MLB: The best since 1969 in right field – Surprise, it’s Larry Walker

Perhaps at no position is the debate over best player of the MLB expansion era as wide open as it is in right field.

Unlike at some other positions – Barry Bonds in left field, Joe Morgan at second, Mariano Rivera in the pen — there is no obvious king. Tony Gwynn hit for average, but not power. Sammy Sosa has all those PED questions clouding his legitimacy. Dave Winfield and Gary Sheffield were indifferent defenders. Ichiro Suzuki is over-rated. And what of Hall of Famers Larry Walker, Andre Dawson, Vlad Guerrero, and Reggie Jackson?

MLB Network personalities Brian Kenny and Bob Costas wrestled with the question of who among that group ought to be proclaimed the best during the latest installment of the network’s ‘Top 10 Right Now’ Wednesday. That episode included a segment rating post-1969 right-fielders.

There’s one other question about right field. Do you even consider Hank Aaron, who played only 30 percent of his career in the divisional era?

Bob Costas did, and rated Aaron No. 1. Brian Kenny did not. Although he had some great seasons late in his career, Aaron’s offensive peak occurred in the early 1960s. For that reason, this ranking agrees with Kenny’s approach and does not assess Aaron. If you choose to include Aaron, he almost certainly rises to the top.

Before measuring how accurate the Kenny and Costas lists were, here are their respective top 10s:

                 Kenny                                   Costas

1              Reggie Jackson                  Hank Aaron

2              Tony Gwynn                       Tony Gwynn

3              Dwight Evans                     Reggie Jackson

4              Dave Winfield                    Ichiro Suzuki

5              Andre Dawson                  Larry Walker

6              Vlad Guerrero                   Vlad Guerrero

7              Gary Sheffield                   Dave Winfield

8              Larry Walker                       Andre Dawson

9              Ichiro Suzuki                       Mookie Betts

10           Dave Parker                       Sammy Sosa

As we pursue this categorical analysis, you’re going to see greater differences of viewpoint for right field than perhaps any other position.

Right field is an inherently offensive position, but it demands one unique defensive talent: a strong throwing arm. Our five ratings criteria reflect those varying demands, and they include one category – assists – designed to evaluate the ability to throw the ball. When all five categories are assessed, the player with the average ordinal score closest to a perfect rating of 1.0 is the winner.

The criteria are: 1. Five-season peak performance with OPS+ as the yardstick; 2. Cumulative OPS+ over the course of their careers; 3. Career MVP shares; 4. Career Defensive Wins Above Replacement; 5. Assists per 162 games; 6. Baserunning runs.

Alphabetically, the 30 nominees are:  Bobby Abreu, Harold Baines, Jose Bautista, Mookie Betts, Bobby Bonds, Jose Canseco, Andre Dawson, Dwight Evans, Kirk Gibson, Carlos Gonzalez, Juan Gonzalez, Vlad Guerrero, Tony Gwynn, Josh Hamilton, Bryce Harper, Reggie Jackson, Dave Justice, Paul O’Neill, Magglio Ordonez, Dave Parker, Hunter Pence, Tim Salmon, Gary Sheffield, Ken Singleton, Sammy Sosa, Giancarlo Stanton, Darryl Strawberry, Ichiro Suzuki, Larry Walker, and Dave Winfield.