team in batting average, home runs and OPS, earning one of his four All-Star selections in the process. Jorginho is a technically gifted defensive midfielder who prefers playing as a focal point and controlling the tempo of play. ABOUT MISSOURI. He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in '16 and remains active with the organization. Andy Flower, with Jonty Rhodes (left), steps aside from role of assistant coach with Punjab Kings. 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. He is the all-time leader among third basemen in games played, putouts, assists, double plays turned, and total zone runs. He could have won two more Gold Gloves if they had been awarded, in which case he would rank second in American League 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. 100 Greatest Left Fielders of All-Time ALL-TIME TOP 100 LISTS CATCHER FIRST BASE SECOND BASE SHORTSTOP THIRD BASE LEFT FIELD CENTER FIELD RIGHT FIELD PITCHER Baseball's All-Time Greatest Left Fielders Ranked From 1 to 100 CAREER = career war Long Peak = WAR in Best 7 Seasons SHORT PEAK = WAR in Best 3 Seasons -- 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. Generally, a players Career Value is worth about 50-60% of the ranking score we assign him. Securing a pennant or even the World Series. JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score system) was developed by sabermetrician Jay Jaffe as a means to measure a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 as a first ballot member. 2 -- Oakland (1989), Toronto ('93), Career stats 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. #Brazil squad prior a World Cup Qualifier in 1969: #CarlosAlbertoTorres #Joel #Flix # . 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. -- 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. 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 20 Greatest Athletes of all Time -- 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. COLUMBUS - Scoring lulls hindered Shelbyville all season. Fantasy baseball: Which prospects have fantasy value in 2023? (Bonds routinely sat in on the pitchers pre-game meeting where they discussed how they were going to pitch to that days opponents.) So before defense becomes extinct altogether and it's too late, lets pay homage to the best glovemen at each position in baseball history. 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. "Motormouth" played so shallow in the field, he could almost shake hands with the second-base umpire. Left field has been the position of some of baseball's greatest players, including Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Carl Yastrzemski, and Frank Robinson, and was one of the primary positions on a . These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only, and fans were able to participate in Twitter polls to vote for their favorites. Age During 2022 Season: 34. Many who have known Manny would disagree. 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. Although not always earning the recognition of home run hitters or ace pitchers, excell. He also had a .992 OPS over 29 postseason games with Houston. Weve been examining the best three-year peaks of defensive play by Giant players, as measured by baseball-reference.coms rfield. Yaz excelled at playing balls off of Fenways Green Monster and for his efforts has had his #8 retired by the Boston Red Sox. Notable Astro Highlights: #25 Retired. 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. Yaz had better range than many center fielders and a stronger arm than some right fielders. Here are the ultimate left field rankings. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Rockies top 5 >. Maddux was an eight-time All-Star, four time NL Cy Young winner, and racked up an impressive eighteen Gold Glove Awards. He became the first Tiger to earn a $100,000 salary. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in '53. 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. Get Jay Jaffe's book The Cooperstown Casebook where he outlines who should and shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame based on his JAWS metric used here.. The top 100 will roll out next week. 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. Some have better metrics at the position, but none come close to Willie Mays' combination of athleticism, arm strength, instincts, entertainment value and nickname. Mays is the all-time career leaders in putouts by an outfielder and games played by a center fielder. Maddux was an eight-time All-Star, four time NL Cy Young winner, and racked up an impressive eighteen Gold Glove Awards. 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. Long Peak = WAR in Best 7 Seasons. This may not look too poor except the league's outfielders are at .986 during the same time. Embed from Getty Images. Willie Mays Mickey Mantle Ty Cobb Ken Griffey Jr. Joe DiMaggio Mike Trout 1. 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? As fast as he was, somehow those stirrup socks made him look even faster. He ranks third in Gold Gloves and fourth in Total Zone Runs among shortstops. Bottom line: His dWar number is skewed by misspent time in center field. He also played the Green Monster at Fenway Pahk like it was his rec room wall. 