Who was the best center fielder of all time?

[milkit1]

Tris speaker without a doubt. Everyone says willie mays cause of one great catch caught on film. Speaker was so good he'd play as shallow as possible thus having more unassisted double plays by any outfielder ever. Willie mays? Give me a break.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by milkit1

Tris speaker without a doubt. Everyone says willie mays cause of one great catch caught on film. Speaker was so good he'd play as shallow as possible thus having more unassisted double plays by any outfielder ever. Willie mays? Give me a break.

Speaker could only play that shallow at home and then only after 1911. The stadium was much smaller, allowing him to aggressively chase balls that in other parks were not reachable or couldn't be gone after that hard because missing the ball meant a very long chase back to the wall. A very shallow left also meant he had a lot more chance of backup on a missed ball.

That's one reason it's hard to compare eras, smaller stadiums starting around 1910 meant a huge change in how outfield play was done.

Steve B

[Vintageclout]

FYI, Mantle has ZERO business being on this list. Secondly, many historians don't look at Cobb as a natural centerfielder, but more as a corner outfielder. Where is Willie Mays??? Its either Mays or DiMaggio. For an entire career its Mays, and at peak value DiMaggio wins the prize because he was a more formidable hitter. All depends on how you are judging a ballplayer's career vs. peak value.

Joe T.