Ranking the 9 greatest left fielders in MLB history

Best Season: 1899 - .410/.464/.582 with nine home runs, 137 RBIs, 55 walks, 1.046 OPS, 7.7 offensive WAR, -0.5 defensive WAR and 8.3 fWAR
Career Summary: .346/.411/.505 with 101 home runs, 1,466 RBIs, 2,597 hits, 742 walks, .917 OPS, 152 OPS+, 69.2 offensive WAR, -5.4 defensive WAR and 73.7 fWAR

Delahanty played for teams nicknamed "Quakers" and "Infants," and that's still hardly the most notable thing about his career. "Big Ed" was a career .346 hitter, who won two batting titles and also led baseball in doubles, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and OPS+ on multiple occasions. Delahanty "only" homered 101 times in his career, but that's simply a product of the era he played in. He was the league leader in home runs on two separate occasions, so had he played in a different time, he very well could have put up prolific power numbers as well.

Best Season: 2002 - .349/.450/.647 with 33 home runs, 107 RBIs, 73 walks, 1.097 OPS, 6.0 offensive WAR, -0.6 defensive WAR and 5.3 fWAR
Career Summary: .312/.411/.585 with 555 home runs, 1,831 RBIs, 2,574 hits, 1,329 walks, .996 OPS, 154 OPS+, 81.8 offensive WAR, -21.7 defensive WAR and 66.3 fWAR

Ramirez's most complete offensive season actually came in 1999 when he hit .333 and drove in a staggering 165 runs for Cleveland, but he was a right fielder at that time. Though not without drama, Ramirez helped lead the Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007 as a left fielder, with the organization not having won a World Series since 1918 prior to his arrival. Ramirez also had great postseason moments with the Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers, and has an MLB record 29 career postseason home runs, making him one of the great playoff performers in the history of the sport.

Best Season: 1930 - .381/.423/.708 with 36 home runs, 165 RBIs, 39 walks, 1.130 OPS, 7.4 offensive WAR, -0.2 defensive WAR and 7.6 fWAR
Career Summary: .334/.380/.535 with 307 home runs, 1,828 RBIs, 2,927 hits, 615 walks, .915 OPS, 133 OPS+, 62.0 offensive WAR, -1.1 defensive WAR and 69.3 fWAR

Simmons was a part of some incredible Philadelphia A's teams in the late 1920s, ones that featured Ty Cobb, Lefty Grove and Mickey Cochrane, among other Hall of Famers, and were managed by Connie Mack. A two-time batting champion, Simmons hit 307 career home runs and drove in 100 or more runs on 12 different occasions. Like Ramirez, Simmons is one of the greatest hitters in postseason history, having hit .329 with six home runs and 17 RBIs in 73 career at-bats in October.

Best Season: 1973 - .338/.401/.437 with five home runs, 64 RBIs, 65 walks, .838 OPS, 6.1 offensive WAR, 1.4 defensive WAR and a 7.3 fWAR
Career Summary: .303/.375/.409 with 160 home runs, 1,314 RBIs, 4,256 hits, 1,566 walks, .784 OPS, 83.2 offensive WAR, -13.2 defensive WAR and 80.1 fWAR

This isn't the time or place to discuss the multiple scandals that have come to represent a large part of Rose's legacy. On the field, he was one of the most consistent players in MLB history, making 17 All-Star teams and setting new records with his 4,256 hits and 3,562 games played. While Rose did spend more total time at first base than in left field, many of his peak seasons came in left field, with Jay Jaffe's JAWS system categorizing him as a left fielder.

Best Season: 1967 - .326/.418/.622 with 44 home runs, 121 RBIs, 91 walks, 1.040 OPS, 9.9 offensive WAR, 1.7 defensive WAR and 11.1 fWAR
Career Summary: .285/.379/.462 with 452 home runs, 1,844 RBIs, 3,419 hits, 1,845 walks, .841 OPS, 130 OPS+, 78.2 offensive WAR, 1.0 defensive WAR and 94.8 fWAR

There's a reason Yastrzemski was so beloved at "Cheers." An 18-time All-Star, "Yaz" led baseball in hits, runs scored, walks, doubles, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and OPS+ two or more times. He's not the greatest Red Sox ever - or even on this list - but Yastrzemski put together one of the most prolific careers in MLB history for one of baseball's most successful franchises ever.

Best Season: 1990 - .325/.439/.577 with 28 home runs, 61 RBIs, 97 walks, 1.016 OPS, 8.4 offensive WAR, 1.1 defensive WAR and 10.2 fWAR
Career Summary: .279/.401/.419 with 297 home runs, 1,115 RBIs, 3,055 hits, 2,190 walks, .820 OPS, 127 OPS+, 105.2 offensive WAR, -2.3 defensive WAR and 106.3 fWAR

The greatest basestealer in MLB history, Henderson led baseball in stolen bases in 11 different seasons, and racked up a staggering 1,406 in his career. An on-base machine, Henderson led baseball in walks four different times and finished his career with a .401 on-base percentage. A huge part of Henderson's legacy is his tremendous longevity, as he played in 25 different seasons during his illustrious career.

Best Season: 1948 - .376/.450/.702 with 39 home runs, 131 RBIs, 1.152 OPS, 10.9 offensive WAR, -0.1 defensive WAR and an 11.1 fWAR
Career Summary: .331/.417/.559 with 475 home runs, 1,951 RBIs, 3,630 hits, 1,599 walks, .976 OPS, 125.3 offensive WAR, -9.2 defensive WAR and 126.8 fWAR

Even with losing the 1945 season to World War II, Musial is one of the greatest players in MLB history. While he also spent time in right field and at first base, we chose to categorize Musial as a left fielder because his Baseball Hall of Fame bio has that listed as his primary position. Casually a 24-time All-Star, Musial spent his entire career with the Cardinals, winning seven batting titles and three National League MVPs. One of the five greatest left-handed hitters in MLB history, "Stan the Man" helped the Cardinals to win World Series titles in 1942, 1944 and 1946.

Best Season: 1941: .406/.553/.735 with 37 home runs, 120 RBIs, 147 walks, 1.287 OPS, 10.7 offensive WAR, -0.9 defensive WAR and 11.0 fWAR
Career Summary: .344/.482/.634 with 521 home runs, 1,839 RBIs, 2,654 hits, 2,021 walks, 1.116 OPS, 191 OPS+, 125.1 offensive WAR, -13.3 defensive WAR and 130.4 fWAR

Williams said it was his dream to be seen as "the greatest hitter who ever lived," and well, there are some that would tell you he achieved his goal. Williams remains the last hitter to hit .400 or higher in a single season, he's baseball's all-time leader in on-base percentage and he slugged 521 home runs during his Hall of Fame career. The most remarkable part of William's legacy is imagining how his career numbers would look if he didn't lose out his age-24-26 seasons because of his service in World War II.

Best Season: 2001 - .328/.515/.863 with 73 home runs, 137 RBIs, 177 walks, 1.379 OPS, 12.4 offensive WAR, -1.2 defensive WAR and a 12.5 fWAR
Career Summary: .298/.444/.607 with 762 home runs, 1,996 RBIs, 2,935 hits, 2,558 walks, 1.051 OPS, 182 OPS+, 143.6 offensive WAR, 7.6 defensive WAR and 164.4 fWAR

Arguably the most accomplished individual player in the history of the sport, Bonds won a record seven MVP Awards, and is baseball's single-season and all-time home run leader. While most remember him hitting home runs at a never-before-seen rate in the second half of his career, Bonds also won eight Gold Glove Awards and stole 514 bases during a peak that needs a new adjective to describe it.