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This Top 10 has been the most difficult yet. I did not expect there to be so much mediocrity in left field. I suppose I should have expected that, but the dropoff from the Top 5 to the rest of the players is very significant. What makes it even more complicated is the fact that I already made a rule that I can not have steroid users or banned players on my list. With both Bonds and Pete Rose in the Top 5, I was immediately left in a pickle.
I won’t lie; this is probably the weakest of all the lists so far. At the top of the list are three of the best players I have covered so far in my Top 10s. However, it is immediately followed by lesser “all-time greats.”
10. Willie Stargell
Key Stats: .282 AVG, 475 HR, 1,540 RBI, .889 OPS, 2,232 H
bWAR: 57.6
WAR7: 38.0
JAWS: 47.8
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1988), 7× All-Star, 1979 NL MVP, 2× World Series Champion, World Series MVP (1979)
Why: My favorite little tidbit after diving into Willie Stargell is that he won his MVP at the age of 39. That is tied with Barry Bonds for the oldest player to do so. Now, as you know, I don’t believe in awarding steroid users. So, Bonds don’t count in my eyes. Stargell probably should have had at least one more MVP, but WAR wasn’t a thing in 1971, so he lost out to Joe Torre. Like most players on this list, Stargell was a terrible defender. Like -19.4 dWAR terrible. So, we have to focus on his offense and postseason accolades. For me, an MVP, WS MVP, NLCS MVP, 2x WS champ, and 7x All-Star will sneak you into my Top 10. If I had Pete Rose and other steroid guys on my lists, Stargell would probably be on the outside looking in.
9. Billy Williams
Key Stats: .290 AVG, 426 HR, 1,475 RBI, .853 OPS, 2,711 H
bWAR: 63.6
WAR7: 41.3
JAWS: 52.5
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1987), 6× All-Star, NL Rookie of the Year (1961)
Why: I already hate my list.
Billy Williams was one of the most consistent hitters in baseball during his career. Spending the bulk of his time with the Chicago Cubs, Williams combined power and contact, amassing over 400 home runs and nearly 2,700 hits. His reliability and offensive output make him a deserving spot on this list.
8. Ralph Kiner
Key Stats: .279 AVG, 369 HR, 1,015 RBI, .946 OPS, 1,451 H
bWAR: 48.0
WAR7: 42.7
JAWS: 45.3
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1975), 6× All-Star, 7× NL Home Run Leader (1946–1952)
Why: When looking at Ralph Kiner’s career, you can not look at his counting numbers. He never even reached 1,500 hits, for goodness sake. His career, in the grand scheme of things, was very short. He came into the league at the age of 23 after serving in the military during WWII. He then retired early at the age of 32. For seven straight seasons, Kiner leads the league in home runs. Even with that, he never got Top 3 in MVP voting. To say he was robbed in 51 would be an understatement. He led the league in runs, home runs, walks, OBP, SLG, and OPS. He got 10th place….
All that being said, Kiner is in here because his peak is up there with the best. His seven consecutive HR leader marks are the best ever. Only Ruth (12) and Mike Schmidt (8) have more total HR leading seasons.
7. Goose Goslin
Key Stats: .316 AVG, 248 HR, 1,612 RBI, .887 OPS, 2,735 H
bWAR: 66.0
WAR7: 43.5
JAWS: 54.7
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1968), 2× World Series Champion
Why: Goslin was a cornerstone of the Washington Senators and Detroit Tigers’ success in the 1920s and 1930s. Goslin’s career was very productive, producing only one negative WAR season, which was his last year. He never placed in the Top 5 in MVP voting, but he helped his teams to two World Series wins.
⚾ 6. Al Simmons
Key Stats: .334 AVG, 307 HR, 1,828 RBI, .915 OPS, 2,927 H
bWAR: 68.3
WAR7: 45.6
JAWS: 57.0
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1953), 2× World Series Champion, 2× AL Batting Champion
Why: Simmons was a core piece of Connie Mack’s dominant Philadelphia Athletics teams. He falls 21st all-time in RBIs, 27th in AVG, 41st in hits, and 59th in OPS. He did all this in significantly fewer plate appearances than others on those lists. Totaling “only” 9520 PA, Simmons stands out as only one of four players in the Top 50 of hits to have less than 10,000 PA.
