Welcome back to another MLB top 15 position video and today it’s time to talk about some of the greatest modern day left-fielders to play the game of baseball, and it’s one of the most impressive lists yet. To be eligible, a player has to be retired, played the best years of their career after 1903, has to have played in at least 1,000 games in left field, more than another position – for example, Babe Ruth played 1,047 games in left field, but he played even more in right field and so that’s the ranking in which you’ll find the Salton of Swat. This list is going to contain some controversial names, and at least a couple big time left fielders have had connections to PEDs, making this list very tough… but, it has to be done. So, without any further ado today, I’m going to do my best to make a fair ranking of the greatest left fielders of all time – let me know your thoughts in the comment section down below and let’s jump into today’s list..
Honorable Mention. Minnie Minoso
Minnie Minoso, The Cuban Comet, played over 1,500 MLB games in left field, exciting crowds with his electric play. He began his pro career in Cuba then the Negro Leagues before singing with the Cleveland Indians in 1948. He was traded to the White Sox early in the 1951 season, his first full season. That year, he made the All Star team, led the league in triples and stolen bases while hitting .326 with a .422 on-base percentage. Minoso became an instant star, and continued to rake year in and year out, hitting over .300 in 8 separate seasons, while working lots of walks and also consistently leading the league in hit by pitches. He was also fantastic defensively, winning 3 Gold Glove Awards. He retired in the mid-60’s with a modern MLB record 197 hit by pitches, over 2,000 hits and a .299 batting average. Counting his time in the Negro Leagues, Minoso was a 13-time All Star. He made two brief comebacks – once in 1976 when he went 1 for 8 as a DH and pinch hitter, then again in 1980 at nearly 57 years old, he made two pinch hit appearances for the White Sox, officially playing professional baseball in 5 separate decades. He was dropped from the Hall of Fame ballot multiple times, but was finally elected by the Golden Era Committee in 2022.
15. Zack Wheat
Wheat played 19 years in the big leagues, 18 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and he was one of the most consistent hitters in the league throughout his career. Wheat was a 5-tool talent before that term was coined. He hit over .300 in 14 separate seasons, inducing a league leading .335 in 1918. In 1924, he hit .375, but lost the batting title to Rogers Hornsby, who hit a ridiculous .424. He was a base stealing threat early in his career, averaging 19 steals per year for 7 straight seasons. Wheat was also an elite defender, leading NL left fielders in fielding percentage twice. He had a powerful arm, which helped him lead left fielders in putouts 7 times, and although his home run numbers would be considered below average today, he finished in the Top 10 several times and was considered a power hitter during his day. His career 132 home runs ranked 8th all time when he retired, and he is also 4th all time with 2,328 games played in left field. He made it into the Hall of Fame in 1959.
14. Jim Rice
8-Time All Star Jim Rice became an instant MLB star in 1975 when he hit .309 with 22 home runs, finishing second for the Rookie of the Year Award. In 1977, he had 407 total bases, the first MLB player with 400+ total bases in a season in nearly 20 years. He led the American League in the category for 3 straight seasons, a feat that had only been accomplished by Ty Cobb. Rice won the MVP award in 1978, crushing 46 home runs with 139 RBIs and a .315 batting average and made 4 straight All Star teams from 1977 to 1980. He repeated that feat from 1983 to 1986. He played his entire 16 year career with the Red Sox, following a tradition of great Boston left-fielders, including more names that will come up later on this list. Jim Rice was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.
13. Joe Medwick
Long before Vladmir Guerrero and Pablo Sandoval, there was a Joe Medwick, a free swinger with elite hand eye coordination. He could hit almost any pitch. Medwick broke into the big leagues in 1932 and quickly became an everyday player for the Cardinals. He played the game as hard as anyone, and was extremely competitive, to the point of controversy at times. But he was also elite. He won the Triple Crown in 1937, taking home the MVP award with 31 bombs, 154 RBIs and a .374 batting average. He surpassed 100 RBIs for 6 straight seasons, made 7 consecutive All Star teams and finished in the Top 10 for MVP 4 times. Medwick also set a single season National League record with 64 doubles in 1936, a record that still stands. Shortly after a trade to Brookyln in 1940, Medwick was drilled in the head by a pitch by that put him in the hospital for nearly a week. Benches cleared as the beaning was believed to be intentional. Medwick eventually recovered, and returned to baseball, but never played as well as he did in the late 30’s. His last great season was in 1944 when he hit .337 with the Giants. He became a Hall of Famer in 1968 with a career .324 average and 2,471 hits.
