Call to the pen
Fansided

Best all-time center fielders in MLB history

By Bobby Mueller

ANAHEIM, CA - JULY 29: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hits a fly ball to deep center during the ninth inning of the MLB game against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium on July 29, 2018 in Anaheim, California. The Mariners defeated the Angels 8-5. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - JULY 29: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hits a fly ball to deep center during the ninth inning of the MLB game against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium on July 29, 2018 in Anaheim, California. The Mariners defeated the Angels 8-5. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
18 of 21
Next
best all-time center fielders
NEW YORK – 1956: Outfielder Mickey Mantle #7, of the New York Yankees, swings at a pitch during a game in 1956 against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York. Mickey Mantle5651 (Photo by: Kidwiler Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /

Best All-Time Center Fielders #4: Mickey Mantle

“Someone once asked me if I ever went up to the plate trying to hit a home run. I said, ‘Sure, every time’.”—Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle was discovered playing semipro ball as a 16-year-old in Oklahoma when a New York Yankees scout came to check out one of Mantle’s teammates. They agreed to a handshake deal that would make Mantle a Yankees farmhand when he graduated from high school. After he graduated, he played two seasons and part of a third in the minor leagues, then made his major league debut with the Yankees as a 19-year-old in 1951.

After holding his own as a rookie his first season, Mantle became the all-star fans knew and loved in his second season. He would be an all-star in 16 of his 18 seasons. He would also win three AL MVP Awards and finish second three times. He was the Mike Trout of the 1950s and 1960s.

Mantle seems larger than life in our memories, but he wasn’t a big man by today’s standards. He’s listed at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, which is three inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter than Trout. He was well-built, though, and looked like he could have been a running back or middle linebacker if football had been his chosen game.

At his best, Mantle put up video game numbers. In 1956, he hit .353/.464/.705, scored 132 runs, hit 52 bombs, and drove in 130 runs. He followed that up with a .365/.512/.665 season in which he led the league with 121 runs and 146 walks. Those were his back-to-back MVP seasons.

For the 11-year-stretch from 1952 to 1962, the Yankees star centerfielder averaged just over 8 WAR per season. That’s MVP caliber play for more than a decade. His performance played a big part in the Yankees’ sustained success at this time. They appeared in 12 World Series during his 18-year career, winning seven of them.

In the end, the thing that slowed Mickey Mantle down was his own body. He struggled with hip and leg injuries during the last part of his career. His last superstar season was in 1961, when he battled with teammate Roger Maris as they chased Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record. Maris broke the Babe’s mark by hitting 61 homers, while Mantle finished with 54.

That was the last time he would hit more than 40 home runs in a season. He had a couple years in which he hit 30 or more, but averaged just 23 home runs per year and 121 games played over his last seven seasons. He retired following the 1968 season and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

Home/MLB History