# 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.

*By YPB Team · Published October 31, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-26-best-center-fielders-in-mlb-history*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Willie Mays** — score 1000/1000
   Giants great with 660 home runs, 12 Gold Gloves and The Catch in the 1954 World Series.
2. **Carlos Beltrán** — score 882/1000
   Switch-hitting five-tool center fielder for the Royals, Astros and Mets, nine-time All-Star.
3. **Andruw Jones** — score 833/1000
   Braves center fielder with ten straight Gold Gloves and 434 career home runs.
4. **Ty Cobb** — score 778/1000
   Detroit Tigers center fielder who retired with the highest career batting average in history, .366.
5. **Mickey Mantle** — score 751/1000
   Yankees switch-hitter, three-time AL MVP and winner of the 1956 Triple Crown.
6. **Dale Murphy** — score 694/1000
   Braves center fielder and back-to-back NL MVP in 1982 and 1983.
7. **Larry Doby** — score 629/1000
   First Black player in the American League, a Cleveland center fielder and seven-time All-Star.
8. **Mike Trout** — score 629/1000
   Angels center fielder and three-time AL MVP, the defining player of his generation.
9. **Curt Flood** — score 629/1000
   Cardinals center fielder with seven Gold Gloves whose challenge to the reserve clause opened the road to free agency.
10. **Cool Papa Bell** — score 629/1000
   Negro Leagues center fielder remembered as perhaps the fastest player ever to play the game.
11. **Joe DiMaggio** — score 555/1000
   Yankee Clipper whose 56-game hitting streak in 1941 still stands, with nine World Series titles.
12. **Kenny Lofton** — score 555/1000
   Leadoff man for the 1990s Indians with 622 stolen bases and four Gold Gloves.
13. **Richie Ashburn** — score 555/1000
   Phillies leadoff hitter and two-time NL batting champion of the 1950s Whiz Kids.
14. **Bernie Williams** — score 555/1000
   Yankees center fielder through four World Series titles between 1996 and 2000.
15. **Fred Lynn** — score 555/1000
   Red Sox center fielder who won Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same 1975 season.
16. **Edd Roush** — score 470/1000
   Cincinnati Reds center fielder and two-time NL batting champion.
17. **Hack Wilson** — score 470/1000
   Cubs slugger whose 191 RBIs in 1930 remain the single-season record.
18. **Jim Edmonds** — score 470/1000
   Cardinals and Angels center fielder with eight Gold Gloves and a highlight reel of diving catches.
19. **Kirby Puckett** — score 370/1000
   Twins Hall of Famer who led Minnesota to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991.
20. **Tris Speaker** — score 370/1000
   Red Sox and Indians star known for playing a shallow center field, with a record 449 assists among outfielders.
21. **Andre Dawson** — score 252/1000
   The Hawk, Expos center fielder and 1987 NL MVP with the Cubs.
22. **Torii Hunter** — score 252/1000
   Twins and Angels center fielder with nine straight Gold Gloves and wall-climbing catches.
23. **Ken Griffey Jr.** — score 0/1000
   Mariners star with 630 home runs and ten straight Gold Gloves in the 1990s.
24. **Max Carey** — score 0/1000
   Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder who led the NL in stolen bases ten times.
25. **Duke Snider** — score 0/1000
   Brooklyn Dodgers slugger who hit 40 or more home runs in five straight seasons.
26. **Billy Hamilton** — score 0/1000
   Nineteenth-century Phillies center fielder with a career .344 average and 914 stolen bases.

Tags: sports, baseball, players, mlb