Day 205, July 24: Center of It All

One of my most prized baseball cards!

My Top 10 Favorite

Center Fielders

This list has a lot of Hall of Famers and several of my overall favorite baseball players. Note the honorable mentions!

1. Ty Cobb, Tigers: Greatest hitter of all-time and an above average fielder. My No. 1 overall, despite his faults.

2. Willie Mays, Giants: Probably better all-around than Cobb, but I like him second best.

3. Mickey Mantle, Yankees: If only he had treated his body better and not had a devastating leg injury as a young player, he'd have Ruth-like numbers.

4. Ken Griffey, Jr., Mariners: An awesome athlete, I sometimes forget already how good he was.

5. Tris Speaker, Indians: A legendary great from Cobb's era, might be the overall best "fielder" in history.

6. Kirby Puckett, Twins: The compact body, the enthusiasm and the talent made him very appealing.

7. Fred Lynn, Red Sox: Had one of the best rookie years ever and could have been much better had he also not suffered injuries.

8. Joe DiMaggio, Yankees: Can't help but admire him, he was an icon of his time.

9. Hack Wilson, Cubs: A power hitter with a first name of Hack? What's not to like?

10. Jim Edmunds, Cardinals: An excellent fielder who also could hit pretty well.

Honorable mention: 

* Oscar Charleston, Negro Leagues. I had never heard of him until seeing his name on several lists of all-time best CFs.

* Jim Swenson, Vikings/high school: I prided myself on my defense. My dad used to hit me dozens of fly balls for practice. Had they just created a Designated Fielder, I might have made it up through the ranks!