Top center fielders of the 21st century
Mike Trout may still be a youngster, but he has no peer at his position
We shift to center field today as my position-by-position breakdown of the 21st century’s greatest players rolls along.
The honorees at the previous six positions had two characteristics in common besides on-field excellence — age and career longevity. All were at least 35 when they wrapped up their careers. Four played into their 40s.
That’s not true of today’s addition to their ranks. Each of the previous winners played a minimum of 15 seasons in the big leagues. But Mike Trout, the century’s top-rated center fielder, has yet to reach his 30th birthday and has spent only 10 years in the majors.
Trout fashioned the strongest record of any of the century’s center fielders despite the relative shortness of his career. He joins these winners who were announced earlier:
Catcher: Joe Mauer
First baseman: Albert Pujols
Second baseman: Robinson Cano
Shortstop: Derek Jeter
Third baseman: Alex Rodriguez
Left fielder: Barry Bonds
Trout has amassed 74.3 wins above replacement (WAR) since joining the Los Angeles Angels in 2011. He batted .304 over that 10-season span, while slugging .582, reaching 1.155 bases per out, and generating 186 runs per 162 games.
All five of those stats were the best for any of the 72 batters who made at least 2,500 plate appearances between 2000 and 2020 — and who played more than 40% of their games in center field.
My 10-part formula is designed to reward both quality and longevity. It takes outstanding rates (like BA, SLG, and BPO) and strong counting stats (G, H, WAR) to propel a player into the top 10. (Click here for a detailed explanation of the rating process.)
Trout tops six of the formula’s 10 categories. His only real weakness, attributable solely to the relative brevity of his career, is on the counting side. Twenty-six of the other 71 center fielders appeared in more games than Trout’s total of 1,252.
I analyzed the entire career record for each center fielder, including games that he played at other positions. Trout, for example, has spent 87% of his time in center, though he has also patrolled left and right fields and has been a designated hitter. The only points that mattered here were that he met the dual standards of 2,500 appearances and 40% of all games in center field.
The 72 players at this position have been ranked from top to bottom, with 1,000 points assigned to Trout and 0 points to the bottom of the list. Everybody else’s score was determined by relative performance.
I reiterate that these ratings are confined to the past 21 seasons. The five center fielders immediately behind Trout in my rankings — Carlos Beltran, Torii Hunter, Johnny Damon, Jim Edmonds, and Andruw Jones — all made their big-league debuts in the 1990s. Those early years make no difference here. They’re ranked only on their play in this century.
That’s also why you’ll find Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. mired in 32nd place. He batted .299 with 398 home runs between 1989 and 1999, then slipped to .262 with 232 homers from 2000 to 2010. He is graded here only on his final 11 seasons.
What follows are my profiles of the 10 highest-rated center fielders, followed by the rest of the rankings (No. 11 to No. 72). Each profile includes a player’s score, his cumulative stats for the century, and a few pertinent notes. (Click here to learn more about the 10 statistical categories.)
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1. Mike Trout (2011-2020)
Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 74.3 total, 9.6 per 162 G, 2.7 defensive
Averages: .304 BA, .582 SLG, 1.115 BPO
Scoring: 1,440 R generated, 186 per 162 G
Totals: 1,252 G, 1,380 H
Notes: Awards alone make the case for Trout. He debuted as the American League’s Rookie of the Year, then proceeded to win Most Valuable Player trophies in 2014, 2016, and 2019. He placed second in MVP balloting on four other occasions — and finished among the top five votegetters every single year from 2012 to 2020.
2. Carlos Beltran (2000-2017)
Score: 871 points
WAR: 65.1 total, 4.4 per 162 G, -0.3 defensive
Averages: .278 BA, .489 SLG, .859 BPO
Scoring: 2,517 R generated, 169 per 162 G
Totals: 2,416 G, 2,515 H
Notes: Beltran appeared in a handful of games in 1998, then won Rookie of the Year honors a season later. Those years aren’t part of the record here, but his final 18 seasons occurred in the 21st century. They brought nine All-Star berths, three Gold Gloves, and eight years with more than 25 home runs.
