In 2007, San Diego Padres' icon Tony Gwynn received over 97 percent of the vote in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, earning the right fielder election to baseball's most prestigious club.
It would be another 11 years before a right fielder was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, with Vladimir Guerrero Sr. getting elected on his second year on the ballot in 2018. Guerrero, a .318 career hitter, was a nine-time All-Star that won the 2004 American League MVP while playing for the Los Angeles Angels.
Two years later, Larry Walker overcame the stigma of Coors Field, as he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his final year of eligibility on the ballot. Walker had a grassroots campaign behind him, which helped the 1997 National League MVP make tremendous strides over his final two years of eligibility.
So who will be the next right fielder to be elected to the Hall of Fame ballot? Bobby Abreu is currently on the ballot, but both he and José Bautista - who will become eligible for the ballot in 2024 - are pretty unlikely to actually be elected. Ichiro Suzuki is a lock to be elected on the first ballot in 2025, when he first will appear on the ballot. There's a very real chance that he'll be the next right fielder to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
The crazy part is that none of the names mentioned above cracked our list of the greatest right fielders in MLB history. Below are RADIO.COM Sports' nine greatest right fielders ever:
9. Shoeless Joe Jackson
Shoeless Joe Jackson is one of the most polarizing stars in MLB history.(Charles M. Conlon/Wikimedia Commons)Best Season: 1912 - .395/.458/.597 with three home runs, 95 RBIs, 54 walks, 1.036 OPS, 8.8 offensive WAR, -0.1 defensive WAR and 9.5 bWAR
Career Summary: .356/.423/.517 with 54 home runs, 792 RBIs, 1,772 hits, 519 walks, .940 OPS, 170 OPS+, 61.2 offensive WAR, -6.1 defensive WAR and 62.1 bWAR
Perhaps Kevin Costner has clouded our judgement, but Jackson had a staggering peak, one that pushed him onto this list despite a shorter overall track record. WAR 7 takes a player's top seven individual season WAR totals (they don't need to be in order) and combines them to attempt to quantify how dominant a player was at their peak. Jackson's 52.4 WAR 7 is the seventh-highest among all right fielders in MLB history, higher than someone with an iconic peak like Sammy Sosa. In 1920, Jackson hit .382 in his final season before being issued a lifetime ban for his role in the 1919 "Blacksox" scandal. We're not saying he didn't deserve his punishment, but Jackson's peak was worthy of being on this list, and considering he was only 32 in his final MLB season, there's reason to believe that if he had gotten a chance to play a full career's worth of games, he'd be even higher on this list.
8. Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson was a star for the Yankees and Athletics.(Leon Halip/Getty Images)Best Season: 1969 - .275/.410/.608 with 47 home runs, 118 RBIs, 114 walks, 1.018 OPS, 8.5 offensive WAR, 0.1 defensive WAR and 9.2 bWAR
Career Summary: .262/.356/.490 with 563 home runs, 1,702 RBIs, 2,584 hits, 1,375 walks, .846 OPS, 139 OPS+, 77.2 offensive WAR, -16.4 defensive WAR and 74.0 bWAR
It's a pretty good sign of how great of a player you were if you had extended peaks with multiple different teams. Jackson is perhaps most associated with the five seasons he spent with the New York Yankees between 1977 and 1981, one where he made the All-Star team every season and cemented his legacy as "Mr. October" with three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series. That said, Jackson's best individual seasons came as a member of the Oakland Athletics. He won the 1973 American League MVP as a member of the A's, and that probably wasn't even his best season for Oakland. His October heroics with the Yankees are what he's most synonymous with, but he had already won three World Series titles with the A's by the time he put pinstripes on for the first time, leading the A's to a three-peat between 1972 and 1974.
7. Al Kaline
Al Kaline is one of the greatest Tigers ever.(Bowman/Wikimedia Commons)Best Season: 1955 - .340/.421/.546 with 27 home runs, 102 RBIs, 82 walks, .967 OPS, 7.1 offensive WAR, 0.4 defensive WAR and 8.3 bWAR
Career Summary: .297/.376/.480 with 399 home runs, 1,582 RBIs, 3,007 hits, 1,277 walks, .855 OPS, 134 OPS+, 78.4 offensive WAR, 2.8 defensive WAR and 92.8 bWAR
"Mr. Tiger" is one of the most complete right fielders in MLB history. Kaline checks out by today's sabermetics - he's in the top eight among right fielders in MLB history in terms of bWAR, WAR 7 and JAWS. He was about as appreciated during his illustrious 22-season career as one could be, winning 10 Gold Glove Awards and making a staggering 18 All-Star teams.
6. Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente is an MLB icon.(Jay Publishing/Wikimedia Commons)Best Season: .357/.400/.554 with 23 home runs, 110 RBIs, 41 walks, .954 OPS, 8.2 offensive WAR, -0.1 defensive WAR and 8.9 bWAR
Career Summary: .317/.359/.475 with 240 home runs, 1,305 RBIs, 3,000 hits, 621 walks, .834 OPS, 130 OPS+, 71.5 offensive WAR, 12.2 defensive WAR and 94.8 bWAR
Clemente's legacy is perhaps most tied to his work as a humanitarian, and rightfully so. He passed away in the 1972 Puerto Rico DC-7 crash, as he was attempting to help deliver an aid package to uprooted victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. Prior to his tragic death at the age of 38, Clemente had already racked up exactly 3,000 hits, with a career batting average of .317, four batting titles and two National League MVP Awards. A 12-time Gold Glove Award winner, Clemente's 12.2 defensive WAR is the highest for any right fielder in MLB history.
