Editor’s note: This first appeared on AMNY.com.
Over the next two weeks, Metro Philadelphia will be 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 eighth installment today, we take a look at 10 of the best center 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.
Players up for consideration on our all-time center-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 114 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:
Carlos Beltran
Years active: 1998-2017
Teams: Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers
Stats: 70.1 WAR, .279 BA, .837 OPS, 2,725 hits, 435 HR, 1,587 RBI
Metro average: 17.5
Accolades: 1999 AL Rookie of the Year, 9x All-Star, 3x Gold Glove, 2x Silver Slugger, 1x World Series
Ty Cobb
Years active: 1905-1928
Teams: Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Athletics
Stats: 151.0 WAR (4th all-time), .366 BA (1st all-time), .944 OPS (23rd all-time), 4,189 hits (2nd all-time), 117 HR, 1,944 RBI (9th all-time), 897 stolen bases
Metro average: 10.3
Accolades: 1911 AL MVP, 1909 AL Triple Crown winner (.377, 9 HR, 107 RBI), 12x AL Batting Champion, Highest career batting average in MLB history, Batted over .400 three times including .419 in 1911, 16 seasons batting .350 or better, Hall of Fame
Joe DiMaggio
Years active: 1936-1942, 1946-1951
Team: New York Yankees
Stats: 79.1 WAR, .325 BA, .977 OPS (12th all-time), 2,214 hits, 361 HR, 1,537 RBI
Metro average: 9
Accolades: 3x AL MVP (’39, ’41, ’47), 2x AL Batting Champion (’39, ’40), 13x All-Star, 9x World Series, MLB record 56-game hit streak in 1941, Lost three seasons to military service, Hall of Fame
Ken Griffey Jr.
Years active: 1989-2010
Teams: Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox
Stats: 83.8 WAR, .284 BA, .907 OPS, 2,781 hits, 630 HR (7th all-time), 1,836 RBI (16th all-time)
Metro average: 12
Accolades: 1997 AL MVP, 13x All-Star, 10x Gold Glove, 7x Silver Slugger, 7 seasons with 40+ home runs, Hall of Fame
Mickey Mantle
Years active: 1951-1968
Team: New York Yankees
Stats: 110.2 WAR (16th all-time), .298 BA, .977 OPS (11th all-time), 2,415 hits, 536 HR (18th all-time), 1,509 RBI
Metro average: 9.6
Accolades: 3x AL MVP (’56, ’57, ’62), 1956 AL Triple Crown winner (.353, 52 HR, 130 RBI), 20x All-Star, 7x World Series, 1x Gold Glove, Hall of Fame
Willie Mays
Years active: 1951-1973
Teams: New York/San Francisco Giants, New York Mets
Stats: 156.2 WAR (3rd all-time), .302 BA, .941 OPS (26th all-time), 3,282 hits (12th all-time), 660 HR (5th all-time), 1,903 RBI (12th all-time), 338 stolen bases
Metro average: 4.6
Accolades: 1951 NL Rookie of the Year, 2x NL MVP (’54, ’65), 24x All-Star, 1954 NL Batting Champion, 12x Gold Glove, 1x World Series, Hall of Fame
Kirby Puckett
Years active: 1984-1995
Team: Minnesota Twins
Stats: 51.1 WAR, .318 BA, .837 OPS, 2,304 hits, 207 HR, 1,085 RBI
Metro average: 21
Accolades: 10x All-Star, 1989 AL Batting Champion, 6x Gold Glove, 6x Silver Slugger, 2x World Series, Hall of Fame
Duke Snider
Years active: 1947-1964
Teams: Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants
Stats: 66.0 WAR, .295 BA, .919 OPS, 2,116 hits, 407 HR, 1,333 RBI
Metro average: 15.6
Accolades: 8x All-Star, 2x World Series, 5-straight 40+ HR seasons (’53-’56), Hall of Fame
Tris Speaker
Years active: 1907-1928
Teams: Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, Philadelphia Athletics
Stats: 134.2 WAR (6th all-time), .345 BA (6th all-time), .928 OPS, 3,514 hits (5th all-time), 117 HR, 1,531 RBI, 436 stolen bases
Metro average: 12.3
Accolades: 1912 AL MVP, 1916 AL Batting Champion (.386), 3x World Series, MLB all-time leader in doubles (792), 11 seasons batting .340 or better, 5 seasons batting .380 or better, Hall of Fame
Mike Trout
Years active: 2011-Present
Team: Los Angeles Angels
Stats: 72.8 WAR, .305 BA, 1.000 OPS (8th all-time), 1,324 hits, 285 HR, 752 RBI, 200 stolen bases
Metro average: 30.3
Accolades: 2012 AL Rookie of the Year, 3x AL MVP (’14, ’16, ’19), 8x All-Star, 7x Silver Slugger, 1x Wilson Overall Defensive Player, Quickest player in MLB history to record 200 HR and 200 stolen bases
