He straddles era, but I’m going to throw Dom DiMaggio into the ring. He was probably the best defensive centerfielder of his day (and I include older brother Joe in that assessment). Like so many he was on track for the important counting stats before WWII service interrupted his career. The career totals appear lacking because of it, but I won’t punish a player for serving his country, and think that had he maintained his prewar production over the war years, he’d be in the hall already.
|