Era’s best center fielders
Our 1961 cutoff keeps Willie Mays out of first place, though not by much
If today’s list of the best center fielders weren’t confined to baseball’s Modern Era (1961-2022) — if, instead, it covered the entire period since World War II — there wouldn’t be any controversy.
Willie Mays would be No. 1, and all would be well.
But my position-by-position rankings encompass only those seasons since 1961, Major League Baseball’s first expansion year. That cutoff eliminates Mays’s statistics from 1948 through 1960. Here’s a breakdown:
1948-1960: G 1,231, H 1,491, HR 279, BA .316
1961-1973: G 1,774, H 1,802, HR 381, BA .290
Mays accumulated 45 percent of his hits and 42 percent of his home runs prior to the Modern Era. And his batting average was 26 points higher during the first portion of his career than in the years from 1961 onward.
But a rule is a rule, so Mays is rated solely on his 1961-1973 stats in today’s analysis of center fielders — which is why he sits in third place.
Mike Trout is the overall leader among the 186 Modern Era center fielders who have made at least 2,500 plate appearances since 1961. Any player who spent more than 40 percent of his time at the position was classified as a center fielder, though my 10-part formula analyzed all of his stats, even those accumulated at other positions. (Click here to learn more.)
Trout has played only 13 seasons for the Los Angeles Angels, but he is already considered to be a lock for the Hall of Fame. He was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 2014, 2016, and 2019.
Troup, as the top-rated center fielder, was assigned a score of 1,000 points in these rankings, while the player at the very bottom was pegged at zero. The scores for all other center fielders were determined by their relative performances between top and bottom.
The closeness of today’s race is indicated by the scores for the top three finishers. Trout holds a narrow lead of just four points over Ken Griffey Jr. (996 points), who played 22 years with the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago White Sox. On their heels in third place is Mays (971 points), who spent most of his Modern Era seasons with the San Francisco Giants before taking a curtain call with the New York Mets.
Rounding out the top five are two well-traveled center fielders, Carlos Beltran and Jim Edmonds.
This is the seventh installment of my weekly review — posted every Thursday — of the Modern Era’s best players. Follow these links to see the previous stories about catchers, first basemen, second basemen, shortstops, third basemen, and left fielders.
Statistical breakdowns for the era’s five preeminent center fielders can be found below, followed by a list of the subsequent 15.
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1. Mike Trout (2011-2022)
Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 82.4 total, 6.7 per 500 PA, 2.4 defensive
Averages: .303 BA, .587 SLG, 1.150 BPO
Scoring: 1,598 R generated, 130 per 500 PA
Totals: 1,407 G, 1,543 H
Notes: Trout broke in as the American League’s Rookie of the Year, then added those three Most Valuable Player trophies in subsequent seasons. He also finished second in MVP balloting four times. Trout led the AL in on-base percentage in four different seasons, runs scored on four occasions, slugging average three times, and stolen bases once.
2. Ken Griffey Jr. (1989-2010)
Score: 996 points
WAR: 83.8 total, 3.7 per 500 PA, 2.2 defensive
Averages: .284 BA, .538 SLG, .941 BPO
Scoring: 2,868 R generated, 127 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,671 G, 2,781 H
Notes: Griffey fell just three votes short of being a unanimous Hall of Fame selection in 2016. His career was highlighted by the 1997 American League MVP Award, 10 Gold Gloves, seven seasons with at least 40 home runs, and eight years with batting averages of .300 or better. He also reached double digits in stolen bases in 10 seasons.
3. Willie Mays (1961-1973)
Score: 971 points
WAR: 88.1 total, 6.1 per 500 PA, 10.0 defensive
Averages: .290 BA, .537 SLG, .956 BPO
Scoring: 1,888 R generated, 131 per 500 PA
Totals: 1,774 G, 1,802 H
Notes: Mays was 34 when he was named the National League’s MVP in 1965, perhaps the greatest season of his 23-year career. He walloped 52 homers, drove in 112 runs, and (of course) won a Gold Glove in ‘65. Mays was deemed worthy of Gold Glove recognition as late as 1968. He led the NL in on-base percentage (.425) at the age of 40 in 1971.
4. Carlos Beltran (1998-2017)
Score: 873 points
WAR: 70.1 total, 3.2 per 500 PA, 2.0 defensive
Averages: .279 BA, .486 SLG, .852 BPO
Scoring: 2,734 R generated, 124 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,586 G, 2,725 H
Notes: Beltran shuttled to seven clubs during his 20-year big-league career, spending the most time with the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets. He won the AL’s Rookie of the Year Award with the former club in 1999. But he reached the pinnacle of his success in New York in 2006, when he hit 41 homers, amassed 116 RBIs, and earned a Gold Glove.
5. Jim Edmonds (1993-2010)
Score: 853 points
WAR: 60.4 total, 3.8 per 500 PA, 6.4 defensive
Averages: .284 BA, .527 SLG, .932 BPO
Scoring: 2,057 R generated, 129 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,011 G, 1,949 H
Notes: Edmonds was renowned for his grace in the field. He won two Gold Gloves with the Anaheim Angels and six more with the St. Louis Cardinals. His skill at the plate was not praised as frequently, though it deserved commendation. Edmonds hit at least 25 home runs in 10 different seasons, and he reached triple digits in RBIs four times.
Next 15
6. Kenny Lofton (1991-2007)
7. Andre Dawson (1976-1996)
8. Andruw Jones (1996-2012)
9. Reggie Smith (1966-1982)
10. Kirby Puckett (1984-1995)
11. Ellis Burks (1987-2004)
12. Johnny Damon (1995-2012)
13. Bernie Williams (1991-2006)
14. Torii Hunter (1997-2015)
15. Willie Davis (1961-1979)
16. Fred Lynn (1974-1990)
17. Steve Finley (1989-2007)
18. Cesar Cedeno (1970-1986)
19. Chet Lemon (1975-1990)
20. Devon White (1985-2001)