⚾ 5. Ed Delahanty
Key Stats: .346 AVG, 101 HR, 1,466 RBI, .916 OPS, 2,597 H
bWAR: 69.6
WAR7: 48.6
JAWS: 59.1
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1945), 2× Batting Champion, 2x NL home run leader
Why: Honestly, 5-10 is pretty interchangeable, and if you are bringing in Pete Rose and the steroid crew, he might not be on this list. He was one of the greatest hitters of the 19th century and boasted a career .346 batting average. This puts him 8th all-time (4th if you are looking at players with over 5000 PA.) Now, did Delahanty die falling over Niagra Falls after threatening people with a razor on a train? Yes, but the guy could put the ball in play.
⚾ 4. Barry Bonds (pre-steroids)
Key Stats (pre-1998): AVG .288, 374 HR, 1,094 RBI, .969 OPS, 417 SB, 1750 H, 162 OPS+
bWAR (pre-1998): 91.8
Accolades: 3× NL MVP (1990, 1992, 1993), 8× Gold Glove, 7× Silver Slugger
Why: I am making a concession here and putting Barry Bonds on this list. I am only talking about Barry Bonds pre-steroids. Is it a cop-out? Yeah, 100%, but I also want to highlight how dumb it was to go and cheat when you already had numbers like this. Would Bonds have gone down as the best ever? Nope. However, he would have been an all-time great if he retired at the age of 33.
A lot of people have been putting their Top 10 players of all time out today on X. Bonds does not belong on it.
⚾ 3. Carl Yastrzemski
Key Stats: .285 AVG, 452 HR, 1,844 RBI, .841 OPS, 3,419 H
bWAR: 96.5
WAR7: 55.6
JAWS: 76.1
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1989), AL MVP (1967), 18× All-Star, 7× Gold Glove, Triple Crown (1967)
Why: Over Yaz’s 23-year career, he only produced a negative WAR season twice. His first and his last. Everything in between was productive, leading to him receiving MVP votes in 14 seasons. His peak was his Triple Crown/MVP season in 1967. If you are going strictly off bWAR, it is the fourth most productive season of all time. The three seasons ahead of him? Babe Ruth, Babe Ruth, and Babe Ruth.
2. Rickey Henderson
Key Stats: .279 AVG, 297 HR, 1,115 RBI, .820 OPS, 3,055 H, 1,406 SB
bWAR: 111.1
WAR7: 57.6
JAWS: 84.3
Accolades: Hall of Fame (2009), AL MVP (1990), 10× All-Star, 12× AL Stolen Base Leader, 2× World Series Champion
Why: Henderson is, was, and probably will forever be the greatest leadoff hitter of all time. He has the all-time records for stolen bases, runs, and leadoff home runs. It absolutely sucks that he passed away so young. I hope that in the years to come, the game shifts again, and we get to see more guys play like Rickey did, even though they won’t be able to match him.
1. Ted Williams
Key Stats: .344 AVG, 521 HR, 1,839 RBI, 2,654 H, 1.116 OPS
bWAR: 122.1
WAR7: 67.9
JAWS: 94.9
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1966), 2× AL MVP, 6× AL Batting Champion, 2× Triple Crown, 19× All-Star
Why: It is very difficult for me to to put bias aside when it comes to Ted Williams. He is my favorite player of all-time and I have been enamored with him since I was a child. I highly suggest everyone go read The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams and The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship between John Glenn and Ted Williams. Both are absolute must reads if you want to undersand the greatness of Ted Williams.
In short, Williams leads in bWAR/WAR7/ and JAWS (not counting cheating Barry Bonds.) There is no debate about who the best left fielder of all time is. Then, consider that he missed almost five seasons to serve our country. Think about this. Williams put up 10.5 bWAR at age 23. He then served in the US during WWII for three years. He then returned at the age of 27 and immediately put up 10.6 bWAR. To me, he is the GOAT.
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Also, here are all my Top 10s so far!
Stan Musial? Know he played the most games at 1B but you don’t list him there either. He played more in left than in right or center; more games by far in the OF than at first. Assume you have him somewhere but it seems he should be here.
i live for these sorts of reads