Editor’s note: This first appeared on AMNY.com.
We’re winding down our voting in which Metro Philadelphia has been asking you, the readers, to help piece together Major League Baseball’s all-time starting lineup by voting who you think is the very best player at each position.
Each day, you will be given a list of 10 players per position where you can choose one (1) option.
Those looking to vote can submit their choices in several ways:
- Send your vote via email to sports editor Joe Pantorno at joseph.pantorno@metro.us
- Reach out to Pantorno on Twitter @JoePantorno
In our ninth installment today, we take a look at 10 of the best right fielders in MLB history.
- Check out and vote for our starting pitchers here.
- Check out and vote for our starting first basemen here.
- Check out and vote for our starting second basemen here.
- Check out and vote for our starting third basemen here.
- Check out and vote for our starting shortstops here.
- Check out and vote for our starting catchers here.
- Check out and vote for our starting left fielders here.
- Check out and vote for our starting center fielders here.
Players up for consideration on our all-time left-fielders list had to play at least 1,000 career MLB games with a majority of them coming at the position.
We were left with 85 players who were put through the Metro Philadelphia vacuum, which included:
- Wins Above Replacement (WAR)
- Batting average (BA)
- On-base plus slugging percentage (OPS)
- Home runs (HR)
- Hits
- Runs batted in (RBI)
Taking their ranks within each statistic, an average number was deciphered. The lower the average number was, the better their standing.
Players with additional individual accolades, positive defensive metrics, and postseason successes were given an additional boost — allowing us to come to a list of 10 players that are considered the very best at their position.
Without further ado, here is today’s ballot for you to vote on, in alphabetical order:
Hank Aaron
Years active: 1954-1976
Teams: Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers
Stats: 143.1 WAR (5th all-time), .305 BA, .928 OPS, 3,771 hits (3rd all-time), 755 HR (2nd all-time), 2,297 RBI (1st all-time)
Metro average: 5.1
Accolades: 1957 NL MVP, 2x NL Batting Champion (’56, ’59), 25x All-Star (most all-time), 1x World Series, 3x Gold Glove, 15 seasons with 30 or more HR, MLB all-time leader in RBI and total bases (6,856), Hall of Fame
Roberto Clemente
Years active: 1955-1972
Team: Pittsburgh Pirates
Stats: 94.8 WAR (25th all-time), .317 BA, .834 OPS, 3,000 hits, 240 HR, 1,305 RBI
Metro average: 19.3
Accolades: 1966 NL MVP, 4x National League Batting Champion, 15x All-Star, 2x World Series, 1971 World Series MVP, 12x Gold Glove, 8 seasons with a BA of .320 or better, Hall of Fame
Tony Gwynn
Years active: 1982-2001
Team: San Diego Padres
Stats: 69.2 WAR, .338 BA (18th all-time), .847 OPS, 3,141 hits (21st all-time), 135 HR, 1,138 RBI
Metro average: 22
Accolades: 8x NL Batting Champion, 7 seasons with a BA of .350 or better, Batted .394 in 1994, 15x All-Star, 5x Gold Glove, 7x Silver Slugger, Hall of Fame
“Shoeless” Joe Jackson
Years active: 1908-1920
Teams: Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox
Stats: 62.1 WAR, .356 BA (3rd all-time), .940 OPS (28th all-time), 1,772 hits, 54 HR, 792 RBI
Metro average: 12.6
Accolades: Batted .408 in 1911, Batted .350 or better in 6 of his 13-year career, Led MLB 3 times in triples, 1x World Series, Banned from MLB in connection with 1919 Black Sox Scandal
Reggie Jackson
Years active: 1967-1987
Teams: Kansas City/Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, California Angels
Stats: 74.0 WAR, .262 BA, .846 OPS, 2,584 hits, 563 HR (14th all-time), 1,702 RBI (26th all-time)
Metro average: 23.16
Accolades: 1973 AL MVP, 14x All-Star, 5x World Series, 2x World Series MVP (’73, ’77), Hit 3 HR in three consecutive at-bats on three consecutive pitches in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, Batted .357 with 10 HR, 24 RBI in 27 World Series games, 2x Silver Slugger, Hall of Fame
Al Kaline
Years active: 1953-1974
Team: Detroit Tigers
Stats: 92.8 WAR (29th all-time), .297 BA, .855 OPS, 3,007 hits, 399 HR, 1,582 RBI
Metro average: 13.5
Accolades: 18x All-Star, 1950 AL Batting Champion (.350), 1x World Series, 10x Gold Glove, Hall of Fame
Mel Ott
Years active: 1926-1947
Team: New York Giants
Stats: 110.7 WAR (15th all-time), .304 BA, .947 OPS (20th all-time), 2,876 hits, 511 HR (25th all-time), 1,860 RBI (13th all-time)
Metro average: 8
Accolades: 12x All-Star, 1x World Series, led MLB in HR 6 times, 3rd on MLB’s all-time HR list at time of retirement, Hall of Fame
Frank Robinson
Years active: 1956-1976
Teams: Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, Cleveland Indians
Stats: 107.2 WAR (18th all-time), .294 BA, .926 OPS, 2,943 hits, 586 HR (10th all-time), 1,812 RBI (21st all-time)
Metro average: 10
Accolades: 1956 NL Rookie of the Year, 2x MVP (’61, ’66), Only player in MLB history to win MVP in both NL and AL, 1966 AL Triple Crown winner (.316 BA, 49 HR, 122 RBI), 14x All-Star, 2x World Series, 1966 World Series MVP, 1x Gold Glove, Hall of Fame
Babe Ruth
Years active: 1914-1935
Teams: Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Boston Braves
Stats: 162.5 WAR (2nd all-time), .342 BA (10th all-time), 1.164 OPS (1st all-time), 2,873 hits, 714 HR (3rd all-time), 2,214 RBI (2nd all-time)
Metro average: 3.3
Accolades: 1923 AL MVP, 7x World Series, 1924 AL Batting Champion (.378), Former MLB-holder for most home runs in a single season (60) and career (714), MLB all-time leader in Slugging Percentage (.690), OPS, OPS+, 4 seasons of 50+ home runs, 6 seasons of 150+ RBI, Led MLB in HR 11 times, Led MLB in walks 11 times, Led MLB in OPS 13 times, Hall of Fame
Larry Walker
Years active: 1989-2005
Teams: Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals
Stats: 72.7 WAR, .313 BA, .965 OPS (15th all-time), 2,160 hits, 383 HR, 1,311 RBI
Metro average: 14.5
Accolades: 1997 NL MVP, 3x NL Batting Champion (’98, ’99, ’01), 4 seasons with a BA of .350+, 5x All-Star, 7x Gold Glove, 3x Silver Slugger, Hall of Fame