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. This week, we bring you the top 10 at each position, starting in the outfield. Part of the reason Rose would eventually break Ty Cobb's hit record was because of his incredible durability and longevity. Moore was a four-time All-Star who lost three seasons at the peak of his career to serve in World War II. Just imagine if he hadn't lost three prime years to serve in World War II. When he was the runner-up for the AL MVP Award in 1995, he led the AL with 121 runs scored and 126 RBIs and led the Majors with 50 homers, 52 doubles and a .690 slugging percentage. Theres an argument to be made that not even Yount delivered as many signature moments. The calmness with. Now heres the stat that you never hear: Over 12 seasons, Maz played 1,722 complete games (86 percent), the kind of durability (overuse?) He committed the fewest errors by a pitcher twice, range factor per nine innings twice, and assists once. Welcome to All-Time #MLBRank, our ranking of the top 100 players in baseball history. Some had stronger arms. He split time between left field and first base while in Queens . No player did so at a higher rate in the free-agent era. He led all outfielders in putouts nine times, range factor per game ten times, and assists three times. As opposed to the puss arm who couldnt throw out Sid Bream with the 1992 NLCS on the line. 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. As even the Cubbies discovered, you can win a World Series with a guy like this. 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. Baseball's best left field players include some amazing legends of the game, with names like Ted Williams, Stan Musial and Carl Yastrzemski. In the 2019 season, 35 percent of all plate appearances ended in one of the three, a recent trend that meant even fewer balls in the field of play, which meant fewer chances for a highlight-reel play that could make the hairs on our arms stand at attention. The talented footballer was voted UEFA Men's Player of the Year. 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. No one did it so well for so long. I explained my methodology here, and weve previously looked at catchers, first-, second and third basemen, and shortstops. The Ultimate Compendium for the Baseball Fan, Including All-Time Teams for Your Favorite Franchise From Yankees to Dodgers and More. Left field is located down the third baseline when viewing the field from home plate. Yaz's greatest achievement might have been succeeding Ted Williams in left field at Fenway Park in 1961 and playing at a Hall-of-Fame level for the next 23 years. Impossible. 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. Before developing into the most prolific home run hitter of all time, Barry Bonds was an outfielder with amazing range. The Washington Redskins, 2015 NFC East division champions, are ready for the playoffs. While good fielders, neither is known primarily for his defensive skills. 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 level of offensive talent at his position meant he was only selected to three All-Star Games, but Vizquel retired as the all-time leader in hits by a Venezuelan. 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. "The Great One" would be the first player who we would pay to watch play defense. Which helped him earn the 1979 MVP award at age 39. Cubs top 5 >, Key fact: Is only player ever to have at least a share of the league lead in home runs seven years in a row, Simply put, Kiner is one of the greatest sluggers in the Pirates long history. (2:29), All-Time #MLBRank: The 10 greatest left fielders, The greatest lineups ever? Without that, he'd be far beyond 500 career home runs, and get far more credit on this list. -- 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. 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. 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. The Tigers have won their last two games . When "Little Louie" led the new wave of Hispanic players in the bigs, the position went from 33 1/3 to 78 rpm in terms of athleticism and entertainment value. 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). Teams: Cleveland Indians (1972-78), Texas Rangers (1979-85, 1989), Cincinnati Reds (1985-88), Houston Astros (1988). 3 -- Cincinnati (1975, '76) Philadelphia ('80), Career stats He spent his entire 18-year career with the Philadelphia Phillies where he was chosen as an All-Star twelve times and won ten Gold Glove Awards. 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. Other career achievements include over 351 OBP, 440 OPS, and 215 hits. Does ex-teammate-turned-mortal enemy Pete Rose agree with us here? .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. 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 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. Who is the best left fielder in MLB? 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. Kante is a winner / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/GettyImages. Quick and agile Ichiro could get to balls and set-up as quickly as anyone. Do you want big names? 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. Tris Speaker was one of the greatest players in baseball history. Some of the players on this list came long before Web Gems were a daily part of our national pastime. