The Top 10 Right Fielders in Baseball's Hall of Fame

Well friends, here we are at the end of the journey. This is the last installment of the Cooperstown’s Best series.

We have managed to make Top 10 lists on each of the other positions, and this is the end of the road.

It has been fun, exhausting, and educational. If you have read the entire series, I hope you have learned just one-third of what I have in researching and writing it.

There have been some good right fielders throughout the annals of baseball history. I am sure you have already made your mind up on who the top three or four would be, but maybe you will be surprised.

Look who has manned the position where they throw the worst kid on the sandlot team: Babe Ruth, Paul Waner, Mel Ott, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Al Kaline, Dave Winfield, et al.

I am tired of typing, so let’s push forward.

 

10. David Mark Winfield

Born: Oct. 3, 1951 in St. Paul, MN

Dave Winfield began his 22-year career in 1973 with the San Diego Padres. He also played for the New York Yankees, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Indians, where he retired in 1995.

As good as Winfield’s career was, the only title of a major category he ever won was the RBI crown in 1979. He led the league with 118 RBI. He also came in third in MVP voting in the National League that year. He batted over .300 four times, hit over 20 HR 15 times, knocked in over 100 runs eight times, and scored over 100 runs three times.

He was an All-Star 12 consecutive seasons, won seven Gold Glove Awards, and earned six Silver Slugger Awards.

In 1992, he won the Babe Ruth Award and Branch Rickey Award, and in 1994 he won the Roberto Clemente Award.

Winfield was in two World Series. In 1981, he was with the Yankees when they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. In 1992, he was with the Blue Jays when they beat the Atlanta Braves in six games.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

 

9. Albert William Kaline

Born: Dec. 19, 1934 in Baltimore, MD

Al Kaline played his full 22-year career with the Detroit Tigers, beginning in 1953 and retiring in 1974.

Kaline was the runner-up in MVP voting twice and came in third one other time. He won a batting title in 1955 when he batted .340; he also led the league with 200 hits and total bases with 321. He batted over .300 nine times, hit 20 or more HR nine times, knocked in over 100 runs three times, had 200-plus hits once, and scored over 100 runs twice.

He was an 18-time All-Star, won 10 Gold Glove Awards, and won the 1968 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, the 1969 Hutch Award, and the 1973 Roberto Clemente Award.

Kaline was in the 1968 World Series, where the Tigers beat the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.

 

8. Anthony Keith Gwynn

Born: May 9, 1960 in Los Angeles, CA

Tony Gwynn was an old school player in a modern world. He played all 22 years of his illustrious career with the San Diego Padres, which is a magnificent feat in the era of free agency.

Gwynn came in third in MVP voting in 1984. He won eight National League batting titles, led the league in hits seven times, and finished first in runs scored once. He batted .300 or higher in 19 consecutive seasons, knocked in over 100 runs once, had 200 or more hits five times, and scored over 100 runs twice.

He was a 15-time All-Star, won five Gold Glove Awards and seven Silver Slugger Awards, won the 1995 Branch Rickey Award and the 1998 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, and in 1999 won the Roberto Clemente Award.

Gwynn played in two World Series: in 1984 when the Padres lost to the Detroit Tigers in five games, and in 1998 when they were swept by the New York Yankees.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

 

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7. Samuel Luther “Big Sam” Thompson

Born: Mar. 5, 1860 in Danville, IL                       Died: Nov. 7, 1922 in Detroit, MI

Sam Thompson played 15 years in the big leagues. He came up in 1885 with the Detroit Wolverines of the National League. He went to the Philadelphia Quakers (ancestors of the Phillies) in 1889 and retired there in 1898. 

He attempted a brief comeback at age 46 in 1906 with the Detroit Tigers, alongside Sam Crawford and a 19-year-old kid named Ty Cobb.

Thompson won the batting title in 1887 when he batted .372. He also led the league in hits with 203, triples with 23, RBI with 166 (most in the 19th century), in SLG with .571, and in total bases with 311.

He won two HR titles and two RBI crowns, was the league leader in hits three times, and topped the league in doubles twice. He batted over .400 once, over .300 seven more times, had 10-plus HR (dead ball era) six times, knocked in 100-plus runs eight times, had over 200 hits three times, scored over 100 runs 10 times, had over 30 doubles four times, and notched over 20 triples three times.

Thompson was in the 1887 World Series with the Wolverines when they beat the St. Louis Browns 10 games to five (they were referred to as “exhibition” games then).

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974 by the Veterans Committee.

 

6. Paul Glee “Big Poison” Waner

Born: Apr. 16, 1903 in Harrah, OK                 Died: Aug. 29, 1965 in Sarasota, FL

Paul Waner played the first 15 years of his 20-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates beginning in 1926. He also played with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves, and New York Yankees, where he retired in 1945.

Waner won one MVP award and was runner-up once. In his MVP year he also won the batting title with a .380 mark and led the league in hits with 237, in triples with 18, in RBI with 131, and in total bases with 342. He also won two more batting titles.

He batted over .300 14 times, knocked in over 100 runs twice, had over 200 hits eight times, and scored over 100 runs nine times.

Waner was a four-time All Star, and he played in the 1927 World Series with the Pirates, when they were swept by the New York Yankees.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1952.

 

5. Harry Edwin “Slug” Heilmann

Born: Aug. 3, 1894 in San Francisco, CA              Died: July 9, 1951 in Southfield, MI

Harry Heilmann played 15 of his 17 years with the Detroit Tigers before moving to the Cincinnati Reds in 1930. He retired in 1932.

He was runner-up in MVP voting once and finished third in voting one other time.

Heilmann won four batting titles, led the league in hits once, and topped the league in doubles once. He batted .403 once and over .300 11 other times, hit over 20 HR once, knocked in over 100 runs eight times (seven consecutively), had over 200 hits four times, and scored over 100 runs four times.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1952.