3. Torii Hunter (2000-2015)
Score: 741 points
WAR: 50.3 total, 3.7 per 162 G, 4.0 defensive
Averages: .278 BA, .465 SLG, .754 BPO
Scoring: 2,254 R generated, 164 per 162 G
Totals: 2,230 G, 2,350 H
Notes: Very few players covered center field like Hunter, who won the American League’s Gold Glove every year from 2001 through 2009. He also was skilled at the plate, rapping 2,452 hits, 2,350 after the turn of the century. The only center fielder with more hits since 2000 was Beltran at 2,515.
4. Johnny Damon (2000-2012)
Score: 665 points
WAR: 45.2 total, 4.0 per 162 G, -2.3 defensive
Averages: .285 BA, .436 SLG, .807 BPO
Scoring: 1,989 R generated, 175 per 162 G
Totals: 1,846 G, 2,089 H
Notes: The Kansas City portion of Damon’s career is generally forgotten — and largely irrelevant to these rankings. He batted .292 in 803 games for the Royals (1995-2000), but is best known as the center fielder for championship squads with the Red Sox (2002-2005) and the Yankees (2006-2009).
5. Jim Edmonds (2000-2010)
Score: 650 points
WAR: 39.9 total, 5.0 per 162 G, 2.8 defensive
Averages: .280 BA, .546 SLG, .989 BPO
Scoring: 1,306 R generated, 162 per 162 G
Totals: 1,302 G, 1,181 H
Notes: Edmonds flashed his fielding skills in both leagues. He won a pair of Gold Gloves with the Angels before 2000, then six more in this century with the Cardinals. He also displayed impressive power, twice reaching 42 homers. His BPO of .989 was the best for any center fielder other than Trout.
6. Andruw Jones (2000-2012)
Score: 629 points
WAR: 44.8 total, 4.3 per 162 G, 14.3 defensive
Averages: .253 BA, .488 SLG, .818 BPO
Scoring: 1,625 R generated, 156 per 162 G
Totals: 1,691 G, 1,497 H
Notes: Jones’s defensive WAR of 14.3 is easily the best for any center fielder in the top 10. His preeminence was certified by 10 straight Gold Gloves between 1998 and 2007. He blasted 434 homers in his career, 354 in this century. He reached his peak with the Braves in 2005, leading the National League with 51 homers and 128 RBIs.
7. Andrew McCutchen (2009-2020)
Score: 611 points
WAR: 44.4 total, 4.4 per 162 G, -6.2 defensive
Averages: .285 BA, .478 SLG, .891 BPO
Scoring: 1,584 R generated, 159 per 162 G
Totals: 1,617 G, 1,719 H
Notes: McCutchen was the mainstay of the resurgent Pirates in the first half of the past decade. He made five straight All-Star teams from 2011 to 2015, won MVP honors in 2013, and finished among the top five MVP votegetters three other times. He and Trout are the only center fielders with BAs above .280 and BPOs above .890.
8. Curtis Granderson (2004-2019)
Score: 588 points
WAR: 47.0 total, 3.7 per 162 G, 3.5 defensive
Averages: .249 BA, .465 SLG, .816 BPO
Scoring: 1,810 R generated, 143 per 162 G
Totals: 2,057 G, 1,800 H
Notes: Granderson flitted to seven clubs during his 16-year career. He was most consistent during his six seasons (2004-2009) with the Tigers, batting .272 and twice leading the American League in triples. But he gained the greatest fame with the Yankees, for whom he paced the AL in both runs (136) and RBIs (119) in 2011.
9. Josh Hamilton (2007-2015)
Score: 516 points
WAR: 28.2 total, 4.4 per 162 G, -2.8 defensive
Averages: .290 BA, .516 SLG, .861 BPO
Scoring: 1,110 R generated, 175 per 162 G
Totals: 1,027 G, 1,134 H
Notes: Hamilton’s troubled and relatively short career has already faded into the mists of history, but he was amazingly good at his peak. He led the American League with a .359 batting average for the Rangers in 2010, securing the MVP Award. He had previously topped the league with 130 RBIs in 2008.