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Forgot how much ground he covered in his pre-roids days, didnt you? Three-time AL All-Star (1933-35), Hall of Fame ('53), Championships Elegance personified on the field of play. At 35, Alex Gordon is a good bet to rank second when all is said and done. 2 -- Philadelphia A's (1929-30), Career stats Teams: Baltimore Orioles (1965-81), Los Angeles Dodgers (1982). 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). Anyone who believes this guy was one-dimensional doesnt know Michael Jack Schmidt. Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid watches while quarterback Patrick Mahomes warms up before the Chiefs take on the New England Patriots on Monday, October 5, 2020, at . Teams: New York/San Francisco Giants (1951-52, 1954-1972), New York Mets (1972-73). Teams: Chicago White Sox (2000-11), Miami Marlins (2012), Toronto Blue Jays (2013-15). Only Keith Hernandez won more Gold Gloves among National Leaguers at his best position. This guy didnt hit enough to play regularly (career .642 OPS), but some team always wanted Rey Sanchez. His 253 hits with the A's in 1925 remains the single-season Major League record for a right-handed batter. Minosos 41.4 bWAR sits No. Honus Wagner is known as one of the greatest players of all time, but unfortunately he played in an era before advanced defensive statistics. This is, quite simply, an amazing list of power, defensive prowess, great arms, speed and high averages. The only 3 left fielders with 4 or more Gold Gloves are Barry Bonds (8), Alex Gordon (7, so far), and Yastrzemski (7). 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). Thatd be Sweet Swinging Billy Williams, who won the 1961 NL Rookie of the Year Award, made six All-Star teams, picked up a batting title (72), finished as the runner-up for the NL MVP twice and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987. Hes also the all-time leader in Total Zone Runs from here to Funkstown. 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. Rodriguez led catchers in caught stealing percentage for eight consecutive seasons and is the career leader in total zone runs among catchers. 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 The best left fielder of the millennium ranks behind only Barry Bonds and Carl Yastrzemski on the career Total Zone Runs list. -- Schoenfield, The last player to hit .400, Teddy Ballgame batted .334 with 521 home runs despite missing five seasons while serving in two wars And when he homered in his last at-bat, there went the greatest hitter who ever lived. -- Caple, In the conversation because he was the NL's answer to Rickey Henderson and arguably the greatest player in Expos history, he was also one of the players robbed of his best opportunities to star in a bigger market by the owners' collusion conspiracy of the '80s. No first baseman won more Gold Gloves (11) in his career. Photo: Elsa Source: Getty Images 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. 1. NAME. 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? 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) The Top 10 Seattle Mariners of all Time. He played more games in his career than anyone else by more than an entire season. Relying on positioning and reading hitters proved inadequate to maintain the standards hed set. 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. 'The Progress & Freedom Fou Nine AL Silver Sluggers (1995, '99-06), 12-time AL All-Star ('95, '98-08), World Series MVP (2004), Career stats 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. (2:29). Known as "Pudge" because of his size and attitude, hes the all-time leader in Gold Gloves and swag at the position. His untimely death while on a humanitarian aid trip to Nicaragua came after a baseball career during which his feats on the baseball diamond matched up to his generosity off of it. I did not see many plays where he left his feet going forward (towards . He. Now guess whos second to Robinson in career Total Zone Runs at the position. 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. He was an especially strong presence in Seattle's lineup from 2004-08, batting .291/.354/.477 with 113 home runs and 489 RBIs in 755 games. How great does a career .228 hitter have to be to play regularly for 10 seasons? Thats right more than Ozzie Smith even. 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. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers. Dont bet on it. Jonty Rhodes features at the topmost on the list of "Top-5 best fielders of all times". 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. Here is the No. 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). Who would have bet he could do all that? Fernando Redondo. The Grey Eagle was a legends both at the plate and in center field. "Campy" had no weaknesses other than the assorted hurts that went with the position. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers. Saving a perfect game or no-hitter. D-backs top 5 >, Key fact: Is the Dodgers franchise leader in hits, doubles, triples and total bases, Wheat was a rookie more than 110 years ago, and hes still the Dodgers franchise leader in career hits (2,804), doubles (464), triples (171) and total bases (4,003). Bobby Knoop and Bill Mazeroski are the only second basemen to lead the league in Total Zone Runs, Range Factor per nine innings and double plays turned as many as four times each. He's also on the short list of Total Zone Runs (fourth), Range Factor per nine innings (fifth) and jaws dropped (many) in major league history. Carl Yastrzemskiplayed three different positions for the Boston Red Sox during his 22-year career. In 2007, he led all shortstops in both putouts and assists. 