 

4. Melvin Thomas “Master Melvin” Ott

Born: Mar. 2, 1909 in Gretna, LA                  Died: Nov. 21, 1958 in New Orleans, LA

Mel Ott played his entire 22-year career with the New York Giants, beginning in 1926 and retiring in 1947.

Though having what I would call seven “MVP-type” seasons, the closest Ott came was third place. He won six HR titles and one RBI crown, and he led the league in runs scored twice, in walks six times, in OBP four times, and in OPS+ five times.

Ott batted .300 or higher 10 times, hit over 30 HR eight times, knocked in over 100 runs nine times (eight consecutively), scored over 100 runs nine times, and drew over 100 walks nine times.

During a six-year period from 1934-38, he averaged .316, 36 HR, 127 RBI, 188 H, 121 R, 107 W, 166 OPS+.

Ott was named to 12 consecutive All-Star teams and played in three World Series. In 1933, the Giants beat the Washington Senators in five games; in 1936 they lost to the New York Yankees in six games; and in 1937 the Yankees beat them in five games.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951.

 

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3. Frank Robinson

Born: Aug. 31, 1935 in Beaumont, TX

Frank Robinson began his 21-year career with the Cincinnati Reds in 1956 by winning the Rookie of the Year Award. In 1966, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, where he immediately won the Triple Crown.

In 1972, he went to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a year, then went to the California Angels, and finally finished his playing career in Cleveland in 1976.

Robinson is the only man in MLB history to win an MVP award in both leagues. He led the league in runs scored three times, once in doubles, in HR once, in RBI once, in OBP twice, in SLG four times, in OPS+ four times, in total bases once, and in HBP seven times.

He was named to 14 All-Star teams and won one Gold Glove Award. In 1996 he won the Babe Ruth Award, was the World Series MVP in 1966, was the MVP of the All-Star game in 1971 and in 1989 was the AL Manager of the Year.

Robinson played in five World Series: one with the Reds and four with the Orioles. In 1961 he was with the Reds when they were beaten by the New York Yankees in five games; in 1966 with the Orioles when they swept the Dodgers; in 1969 when the Orioles lost to the “Amazin’ Mets” in five games, in 1970 when the Orioles beat the Reds in five games; and in 1971 when the Orioles lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.

 

2. Henry Louis “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron

Born: Feb. 5, 1934 in Mobile, AL

Hank Aaron played 21 of his 23 years with the Braves franchise in 1954. He went to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975 and retired there in 1976.

Aaron won one MVP award and finished third in voting six times.

He won two batting titles, four HR titles, and four RBI crowns, and was the league leader in hits twice, in runs scored three times, in doubles four times, in SLG four times, in OPS+ three times, in total bases eight times, and in intentional walks once.

Aaron batted over .300 14 times, hit 40-plus HR eight times, over 30 HR six more times, had over 100 RBI 11 times, had 200-plus hits three times, and scored 100-plus runs 15 times (13 consecutively). He also had over 30 doubles 10 times and 10 or more triples three times.

He has the most career RBI in MLB history with 2,297 and total bases with 6,856.

Aaron was named to 25 consecutive All-Star teams (some seasons had two games), he won three Gold Glove Awards, and in 1970 he won the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award.

He played in two World Series, both with the Braves: in 1957 when they beat the New York Yankees in seven games; and in 1958 when they lost to the Yankees in seven games.

Aaron was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.

 

1. George Herman “The Bambino” Ruth

Born: Feb. 6, 1895 in Baltimore, MD                 Died: Aug. 16, 1948 in New York, NY

Babe Ruth played 22 years in his great and unsurpassed career. He began with the Boston Red Sox in 1914 before going to the New York Yankees in 1920, where he played until 1935, when he played his final season with the Boston Braves.

He won one MVP award, one batting title, 12 HR titles (six consecutively), and six RBI crowns, and led the league in runs eight times, in OBP 10 times, in SLG 13 times, in OPS+ 13 times, and in total bases 10 times.

Ruth batted .300-plus 15 times and hit 60 HR once, over 50 HR three times, over 40 seven times, and over 30 two more times. He had 100-plus RBI 13 times (eight consecutively), had 200-plus hits three times, and scored over 100 runs 12 times. He also led the league in walks 11 times and had over 100 walks 13 times. He had a 200-plus OPS+ 11 times. 

His 207 OPS+ is the highest career OPS+ in MLB history. His career SLG of .690 is also MLB's highest.

He was a two-time All-Star (which didn’t start until 1933) and played in 10 World Series, three with the Red Sox and seven with the Yankees. The Red Sox won all three of the World Series Ruth was in, and the Yankees were 4-3.

Ruth was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1936.

 

PLAYER	AB	AVG	H	R	HR	RBI	OPS+	TB	SB	FLD
Ruth	8398	342*	2873	2174*	714	2217	207*	5793	123	968
Aaron	12364*	305	3771*	2174*	755*	2297*	155	6856*	240	981
Robinson	10006	294	2943	1829	586	1812	154	5373	204	986
Ott	9456	304	2876	1859	511	1860	155	5041	89	980
Heilmann	7787	342*	2660	1291	183	1539	148	3053	113	962
Waner	9459	333	3152	1627	113	1309	134	4478	104	975
Thompson	5984	331	1979	1256	127	1299	146	3020	229	935
Gwynn	9288	338	3141	1383	135	1138	132	4259	319	987*
Kaline	10116	297	3007	1622	399	1583	134	4852	137	985
Winfield	11003	283	3110	1669	465	1833	130	5221	223	984

 *Leads all Right Fielders in the Hall of Fame

 

Sources:  The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

                   Baseball-Reference.com