Dont bet on it. I dont think you can be any better a hitter than Ryan Braun. Brewers top 5 >, While Stan Musial played all over the outfield and could be included at any of the three positions, were going to rank him with the right fielders in a few weeks. His career, you may have heard, was cut a little short after all. 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. Age During 2022 Season: 34. Possessing a cannon for an arm, he terrified base runners with his pick off moves and laser throws to catch runners stealing. -- 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. 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. And he pulled it off in only eight seasons as a regular. For most of his career, Ozzie Smith was the premier defensive shortstop in baseball. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. He committed the fewest errors by a pitcher twice, range factor per nine innings twice, and assists once. Yet its hard to deny Johnny Bench's combination of strength, athleticism, smarts and leadership behind the plate. A team can hide a poor defender here and he will do minimal damage to them. He also ranks among the top 100 in career Total Zone Runs at second base (28th), shortstop (99th) and all positions (100th). 1 overall pick in Aprils . Theres an argument to be made that not even Yount delivered as many signature moments. 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. Photo credit (Getty Images) 2. We all know left field is a hitters position. .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. Gold Glove Awards: 7 (1963, 1965, 1967-69, 1971, 1977). 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 Edmonds Jim Edmonds poses for a picture at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, on February 25, 2005. Bench was named to fourteen All-Star Games and earned ten Gold Glove Awards in his seventeen seasons in the majors. 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. Top 25 best midfielders in the world 2023 - Global ranking 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. 344 views, 3 likes, 0 loves, 1 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Field of Dreams Navojoa: Aguerridas Vs Buhas. 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. Among Cardinals who were primarily left fielders, Brock is No. Some might put an asterisk next to his name, but the performance was the best ever at left field or power production. He was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in '16 and remains active with the organization. Hes the all-time leader. For true seamheads, this was absolutely rotten news. Today we turn our attention to left fielders. Because we adjust for timeline and era, our rankings have fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists. Tweet Email Comment Next The Clooney Garage: Inside George Clooney's Insane Car Collection Related Topics Baseball 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. He also stole a record 14 bases in three World Series. 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. -- Kahrl, We're counting down the greatest players in baseball history. Three-time AL All-Star (1933-35), Hall of Fame ('53), Championships The teams are set for action with an 8 p.m. tipoff on SEC Network. The White Sox retired his No. Philadelphia A's (1908-09), Cleveland Naps ('10-14), Cleveland Indians ('15), Chicago White Sox ('15-20), Career stats He was Brooklyns starting left fielder for 17 years, succeeding in both the Dead Ball and Live Ball eras. 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. He won the 2021 Champions League and Club World Cup with Chelsea and the 2020 Euros with Italy. A few had better range. RANK. Indeed, he turned the double play into an art form, sort of like a Mikhail Baryshnikovski in cleats. Greatest Catches in Baseball History | Stadium Talk The two-time Most Valuable Player was a natural, the first catcher to be awarded a Gold Glove in his rookie season. Ed Delahanty Delahanty was one of the first great hitters in the game's history. 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. If only the world had seen more of Jackson, whose association with the Black Sox scandal cut short his career at age 32. 16 Reasons why Lebron is greater than Jordan. Without the award, the evidence for Ashburns defensive greatness relies on his defensive statistics, which were virtually unparalleled during his 15-year career. He batted .336/.458/.677 with 46 home runs and 123 RBIs to earn the first of five NL MVP Awards in San Francisco. The year after, he hit 40 homers with 120 RBIs, leading the NL. Ty Cobb 4. 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. What's the Dodgers' plan at shortstop? 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. He did not have the career of his father, but who did? 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. So before defense becomes extinct altogether and it's too late, lets pay homage to the best glovemen at each position in baseball history. He was a six-time All-Star and won two Gold Gloves as a member of the White Sox, topping .300 in six seasons. Big numbers? Who would have bet he could do all that? Indians top 5 >. As his speed declined, his defense faded. "The Wizard" is the all-time leader in dWAR. The Ultimate Compendium for the Baseball Fan, Including All-Time Teams for Your Favorite Franchise From Yankees to Dodgers and More. Barry Bonds also had a plus arm. This week, we bring you the top 10 at each position, starting in the outfield. 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. 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. He ranks third in Gold Gloves and fourth in Total Zone Runs among shortstops. As opposed to the puss arm who couldnt throw out Sid Bream with the 1992 NLCS on the line. Midfielders may play an exclusively right back role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. 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. The. Their consistency over baseballs grueling calendar has allowed them to be included among the greatest defensive players of all time. Yes, his legacy is deservedly controversial, but Ted Williams wasn't close to the all-around player that Bonds was. 17 Reasons why Jordan is greater than Lebron. 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. Andy Flower, with Jonty Rhodes (left), steps aside from role of assistant coach with Punjab Kings. ABOUT MISSOURI. TTO has done more to hurt defense than Daniel Murphy ever could on his worst day. 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. He played nearly 1,500 games in the field with nine different teams. -- 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. Willie Mays Mickey Mantle Ty Cobb Ken Griffey Jr. Joe DiMaggio Mike Trout 1. 344 views, 3 likes, 0 loves, 1 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Field of Dreams Navojoa: Aguerridas Vs Buhas CAREER = career war. 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. Some of the players on this list came long before Web Gems were a daily part of our national pastime. Other career achievements include over 351 OBP, 440 OPS, and 215 hits. Cleveland Indians (1993-2000), Boston Red Sox ('01-08), Los Angeles Dodgers ('08-10), Chicago White Sox ('10), Tampa Bay Rays ('11), Honors Jim Kaat is regarded as one of the greatest fielding pitchers of all time. In 16 years with the Cardinals, he stole 888 bases, hit .297 and accumulated 41.8 bWAR. Mike Trout FAQ Who are the best MLB center fielders of all time? In baseball, the left fielder is a defensive position that is responsible for covering the left third of the outfield. "The Curacao Kid" ranks second in Total Zone Runs (253) in baseball history. The Argentine midfielder was capable of carrying on his own the . Ben Zobrist also spent time at shortstop and right field in his career. 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. Top 10 Defensive Ends of All Time! | NFL Highlights - YouTube MLB's 10 Greatest Left Fielders of All Time - Bleacher Report 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. 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. Ivan Pudge Rodriguez is the epitome of the defensive catcher. Fielding errors were a rarity in the careers of these players. Robinson is 3rd all-time in fielding percentage among third baseman. No first baseman won more Gold Gloves (11) in his career. .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. Maddux had his #31 retired by both the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. More so than any position I've reviewed so far, the right fielders are affected by the 1970 timeline cutoff. How Many Good Giants Were Good Prospects? .344/.482 (all-time leader)/.634, OPS -- 1.116, Hits -- 2,654; HRs -- 521, RBIs -- 1,839, The player He deserves to be in the Hall of Defense at the very least. 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. -- Caple, Teams Rockies top 5 >.