12. Lou Brock
All-time Cardinals legend Lou Brock is mostly known for his 938 stolen bases, an MLB record at the time he retired. His speed was what made him a star and Brock led the league in steals in 8 out of 9 seasons, including 1974 when he stole a modern MLB record 118 bases. However, Brock was also a fantastic hitter who retired with a .293 batting average and .343 on-base percentage. He hit over .300 8 times, including his final season in 1979 when he hit .304. He had 3 additional seasons falling just short of .300, with a .297, .298 and .299 season. During his career, he had seasons in which he led the league in runs, doubles, triples, and at bats. He made 6 All Star Teams and was also an elite hitter in the postseason, hitting .391 in the World Series with 4 home runs in 87 at bats. He was a key player for the Cardinals during their 1964 and 1967 Championship seasons and finished his career with over 3,000 hits and exactly 900 RBIs. Lou Brock was easily elected into the Hall of Fame in 1985, his first year on the ballot.
11. Tim Raines
One of the most underrated MLB talents for decades, switch-hitter Tim Raines, AKA “Rock”, was one of the best leadoff hitters and baserunners in MLB history. He wasn’t drafted until the 5th round by the Montreal Expos but he sped through the minor leagues, literally, stealing 64 bases in 1980 while hitting .354 in Triple-A. He finished 2nd for the Rookie of the Year in 1981, leading the league with an incredible 71 steals. He went on to lead the league in the category for 4 consecutive seasons, maxing out at 90 steals in 1983, and he didn’t get thrown out much. Raines holds the highest stolen base success rate of any player with 400 or more stolen bases at an 84.7% success rate. He could also hit, and led the league in 1986 with a .334 batting average. He made seven straight All Star teams with Montreal, led the league in doubles in 1984, won a Silver Slugger in 1986 and in his prime, was simply one of the most productive players in the game. Even after his best years, he continued to steal a ton of bases, with at least 40 stolen bases in 11 out of 12 seasons. He went on to have productive years with the White Sox, Yankees and A’s before finishing his career with the Orioles and Marlins, compiling 23 total big league seasons, 808 steals, 2,605 hits and a .294 batting average. Although it wasn’t until his 10th time on the ballot, Raines was finally voted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
10. Billy Williams
Chicago Cubs legend Sweet Swingin’ Billy Williams played in his first full season in 1961 and won the Rookie of the Year, hitting .278 with 25 bombs. The next year, his average jumped to .298 and he made his first of 6 All Star Teams. Williams was consistently good for 20-40 home runs, and a batting average near .300. He hit at least 20 homers for 13 straight seasons, maxing out at 42 in 1970, a year in which he hit .322 with a league leading 220 hits. He finished 2nd for the MVP, a feat he accomplished again in 1972 when he won a batting title with a .333 average and an OPS over 1.000. Williams wasn’t the best defender early on, but gradually improved throughout his career and was eventually considered above average. He retired with 2,711 hits, 426 home runs, 1,475 RBIs, a .290 average and .361 on base percentage. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.