10. Adam Jones (2006-2019)
Score: 500 points
WAR: 32.5 total, 2.9 per 162 G, -0.7 defensive
Averages: .277 BA, .454 SLG, .706 BPO
Scoring: 1,626 R generated, 144 per 162 G
Totals: 1,823 G, 1,939 H
Notes: Jones was remarkably consistent for the Orioles, posting batting averages between .277 and .287 in eight of his 11 seasons in Baltimore. He was even flashier in the field, as evidenced by his four Gold Gloves.
Everybody else
11. Lorenzo Cain (2010-2020): 481 points
12. Vernon Wells (2000-2013): 480 points
13. Mike Cameron (2000-2011): 473 points
14. Jacoby Ellsbury (2007-2017): 465 points
15. Charlie Blackmon (2011-2020): 453 points
16. Matt Kemp (2006-2020): 443 points
17. Starling Marte (2012-2020): 441 points
18. Shane Victorino (2003-2015): 434 points
19. Juan Pierre (2000-2013): 410 points
20. Coco Crisp (2002-2016): 408 points
21. Denard Span (2008-2018): 394 points
21. Grady Sizemore (2004-2015): 394 points
23. Marlon Byrd (2002-2016): 384 points
24. Kenny Lofton (2000-2007): 367 points
25. Bernie Williams (2000-2006): 348 points
26. Darin Erstad (2000-2009): 347 points
27. Marcell Ozuna (2013-2020): 343 points
28. A.J. Pollock (2012-2020): 340 points
29. David DeJesus (2003-2015): 338 points
30. Aaron Rowand (2001-2011): 314 points
31. Carlos Gomez (2007-2019): 312 points
32. Ken Griffey Jr. (2000-2010): 296 points
33. Austin Jackson (2010-2018): 293 points
34. Adam Eaton (2012-2020): 286 points
35. Michael Bourn (2006-2016): 284 points
36. Steve Finley (2000-2007): 282 points
36. Dexter Fowler (2008-2020): 282 points
38. Mark Kotsay (2000-2013): 280 points
39. Milton Bradley (2000-2011): 277 points
40. Angel Pagan (2006-2016): 271 points
41. Jay Payton (2000-2010): 264 points
42. Kevin Kiermaier (2013-2020): 260 points
43. Ender Inciarte (2014-2020): 248 points
44. Colby Rasmus (2009-2018): 223 points
45. Melvin Upton Jr. (2004-2016): 219 points
46. Preston Wilson (2000-2007): 217 points
47. Chris Young (2006-2018): 213 points
48. Gary Matthews (2000-2010): 207 points
49. Carl Everett (2000-2006): 204 points
50. Jackie Bradley Jr. (2013-2020): 186 points
51. Kevin Pillar (2013-2020): 183 points
52. Franklin Gutierrez (2005-2017): 169 points
53. Jon Jay (2010-2020): 162 points
54. Rajai Davis (2006-2019): 158 points
55. Corey Patterson (2000-2011): 148 points
56. Cameron Maybin (2007-2020): 131 points
57. Randal Grichuk (2014-2020): 125 points
58. Dave Roberts (2000-2008): 103 points
59. Terrence Long (2000-2006): 96 points
60. Joc Pederson (2014-2020): 86 points
61. Aaron Hicks (2013-2020): 84 points
62. Nate McLouth (2005-2014): 69 points
63. Jarrod Dyson (2010-2020): 64 points
64. Ben Revere (2010-2017): 58 points
65. Alejandro De Aza (2007-2017): 46 points
66. Marquis Grissom (2000-2005): 42 points
67. Drew Stubbs (2009-2017): 41 points
68. Leonys Martin (2011-2019): 40 points
69. Billy Hamilton (2013-2020): 37 points
70. Endy Chavez (2001-2014): 29 points
71. Willy Taveras (2004-2010): 25 points
72. Gregor Blanco (2008-2018): 0 points