# Who is the greatest Left Fielder of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 12, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519 "2012-03-12T02:20:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/21 "2012-03-12T13:47:08Z")
Ted Williams is the last man to hit .400. He was offered the opportunity to sit out the last two games of the season (a double-header) so that he could maintain that average and not risk dipping below it (he was teetering right on .400). He went 6-for-8 and ended up hitting .406 Teddy Baseball. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/22 "2012-03-12T14:26:19Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > This one had me scratching my head, I wonder if I got the wrong names from the HOF thread for LF from 2008. I’ll check again when I get home. Though I would take Ted over Bonds for just the 7years lost in service not to mention the face of steroids thing with Bonds. You need some nomination threads first. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/23 "2012-03-12T14:38:55Z")
I feel like Musial is getting short shrift because of the positional eligibility thing. Is he really a LF when he played more games at 1B than there? Of course he played a bunch in RF too (and even \>300 games in CF). I’m not saying he’d win in any of these, but I think he’s more competitive at 1B than he is in this group (and in fact he leads the career 1B WAR list at fangraphs). And a LF list without Bonds or Rickey on it is just “wha?”. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/24 "2012-03-12T15:04:32Z")
It’s Ted Williams by a mile not matter what, but Bonds and Manny are glaring omissions compared to some of the riff raff on there. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/25 "2012-03-12T16:16:13Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > I feel like Musial is getting short shrift because of the positional eligibility thing. Is he really a LF when he played more games at 1B than there? Of course he played a bunch in RF too (and even \>300 games in CF). It’s just the simple fact that some players do not easily categorize. Baseball history isn’t that easy to pick apart. Stan Musial really has no set position. Pete Rose doesn’t, either; he played second, right, left, third and first. What do you call him? Paul Molitor played several positions. Alex Rodriguez is listed in the Shortstop poll, but sometime in 2013 will have played more games at third; it kind of seems weird to compare him as a shortstop to guys who played 2000+ games there but it will seem equally weird to compare him to career third basemen. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/26 "2012-03-12T16:35:19Z")
1. What are Alou and Gibson doing in this poll? 2. The answer is Ted Williams, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/27 "2012-03-12T17:05:04Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Moises Alou? Jesus! Disagree. Felipe played more games in left than Jesus! ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/28 "2012-03-12T17:41:59Z")
The current poll results just reaffirms my belief that Stan Musial is the most underrated player in MLB history. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/29 "2012-03-12T17:49:45Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > The current poll results just reaffirms my belief that Stan Musial is the most underrated player in MLB history. That may be (in fact, probably is) true. But I’m not sure the poll results tell you that. To me he’s a close second out of the choices offered, and third if Bonds were included. He’d also be a solid second behind Gehrig in the 1B list, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/30 "2012-03-12T19:15:18Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > That may be (in fact, probably is) true. But I’m not sure the poll results tell you that. To me he’s a close second out of the choices offered, and third if Bonds were included. > > He’d also be a solid second behind Gehrig in the 1B list, IMO. That’s the thing; Musial ranking behind Bonds and/or Williams doesn’t say a lot, just as it’s no knock on Mantle and DiMaggio that they’re losing to Willie Mays in the CF poll. Does anything seriously think JOE DIMAGGIO is underrated? Of course not, so why would Musial be? A one-choice poll will naturally tend to exclude many great players. If you did a “pick the top five” poll and Musial was getting left off that would be different. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/31 "2012-03-12T19:34:21Z")
I continue to be mystified by the Musial is underrated movement. He’s more than 30 points of OPS+ behind Ted Williams – which means it’s a bigger difference than there is between Wade Boggs and Ty Wigginton at the plate – and at least 8% of those responding think he’s better anyway. He’s got about as much support as Ty Cobb has in the centerfield poll. People have been heard on this message board to say he’s the greatest player of all time, period. If he’s being valued wrong, it isn’t happening downward. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/32 "2012-03-12T20:04:00Z")
kunilou: > [@](#): > > Disagree. Felipe played more games in left than Jesus! But he wasn’t bigger than him. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/33 "2012-03-12T20:17:11Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > I continue to be mystified by the Musial is underrated movement. He’s more than 30 points of OPS+ behind Ted Williams – which means it’s a bigger difference than there is between Wade Boggs and Ty Wigginton at the plate – and at least 8% of those responding think he’s better anyway. He’s got about as much support as Ty Cobb has in the centerfield poll. People have been heard on this message board to say he’s the greatest player of all time, period. > > If he’s being valued wrong, it isn’t happening downward. OK, I will concede compared to Williams he isn’t underrated. But in overall Baseball discussion I think he is underrated. His OPS+ is better than Aaron, Mays, DiMaggio to name a few. So in that regard I think he is underrated. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/34 "2012-03-12T23:25:41Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > I continue to be mystified by the Musial is underrated movement. Well, it all started when he was overlooked for the All Century team. Since then a number of prominent writers have banged his drum pretty consistently, so it’s bound to get picked up on message boards too. I think he’s probably pretty solidly regarded right now - as one of the 10 or so best to play the game. Also the idea that Williams was significantly better than Musial is pretty off-base, IMO. Their career WARs are almost identical - any edge Williams had with the bat he gave up with the glove. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/35 "2012-03-12T23:27:46Z")
Plus any credit you give him for the war years. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/36 "2012-03-12T23:34:10Z")
Yeah, that’s true **Tom**. But for me the credit I am forced to give is, well, none. We can guess at what he might have done, but if we do that we have a whole raft of players to start considering pre-1947. And, of course, Musial missed a season as well. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/37 "2012-03-12T23:41:59Z")
No shock, this poll is a screw up. I was too tired when I did it last night and grabbed the wrong 10. It came from this thread: \*\* [SDMB Baseball Hall of Fame, Round 8: Left Fielders](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=481932)\*\*. That thread had no summary post and I grabbed the last list of 10 by mistake. So we should probably do this one over. Sorry everyone, I goofed. Should we figure out the ballot of 10 and restart this one? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/38 "2012-03-13T01:59:29Z")
Bonds, then Henderson. Or just Henderson if you’re not into the whole steroids thing. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/39 "2012-03-13T02:02:30Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Bonds, then Henderson. Or just Henderson if you’re not into the whole steroids thing. Why Henderson over Ted Williams? Or Musial? ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-left-fielder-of-all-time/615519/40 "2012-03-13T15:06:43Z")
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