Ranking the Center Fielders
Joe DiMaggio made playing center field for the New York Yankees cool. He was graceful and he was a winner (10 pennants in 13 seasons), and helped establish the Yankee mystique. Switch-hitting Mickey Mantle combined power and speed in ways no one ever had before. Other great Yankee center fielders include Earle Combs, Bernie Williams, and Johnny Damon.
Centerfield Factoids:
In spite of his fine career as one of the AL’s best center fielders and bunters in the 1950s, Jimmy Piersall is best known for his well-publicized battle with bipolar disorder that became the subject of the movie Fear Strikes Out.
Jim Piersall Stats & Facts
“I can’t imagine Joe DiMaggio was a better all-around player than Dale Murphy.”
— Nolan Ryan
♦ Most line-drive outs, Oliver ⇒
Top 30 Centerfielders of All Time
1 Willie Mays
2 Ty Cobb
3 Oscar Charleston
4 Tris Speaker
5 Mickey Mantle
6 Joe DiMaggio
7 Mike Trout
8 Ken Griffey Jr.
9 Cristobal Torriente
10 Turkey Stearnes
11 Billy Hamilton
12 Larry Doby
13 Duke Snider
14 Andruw Jones
15 Jim Wynn
16 Kenny Lofton
17 Carlos Beltran
18 Jim Edmonds
19 Richie Ashburn
20 Pete Hill
21 Chet Lemon
22 Cool Papa Bell
23 Cesar Cedeno
24 Bernie Williams
25 Hack Wilson
26 Earl Averill
27 Willie Davis
28 Fred Lynn
29 Kirby Puckett
30 Vada Pinson
Best Flychasers
Richie Ashburn
Max Carey
Garry Maddox
Willie Mays
Torii Hunter
Andruw Jones
Dwayne Murphy
Tris Speaker
Chet Lemon
Injury-Plagued
Pete Reiser
Eric Davis
Fred Lynn
Ken Griffey Jr.
Best Bunters
Brett Butler
Matty Alou
Kenny Lofton
Negro Leaguers
Dubbed “The Black Ty Cobb,” Oscar Charleston was a five-tool player before that term was invented. Starring for some of the best Negro league teams in history, Cool Papa Bell was maybe the fastest runner in baseball history.
Best of the unranked
Wally Berger
Amos Otis
Edd Roush
Al Oliver
Jimmy Ryan
Max Carey
Dom DiMaggio
Eric Davis
Willie McGee
Brett Butler
Player Pages
Top 30 For Each Position
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