Top right fielders of the 21st century
Guerrero wins our tightest race so far, with Suzuki and Betts close behind
We’ve reached the eighth stop on my position-by-position breakdown of the best players of the 21st century (so far), and today’s standings are bunched more tightly than any of the previous rankings.
Vladimir Guerrero tops my rankings of right fielders, and it’s hard to argue with his victory. He is a Hall of Famer, after all.
But two players eventually destined for Cooperstown are right on Guerrero’s heels. Ichiro Suzuki ranks second among right fielders, 19 points behind the leader. And Mookie Betts is third, 28 points off Guerrero’s pace.
I’ll remind you that I rank players at each position on a 1,000-point scale, assigning the maximum score to the overall leader and zero points to the player at the very bottom. Everybody else’s score is based on their relative performances in my 10-part formula. (Click here to learn how it works.)
Guerrero sits atop the right-field standings with 1,000 points, Suzuki has 981, and Betts has 972 — putting them all within 2.8% of each other.
That’s the closest race at any of the positions that we’ve considered up to this point. The third player in all but one of the previous rankings lagged more than 15% behind the winner. The sole exception was shortstop, where the gap from No. 1 Derek Jeter to No. 3 Miguel Tejada was 3.2%.
These rankings are based solely on statistics accumulated since 2000, which leaves out the first four seasons of Guerrero’s 16-year career. He batted .314 for the Expos from 1996 through 1999, then dialed it up to .318 for four clubs from 2000 to 2011.
Guerrero joins these previous members of the all-century team:
Catcher: Joe Mauer
First baseman: Albert Pujols
Second baseman: Robinson Cano
Shortstop: Derek Jeter
Third baseman: Alex Rodriguez
Left fielder: Barry Bonds
Center fielder: Mike Trout
Players must meet two standards to be included in these rankings. They must have made at least 2,500 plate appearances between 2000 and 2020 — and have played more than 40% of their games at a given position. A total of 59 qualified as right fielders.
Two components — quality and longevity — are necessary to produce an outstanding score in my formula. A player needs to put up strong rates (such as batting average and bases per out), while also racking up large totals (as in games played, hits, and runs generated).
Below are my profiles of the 10 highest-rated right fielders, followed by the rest of the pack (No. 11 to No. 59). Each profile includes a player’s score, his cumulative stats for the 21st century, and a few pertinent notes. (Click here to learn more about the 10 statistical categories.)
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1. Vladimir Guerrero (2000-2011)
Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 45.9 total, 4.3 per 162 G, -10.2 defensive
Averages: .318 BA, .549 SLG, .934 BPO
Scoring: 1,930 R generated, 181 per 162 G
Totals: 1,729 G, 2,092 H
Notes: It’s surprising that Guerrero never won a batting title, since he batted over .315 in nine different seasons. He peaked at .345 with the Expos in 2000 and .337 with the Angels in 2004, winning Most Valuable Player honors in the latter season. Guerrero batted .318 over his entire 16-year career, matching that figure during the 12 seasons in the 21st century.
2. Ichiro Suzuki (2001-2019)
Score: 981 points
WAR: 59.8 total, 3.7 per 162 G, 5.1 defensive
Averages: .311 BA, .402 SLG, .741 BPO
Scoring: 2,083 R generated, 127 per 162 G
Totals: 2,653 G, 3,089 H
Notes: Suzuki easily outdistanced the field in wins above replacement and hits. His 59.8 WAR puts him 12.5 ahead of the Bobby Abreu, who ranks next among right fielders. And his 3,089 career hits are 701 more than the second-place total in that category. (Take a minute and try to guess the name of the runner-up. Give up? Nick Markakis with 2,388 hits.)
3. Mookie Betts (2014-2020)
Score: 972 points
WAR: 45.2 total, 8.6 per 162 G, 11.1 defensive
Averages: .301 BA, .522 SLG, .950 BPO
Scoring: 1,014 R generated, 193 per 162 G
Totals: 849 G, 1,029 H
Notes: Betts has played only seven seasons in the majors, yet he sits just 28 points short of the lead among the century’s right fielders. His high rate of production is one reason — nobody can match his 162-game paces for WAR and runs generated — and his outstanding fielding skill is another. Betts already has five Gold Gloves.
4. Bobby Abreu (2000-2014)
Score: 860 points
WAR: 47.3 total, 3.7 per 162 G, -13.1 defensive
Averages: .288 BA, .471 SLG, .934 BPO
Scoring: 2,165 R generated, 171 per 162 G
Totals: 2,048 G, 2,080 H
Notes: Only two right fielders have generated more than 2,000 runs and rapped more than 2,000 hits in this century. Suzuki is one, Abreu the other. Abreu swatted at least 20 home runs in nine seasons, and he reached the .300 level six times. Speed was also an important component of Abreu’s game. He stole precisely 400 bases during his 18-year career.
5. Larry Walker (2000-2005)
Score: 815 points
WAR: 25.1 total, 5.9 per 162 G, 0.3 defensive
Averages: .315 BA, .562 SLG, 1.071 BPO
Scoring: 804 R generated, 189 per 162 G
Totals: 690 G, 729 H
Notes: Yes, Denver’s thin air greatly helped Walker, who played for the Rockies from 1995 to 2004. He batted .381 in 597 games in Coors Field, .282 in 1,391 games everywhere else. Yet altitude had nothing to do with his seven Gold Gloves (two after the turn of the century) — or with his ability to hit .322 with a league-leading 44 doubles for the Expos back in 1994.
