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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) /
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ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY, 1972: Outfielder Jimmy Wynn, of the Houston Astros, poses for a portrait prior to a game in May, 1972 against the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by: Diamond Images/Getty Images) /

Best All-Time Center Fielders #18: Jimmy Wynn

“Anytime you get your number retired, it’s almost like getting into the Hall of Fame.”—Jimmy Wynn

It took a couple years until Jimmy Wynn established himself in the big leagues, but once he got going he was very impressive. His first great year came in 1965, when the 23-year-old hit .275/.371/.470, launched 22 homers, and stole 43 bases. Based on Fangraphs WAR, that was the 13th-best season ever by a 23-year-old center fielder.

Two years later, Wynn hit a career-high 37 homers and earned the nickname “The Toy Cannon” from Houston Chronicle sportswriter John Wilson. The name referenced Wynn’s small size (5-foot-10, 160 pounds) and powerful bat. Wynn didn’t like it at first, but he eventually came around and even used it as the title of his autobiography. He could hit some serious bombs, like this one at Crosley Field in 1967.

Wynn would have fit better in today’s game than he did in the 1960s and 1970s. Back then, batting average was king. Wynn’s career average of .250 was not impressive. Today he would be better appreciated for his .366 career on-base percentage—he walked more than 100 times in six different seasons—and his ability to hit for power, including eight seasons with 20 or more home runs.

Despite putting up eight seasons with at least 4.3 WAR (Fangraphs), Wynn only made the all-star team three times. Playing in Houston likely played a role because two of those all-star team selections came after he left Houston for Los Angeles. With the Dodgers in the 1974 postseason, Wynn had an ugly .192 batting average, but with a much more impressive .450 OBP and .423 slugging percentage.

Wynn’s production plummeted greatly at the end of his career. He had an above average 2.5 WAR season in 1976 with the Atlanta Braves, but was below replacement-level during stints with the Yankees and Brewers in 1977. Had he aged more gracefully, he could have approached the value of Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn and Andre Dawson. Instead, the quick end to his career resulted in a goose egg in his one year on the Hall of Fame ballot.

For more than 25 years from 1988 on, Wynn worked in community relations with the Astros. He spoke to kids about staying in school, working hard, and avoiding drug use. In 1992, he entered the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2005, the Astros retired his number 24. Seven years later, they opened up a baseball facility for urban youth and named it the Jimmy Wynn Training Center.

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