9. Ralph Kiner
Ralph Kiner’s MLB career might have started sooner if not for WW2 as he spent two years in the Navy, enlisting the day after Pearl Harbor. Fortunately, he wasted no time in the minors afterwards, making his big league debut in 1946 at the age of 23, and he led the league in home runs with Pirates. Kiner went on to the lead the league in big flies for 7 straight seasons, becoming the premiere power-hitter in the game. He crushed 51 bombs in 1947 and 54 in 1949, falling just 2 short of the NL record set by Hack Wilson. Kiner became the fourth MLB player to have at least four 30-home run, 100-RBI seasons in their first five years. He also knew the strike zone well and led the league in walks 3 times, consistently getting on base. He made 6 straight All Star teams and looked primed to become one of the greatest players to ever live. Unfortunately, a back injury cut his career short and Kiner retired at the age of 32, barely achieving the 10-year minimum to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1975, with 369 career home runs and a .946 OPS. Although he wasn’t able to have much longevity, Kiner had one of the most impressive peaks in MLB history.
8. Willie Stargell
Wilver Darnell Stargell made his MLB debut in 1962 with the Pirates but didn’t play his first full season until 1964, a year in which he made the All Star team and hit .273 with 21 homers. It was just the beginning for Pops, who hit 27 bombs in 1965, then 30 in 1966. His batting average also improved every year from .243 to .273 to .315. By the early 70’s, he was an absolute megastar, crushing a league leading 48 bombs in 1971, finishing 2nd for the MVP. He finished in the Top 3 for the award in three consecutive seasons, but didn’t win won until 1979 when he tied with Keith Hernandez. He hit more home runs than any other player during the 1970’s and played his entire 21-year career with the Pirates, crushing 475 home runs with a .282 batting average, and 1,540 RBIs. He became known for his tape measure bombs, seven of which left Forbes Field and several others which reached the upper deck at Three Rivers Stadium. He became the first player to ever send a baseball completely out of Dodger Stadium. He was a key member of two Pirates championship clubs, one in 1971, and another in 1979, his MVP season, in which he also hit .400 with 3 home runs in the World Series. Stargell wasn’t known for his defense, but it was good enough to get by, especially with his insane offensive production. The 7-time All Star was easily inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.
7. Manny Ramirez
Up next is the first steroid-connected guy, the famous, or infamous, Manny Ramirez, who without a doubt was a gifted ballplayer with tremendous power and a pure hitting ability that was evident from his early years with Cleveland. Manny was one of many incredible talents on those mid 1990’s Indians teams, and he finished second for the Rookie of the Year in 1994 before breaking out in ‘95 with an All Star season in which he hit .308 with 31 homers and 117 RBIs. A star was born and his stats would continue to improve from there. In 1999, Manny led the league with 165 RBIs, a .663 slugging percentage and insane 1.105 OPS. He won 8 straight Silver Sluggers, 9 total, and hit at least 30 home runs in 12 out of 13 seasons. After signing as a free agent with the Red Sox, Manny continued to crush the baseball and helped them break the Curse of the Bambino by hitting .412 in the 2004 World Series. Although even back then, he had plenty of Manny Being Manny controversial moments, his career was clearly on a Hall of Fame trajectory. But then, in 2009, while with the Dodgers, he was suspended 50 games for violating the league’s PED policy. In early 2011 with the Tampa Bay Rays, he was nailed again, and was facing a 100-game suspension when he decided to retire. Ramirez never played in another MLB game. For Manny, it’s hard to pinpoint an exact moment he started taking PED’s, but in my opinion, he would’ve been a Hall of Famer if he never touched them, as he was clearly an elite hitter and superstar from his early years with Cleveland. He ended up with 555 home runs, 12 All Star appearances and a .312 career batting average. Due to his two suspensions, he has not been elected to the Hall of Fame.
