The 26 Best Center Fielders in MLB History

Dead-ball speedsters share this board with Gold Glove wall-climbers and modern MVPs. Somebody has to cover the most ground.

1. 1
   Willie Mays

   Giants great with 660 home runs, 12 Gold Gloves and The Catch in the 1954 World Series.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Carlos Beltrán

   Switch-hitting five-tool center fielder for the Royals, Astros and Mets, nine-time All-Star.
   882pts
3. 3
   Andruw Jones

   Braves center fielder with ten straight Gold Gloves and 434 career home runs.
   833pts
4. 4
   Ty Cobb

   Detroit Tigers center fielder who retired with the highest career batting average in history, .366.
   778pts
5. 5
   Mickey Mantle

   Yankees switch-hitter, three-time AL MVP and winner of the 1956 Triple Crown.
   751pts
6. 6
   Dale Murphy

   Braves center fielder and back-to-back NL MVP in 1982 and 1983.
   694pts
7. 7
   Larry Doby

   First Black player in the American League, a Cleveland center fielder and seven-time All-Star.
   629pts
8. 8
   Mike Trout

   Angels center fielder and three-time AL MVP, the defining player of his generation.
   629pts
9. 9
   Curt Flood

   Cardinals center fielder with seven Gold Gloves whose challenge to the reserve clause opened the road to free agency.
   629pts
10. 10
    Cool Papa Bell

    Negro Leagues center fielder remembered as perhaps the fastest player ever to play the game.
    629pts
11. 11
    Joe DiMaggio

    Yankee Clipper whose 56-game hitting streak in 1941 still stands, with nine World Series titles.
    555pts
12. 12
    Kenny Lofton

    Leadoff man for the 1990s Indians with 622 stolen bases and four Gold Gloves.
    555pts
13. 13
    Richie Ashburn

    Phillies leadoff hitter and two-time NL batting champion of the 1950s Whiz Kids.
    555pts
14. 14
    Bernie Williams

    Yankees center fielder through four World Series titles between 1996 and 2000.
    555pts
15. 15
    Fred Lynn

    Red Sox center fielder who won Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same 1975 season.
    555pts
16. 16
    Edd Roush

    Cincinnati Reds center fielder and two-time NL batting champion.
    470pts
17. 17
    Hack Wilson

    Cubs slugger whose 191 RBIs in 1930 remain the single-season record.
    470pts
18. 18
    Jim Edmonds

    Cardinals and Angels center fielder with eight Gold Gloves and a highlight reel of diving catches.
    470pts
19. 19
    Kirby Puckett

    Twins Hall of Famer who led Minnesota to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991.
    370pts
20. 20
    Tris Speaker

    Red Sox and Indians star known for playing a shallow center field, with a record 449 assists among outfielders.
    370pts
21. 21
    Andre Dawson

    The Hawk, Expos center fielder and 1987 NL MVP with the Cubs.
    252pts
22. 22
    Torii Hunter

    Twins and Angels center fielder with nine straight Gold Gloves and wall-climbing catches.
    252pts
23. 23
    Ken Griffey Jr.

    Mariners star with 630 home runs and ten straight Gold Gloves in the 1990s.
    0pts
24. 24
    Max Carey

    Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder who led the NL in stolen bases ten times.
    0pts
25. 25
    Duke Snider

    Brooklyn Dodgers slugger who hit 40 or more home runs in five straight seasons.
    0pts
26. 26
    Billy Hamilton

    Nineteenth-century Phillies center fielder with a career .344 average and 914 stolen bases.
    0pts

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