5. Mel Ott
Mel Ott is one of the greatest hitters in MLB history.(Goudey/Wikimedia Commons)Best Season: 1938: .311/.442/.583 with 36 home runs, 116 RBIs, 118 walks, 1.024 OPS, 8.4 offensive WAR, 0.5 defensive WAR and 8.9 bWAR
Career Summary: .304/.414/.533 with 511 home runs, 1,860 RBIs, 2,876 hits, 1,708 walks, .947 OPS, 155 OPS+, 106.7 offensive WAR, -6.0 defensive WAR and 110.7 bWAR
A 12-time All-Star, Ott is a member of the 500-home run club, as he slugged 511 home runs during a 22-season career spent exclusively with the New York *baseball* Giants. One of the greatest offensive performers that the game has ever seen, Ott led baseball in home runs six times, the same amount of seasons that he led baseball in walks. For good measure, Ott also topped MLB in on-base percentage, OPS, OPS+ and runs multiple times.
4. Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson won an MVP award in both leagues.(Wikimedia Commons)Best Season: 1962 - .342/.421/.624 with 39 home runs, 136 RBIs, 76 walks, 1.045 OPS, 8.4 offensive WAR, -0.4 defensive WAR and 8.7 bWAR
Career Summary: .294/.389/.537 with 586 home runs, 1,812 RBIs, 2,943 hits, 1,420 walks, .926 OPS, 154 OPS+, 106.9 offensive WAR, -14.8 defensive WAR and 107.2 bWAR
Perhaps Mookie Betts will someday change this, but to this point, Robinson is the only player in MLB history to win the MVP Award in both the American and National League. There's really nothing that Robinson didn't do in his MLB career. In addition to winning two MVP awards, Robinson was the 1956 National League Rookie of the Year, won a batting title, a triple crown, a Gold Glove Award and two World Series titles. All he did after one of the most decorated playing careers of all time was become the first Black manager in MLB history, even winning the 1989 American League Manager of the Year Award while presiding over the Baltimore Orioles, one of the two teams that he won an MVP Award with during his time as a player.
3. Stan Musial
Stan Musial is arguably the greatest Cardinal ever.(Bowman/Wikimedia Commons)Best Season: 1948 - .376/.450/.702 with 39 home runs, 131 RBIs, 79 walks, 1.152 OPS, 10.8 offensive WAR, -0.1 defensive WAR and 11.3 bWAR
Career Summary: .331/.417/.559 with 475 home runs, 1,951 RBIs, 3,630 hits, 1,599 walks, .976 OPS, 159 OPS+, 124.8 offensive WAR, -9.2 defensive WAR and 128.3 bWAR
"Stan the Man" is one of just 11 players in MLB history to win three or more MVP Awards, taking the honor as the National League's best player in 1943, 1946 and 1948. If he wasn't serving in World War II during the 1945 season, it's possible he could have won another. Between 1940 and 2010 - a 70-year span - FanGraphs says that the only three players in baseball that were more valuable offensively than Musial were Barry Bonds, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Not only is Musial one of the greatest right fielders in MLB history, he's one of the most dominant pure hitters that the sport has ever seen.
2. Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron is one of the greatest players in MLB history.(Wikimedia Commons)Best Season: 1959 - .355/.401/.636 with 39 home runs, 123 RBIs, 51 walks, 1.037 OPS, 9.1 offensive WAR, -1.1 defensive WAR and 8.6 bWAR
Career Summary: .305/.374/.555 with 755 home runs, 2,297 RBIs, 3,771 hits, 1,402 walks, .928 OPS, 155 OPS+, 132.5 offensive WAR, -4.6 defensive WAR and 143.1 bWAR
While having to overcame unfathomable racism as one of baseball's first Black stars, Aaron was arguably the most steady slugger that the sport has ever seen. He hit 40 or more home runs in eight different seasons, with the first coming during his age-23 season and the final coming when he was 39 years old. Baseball's former Home Run King was so much more than just a home run hitter, though. Aaron hit .305 for his career, while racking up 3,771 hits, the most of any player at his position in MLB history. Simply put, Aaron is one of the 10 greatest position players in MLB history, if not higher.
1. Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth is arguably the greatest player in MLB history.(Wikimedia Commons)Best Season: 1923 - .393/.545/.764 with 41 home runs, 130 RBIs, 170 walks, 1.309 OPS, 12.3 offensive WAR, 1.2 defensive WAR and 14.1 bWAR
Career Summary: .342/.474/.690 with 714 home runs, 2,214 RBIs, 2,873 hits, 2,062 walks, a 1.164 OPS, 206 OPS+, 154.4 offensive WAR, -2.3 defensive WAR and 162.1 bWAR
Arguably the greatest player in MLB history, Ruth is the all-time leader among right fielders in bWAR, WAR 7, JAWS, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, walks, OPS and OPS+. You can, as we have, compare and contrast his legacy with those of Barry Bonds and Willie Mays. There's no debate in right field, though - even with a list that features Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Frank Robinson, Ruth is far and away the best player to ever man his position.
Other Entries in This Series
- Rankings The Nine Greatest Catchers in MLB History
- Ranking The Nine Greatest First Basemen in MLB History
- Ranking The Nine Greatest Second Basemen in MLB History
- Ranking The Nine Greatest Shortstops in MLB History
- Ranking The Nine Greatest Third Basemen in MLB History
- Rankings The Nine Greatest Center Fielders in MLB History
- Ranking The Nine Greatest Left-Handed Hitters in MLB History
- Ranking The Nine Greatest Right-Handed Hitters in MLB History
- Ranking The Nine Greatest Switch Hitters in MLB History
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