6. Goose Goslin
Up next, we’re going back to the 1920’s and 30’s with Goose Goslin, an elite hitter and defender who played in the big leagues for 18 years. Goslin was a 5-tool talent who had incredible speed, a pure bat, and power as well. He led the league in triples twice and had eleven seasons in which he hit at least .300. He won a batting title in 1928 with a .379 batting average. Goslin had big power potential, although the numbers didn’t always show it because he played at the mammoth Griffith Stadium. Still, he crushed at least 17 home runs in four separate seasons, mostly on the road, when he was traded to the St. Louis Browns in 1930 and suddenly smashed a career high 37 home runs. He ended his career with 248 bombs. He could also steal bases, with 176 career steals including 27 in 1925. He was fantastic in the field as well and used his powerful arm to lead the AL in assists five times and putouts four times. He remains in the top 5 all time in the American League in putouts and assists and is 22nd all time with 173 career triples. In 1924, he hit .344 with 3 home runs in the World Series, helping the Washington Senators win it all, then hit .308 with 3 more homers in the 1925 Fall Classic, although his team fell short that year. He did win one more ring with Detroit in 1935 and ended up hitting 7 home runs in 129 World Series at bats. Goslin is ranked higher than one might expect because of his overall contributions to his teams in every facet of the game. He was completely snubbed by the writers for the Hall of Fame, who couldn’t even get him to 1% on the 1948 ballot. Goslin was elected unanimously by the Veteran’s Committee in 1968.
5. Al Simmons
The legendary Al Simmons made an instant impact with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1924 when he hit .308 his rookie year with 103 RBIs. It was just the beginning for Simmons who broke out in 1925 with a league leading 253 hits and 392 total bases. He also crushed 24 homers, finishing 2nd for the MVP in his second season. He would go on to have at least 200 hits in 6 separate seasons, while hitting for power. He was a clutch hitter who drove in at least 100 runs in 11 straight seasons and 12 overall. He finished in the Top 10 for the MVP eight times but somehow never won the award. He was also elite in the postseason, hitting .300 with 2 homers in the 1929 World Series, then .364 with 2 more bombs in the 1930 Fall Classic. The A’s won both times. In 1931, although they lost, Simmons hit .333 with yet again 2 more home runs. Simmons was also an excellent defender in left field, retiring with a .982 fielding percentage and exactly 5,000 putouts. He retired as one of the best hitters in MLB history, with a .334 career average and four seasons above .380. He crushed 307 home runs and had a career .915 OPS. Simmons was inducted into Cooperstown in 1953.
4. Carl Yastrzemski
Moving into the top 3, we have Carl Yastrzemski, who played 1,912 games in left field, each and every one for the Boston Red Sox. He proved to a worthy successor to another legendary Red Sox left fielder who we’re about to talk about, except Yaz was even better defensively. He had a powerful arm and became an expert in dealing with the Green Monster in left field. He won seven Gold Gloves and lead his team in assists seven times. But he was also elite with the bat and Yastrzemski consistently hit around .300 with power. He won 3 batting titles, including one in 1967, a magical year in which he won the triple crown, hitting .326 with 44 home runs and 121 RBIs. He obviously won the MVP that year. Yastrzemski had incredible longevity as well, and played for 23 years, rarely missing a game, and was excellent the entire time, even making the All Star team – his 18th – in his final season in 1983. Yastrzemski had a great eye as well and led the league in walks twice. He retired with an on-base percentage of .379 to go along with 452 home runs and 3,419 hits. He even stole 168 bases. Carl Yastrzemski was one of the best and most complete players to ever pick up a bat and he comes in at #3 on today’s list of the best left fielders of all time. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.
3. Rickey Henderson
Coming in at #3, we have Rickey Henderson, the greatest base stealer and leadoff hitter in MLB history. But before his first MLB steal, the A’s themselves made an amazing steal by drafting Rickey in the 4th round of the 1976 MLB draft. He destroyed the minor leagues, crushing the baseball while stealing bases at a pace not seen in decades. He stole 95 bases in 1977 with the Modesto A’s. He made his big league debut in 1979 and in first full season in 1980, he stole a hundred bases and made All Star Game while hitting over .300 with a .408 on-base-percentage. His insane speed also made him an incredible fielder and he won a Gold Glove in 1981. He became the best leadoff hitter in the game, working walks at an incredible pace but also had a knack for crushing bombs to kick off a game, and he broke the MLB record for the most leadoff homers. He would go on to lead the league in steals 12 times in his career, racking up an MLB record 1,406 stolen bases. He also won an MVP in 1990, a season in which he hit .325 with 28 homers and 65 steals. Henderson had insane longevity and played for 25 years in the league, breaking the MLB walk record as well. He helped two teams win World Series championships – the A’s and Blue Jays, and won an ALCS MVP in 1989. The accolades of Rickey Henderson and way too long to list, but he is without a doubt one of the greatest left fielders to ever live and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.