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. RANK. that almost certainly lessened his performance. Whiteland built a double-digit lead at the pivotal moment of the third quarter then hit just enough free throws in the game's final minute to secure a 47-45 victory over Shelbyville . Ken Griffey Jr. 5. How We Ranked Baseballs Greatest Players, PRIME = WAR in 5 Best Consecutive Seasons. Dude, the underappreciated superstar once gunned down a baserunner in three consecutive innings. Despite these statistical shortcomings, we do know that he finished first among shortstops in fielding percentage four times, had the best range factor for shortstops four times, and led shortstops in putouts twice. "The Wizard" is the all-time leader in dWAR. A team can hide a poor defender here and he will do minimal damage to them. As a right fielder, it drops down to .969 giving him a total average of .972. The 18 greates Coaches in College Football History. Positions: Shortstop, second base, third base. We've already tackled catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen and shortstops. Joe DiMaggio 6. Greg Maddux is widely considered to be the greatest fielding pitcher of all-time. 3. He also knew how to play the Green Monster pretty well. Teams: Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics (1954-1958), Cleveland Indians (1958-61) Minnesota Twins (1962-64), Los Angeles-California Angels (1964), Philadelphia Phillies (1964-65). Last month, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. If only the world had seen more of Jackson, whose association with the Black Sox scandal cut short his career at age 32. -- Schoenfield, Charlie Hustle played at least 500 games games in five positions, but he was always best at the plate. -- Caple, Barry Bonds the young player was the game's greatest in his day; Barry Bonds the older man was the most feared slugger ever. Possessing a cannon for an arm, he terrified base runners with his pick off moves and laser throws to catch runners stealing. -- Lauber, Pops hit 475 home runs but as produtive as he was, Pops was known for his team leadership. Gil McDougald's fielding percentage and Range Factor per nine innings exceeded the league average at each of three positions. Teams: Atlanta Braves (1996-2007), Los Angeles Dodgers (2008), Texas Rangers (2009), Chicago White Sox (2010), New York Yankees (2011-12). He was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995 by the Veterans Committee. 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. 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. Willie Mays 24-time All-Star (second-most in MLB history) Yet its hard to deny Johnny Bench's combination of strength, athleticism, smarts and leadership behind the plate. Teams: San Diego Padres (1978-81), St. Louis Cardinals (1982-96). The year after, he hit 40 homers with 120 RBIs, leading the NL. Richards made a different kind of impact in left. "The Curacao Kid" ranks second in Total Zone Runs (253) in baseball history. Midfielders may play an exclusively right back role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. 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). He led the league in putouts from a right fielder and fielding percentage five times. And Bill White almost certainly would have one more (1956) if the award had been in existence. Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook. 2x All-Star (1980, 1985) 2x Silver-Slugger (1983 . 1 overall pick in Aprils . -- Kahrl, We're counting down the greatest players in baseball history. Mariners top 5 > Rangers: Rusty Greer (1994-2002) 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. Worthy of this list as well as the Hall of Fame. Defensive WAR shows as much. The best outfielder of the 1980s decade combined excellent range and a bazooka arm that rivaled the best ever (read: Roberto Clemente). Regarded as the one of the best defensive right fielders of all time thanks to a legendary arm that helped him win 12 Gold Gloves, Clemente was a notorious bad-ball hitter who hit .312 lifetime . Right field really does have it all. Honorable Mention: Rickey Henderson (29.7 fWAR) and Bobby Murcer (27.1 fWAR) The Yankees have a rich history of impactful center fielders. He deserves to be in the Hall of Defense at the very least. He was the ultimate glue guy, a personal favorite of manager Casey Stengel for good reason. That three of the first four names on this list are . 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. .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. 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). 10. 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. In ranking the top 25, many great players were left off the list including Hall of Famers Andre Dawson, Jim Rice, Al Simmons, Duke Snider, Dave Winfield, Lou Brock and others. 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). 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.

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