6. Magglio Ordonez (2000-2011)
Score: 759 points
WAR: 31.2 total, 3.3 per 162 G, -12.7 defensive
Averages: .312 BA, .509 SLG, .863 BPO
Scoring: 1,691 R generated, 180 per 162 G
Totals: 1,525 G, 1,795 H
Notes: Ordonez enjoyed several fine seasons. He batted .310 or better six times in this century. But his other 14 years paled in comparison to 2007, when he won the American League batting title with a .363 BA for the Tigers. He also led the league in doubles that season with 54.
7. Gary Sheffield (2000-2009)
Score: 750 points
WAR: 33.5 total, 4.3 per 162 G, -11.7 defensive
Averages: .294 BA, .527 SLG, .971 BPO
Scoring: 1,453 R generated, 186 per 162 G
Totals: 1,268 G, 1,344 H
Notes: Sheffield played the majority of his 22-year career during the 20th century, batting .290 in 1,308 games. But he actually was a touch better from 2000 onward, posting a .294 BA in 1,268 games. He topped .300 four times in the 21st century, peaking at .330 with the Braves in 2003.
8. (tie) J.D. Drew (2000-2011)
Score: 736 points
WAR: 41.3 total, 4.6 per 162 G, 0.9 defensive
Averages: .280 BA, .491 SLG, .922 BPO
Scoring: 1,382 R generated, 155 per 162 G
Totals: 1,448 G, 1,333 H
Notes: Drew was not outstanding, yet he was consistently good. He made only one All-Star team, and he never finished higher than sixth in balloting for MVP. Yet he batted .280 or better in seven seasons this century, and he ranks fifth in overall WAR among all right fielders since 2000.
8. (tie) Giancarlo Stanton (2010-2020)
Score: 736 points
WAR: 40.9 total, 5.6 per 162 G, 0.0 defensive
Averages: .268 BA, .546 SLG, .927 BPO
Scoring: 1,182 R generated, 162 per 162 G
Totals: 1,185 G, 1,160 H
Notes: Think of Stanton, and you think of power. And 2017 is the first season that comes to mind. Stanton amassed otherworldly numbers for the Marlins that year — 59 homers, 132 runs batted in. Only Betts and Walker have outproduced Stanton’s 5.6 WAR per 162 games among right fielders this century.
10. Nelson Cruz (2005-2020)
Score: 718 points
WAR: 39.4 total, 3.7 per 162 G, -12.1 defensive
Averages: .278 BA, .529 SLG, .869 BPO
Scoring: 1,687 R generated, 157 per 162 G
Totals: 1,742 G, 1,777 H
Notes: Cruz has rarely taken the field since 2016 — he now focuses on being a DH — but he still has played more games as a right fielder than at any other position. He is one of only seven players in these rankings to surpass 1,600 hits and runs generated this century. (Four sit above him in the overall standings, while two are behind.)
Everybody else
11. Brian Giles (2000-2009): 703 points
12. Sammy Sosa (2000-2007): 676 points
13. Nick Markakis (2006-2020): 674 points
13. Bryce Harper (2012-2020): 674 points
15. Justin Upton (2007-2020): 605 points
16. Carlos Gonzalez (2008-2019): 601 points
17. Hunter Pence (2007-2020): 571 points
18. Jose Bautista (2004-2018): 566 points
19. Alex Rios (2004-2015): 555 points
20. J.D. Martinez (2011-2020): 552 points
20. George Springer (2014-2020): 552 points
22. Shin-Soo Choo (2005-2020): 546 points
23. Jason Heyward (2010-2020): 533 points
24. Jayson Werth (2002-2017): 521 points
25. Shawn Green (2000-2007): 494 points
26. Jermaine Dye (2000-2009): 471 points
27. Richard Hidalgo (2000-2005): 424 points
28. Andre Ethier (2006-2017): 415 points
29. Jay Bruce (2008-2020): 407 points
30. Trot Nixon (2000-2008): 392 points
31. Michael Cuddyer (2001-2015): 385 points
32. Yasiel Puig (2013-2019): 362 points
33. Nick Swisher (2004-2015): 357 points
34. Josh Reddick (2009-2020): 351 points
35. Reggie Sanders (2000-2007): 327 points
36. Adam Eaton (2012-2020): 326 points
37. Corey Hart (2004-2015): 314 points
38. Jose Guillen (2000-2010): 284 points
39. Jacque Jones (2000-2008): 268 points
40. Tim Salmon (2000-2006): 259 points
41. Kole Calhoun (2012-2020): 223 points
42. Jeff Francoeur (2005-2016): 211 points
43. Ryan Ludwick (2002-2014): 207 points
44. Jose Cruz (2000-2008): 202 points
45. Brad Hawpe (2004-2013): 192 points
46. Juan Encarnacion (2000-2007): 189 points
47. Matt Lawton (2000-2006): 188 points
48. Austin Kearns (2002-2013): 180 points
49. Jeromy Burnitz (2000-2006): 178 points
50. Raul Mondesi (2000-2005): 172 points
51. Matthew Joyce (2008-2020): 129 points
52. Nori Aoki (2012-2017): 112 points
53. Avisail Garcia (2012-2020): 102 points
54. Jay Gibbons (2001-2011): 87 points
55. Gabe Kapler (2000-2010): 81 points
56. Will Venable (2008-2016): 64 points
57. Xavier Nady (2000-2014): 47 points
58. Gregory Polanco (2014-2020): 26 points
59. Michael Tucker (2000-2006): 0 points