2. Ted Williams
At #2 is Yastrzemski’s predecessor, the great Ted Williams, who gets ranked slightly higher than Yaz only because his offensive prowess was just that amazing. In fact, many consider Ted Williams to be the greatest hitter to ever live. It was instantly apparent Williams was special when drove in a league leading 145 runs his rookie year in 1939, finishing 4th for the MVP. He would’ve easily won the Rookie of the Year had the award existed at that time. By 1941, he was absolutely unstoppable, leading the league in almost every offensive category. He hit .406 with 37 home runs, an insane .553 on-base percentage and an OPS of 1.287. He probably should’ve won the MVP Award but understandably lost to Joe Dimaggio, who broke an MLB record with a hit in 56 consecutive games. But Ted Williams was definitely on his way to winning several MVPs when World War II broke out. Williams missed 3 seasons in the prime of his life serving his country. When he returned, though, he didn’t miss a single beat. In 1946, his first year back, he won the MVP, leading the league in runs, walks, on-base percentage, slugging and WAR. He could get on base like no one else, hit for an extremely high average and belt plenty of home runs. And he rarely swung out of the strike zone, leading the league in walks 8 times in his career. He won a second MVP in 1949, a year he also won his second Triple Crown, hit at least .400 3 times and retired with a .344 batting average, 521 home runs and a 1.116 OPS for his entire career. To put that in perspective, Shohei Ohtani’s OPS in his 50/50 season was 1.036, lower than Ted William’s career OPS. Another insane stat – Ted Williams never had an OPS lower than 1.000 in a single full season in his career. No amount of words can express how freakishly good Ted Williams was at hitting, so good that despite being an average defender in left field, he comes in 2nd all time on today’s list.
1. Barry Bonds
But, hopefully no one’s surprise, coming at #1 I had to go with the great Barry Bonds, who is obviously a controversial figure to say the least, but he is without a doubt the greatest baseball player I’ve ever watched in person, and even before he got a little boost in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, Bonds was on his way to becoming the greatest left fielder to ever play the game. Bonds had his first monster season in 1990 with the Pittsburgh Pirates when he hit .301 with 33 bombs and 114 RBIs, while also winning a Gold Glove and stealing 52 bases. His all-around talent was off the charts, and Bonds won his first but certainly not last MVP that season. He would also go on to win 8 Gold Gloves in 9 years, becoming the premiere defender in left field, using his strong baseball instincts and amazing athleticism to get to the ball quickly and make extraordinary plays. He won a second MVP in 1992, with 34 home runs and 103 RBIs while leading the league in walks, runs, on-base percentage and slugging. Then, after signing with the Giants, he won his 3rd MVP in 1993, hitting a career high 46 homers with an OPS of 1.136. Bonds continued to be the best player in the game throughout the 90’s, cementing himself as a future Hall of Famer. Of course, we all know the story after that. Bonds went from being the best player in the game and a future Hall of Famer to becoming a Cyborg with numbers only seen in video games. He won 4 straight MVPs in the early 2000’s, broke the single season home run record with 73 bombs in 2001, became the first MLB player to put up a single season OPS north of 1.400, and eventually broke Hank Aaron’s all time home run record. Obviously, that portion of Bonds career has been clouded due to PEDs, but even if we tone down those numbers to what he would’ve put up without the extra help, I still believe Barry Bonds would’ve ended up as the greatest left fielder ever, and as a Giants fan, you don’t really expect me to put Barry Bonds anywhere than #1, do you? So Barry Bonds comes in as the greatest left fielder of all time, but if you wanna punish him for the PEDs, by all means Ted Williams would also be a respectable choice, so let me know your list down below; what is your top 5 or top 10?
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