Do you want big names? Big numbers? Big personalities? Welcome to All-Time #MLBRank, our ranking of the top 100 players in baseball history.
To create our list, an ESPN expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups of 162 players, based on both peak performance and career value.
The top 100 will roll out next week. This week, we bring you the top 10 at each position, starting in the outfield. Thursday brings the top 10 infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday.
Have fun!
TOP 10 CENTER FIELDERS
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10. Oscar Charleston
Teams
Indianapolis ABCs (1915-18, '20, '22-23), New York Lincoln Stars ('16), Chicago American Giants ('19), Detroit Stars ('19), St. Louis Giants ('20-21), Harrisburg Giants ('24-27), Philadelphia Hilldale Giants ('26-28), Homestead Grays ('29-31), Pittsburgh Crawfords ('32-37), Toledo Crawfords ('39), Toledo/Indianapolis Crawfords ('40), Philadelphia Stars ('41)
Honors
Hall of Fame (1976)
Championships
None
Career stats
BA -- .354, SLG -- .578, Hits -- 1,452, HRs -- 157, RBI -- 804
The player
His peak years in the Negro Leagues came in the 1920s, so he's not as well remembered as Satchel Paige or Josh Gibson, but those who saw him play and saw Willie Mays will swear that Charleston was better. -- David Schoenfield, ESPN.com senior writer
Buck O'Neil said Charleston was a combination of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker "all rolled into one." In addition to his outfield range and hitting ability, he also pitched. Top that! -- Jim Caple, ESPN.com senior writer
Perhaps the greatest position player in Negro Leagues history, gifted with all of the talents we associate with Mays or Mantle, and possibly better than either. In head-to-head exhibition play against white All-Stars -- not the scrubs who padded so many all-white-era record-book exploits -- Charleston hit .318 with 11 HRs in 53 games. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com MLB writer
#MLBTonight looks back at the career of Negro League player Oscar Charleston in honor of #BlackHistoryMonth. https://t.co/bzlyKuB1mk
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 9, 2016
9. Duke Snider
Teams
Brooklyn Dodgers (1947-57), Los Angeles Dodgers ('58-62), New York Mets ('63), San Francisco Giants ('64)
Honors
Eight-time All-Star (1950-56, '63), Hall of Fame ('80)
Championships
2 -- Brooklyn (1955), Los Angeles ('59)
Career stats
.295/.380/.540 OPS -- .919, Hits -- 2,116, HRs -- 407, RBI --1,333
The player
Willie, Mickey and the Duke ... OK, he wasn't quite in their class, but from 1950 to 1956 he hit .311 and averaged 35 home runs and 113 RBIs per season. He was also a great World Series performer, slugging .594 in 36 career games. -- Schoenfield
The token Dodger in the parochial conversation over "best CF in New York City and MLB" for the '50s, Snider was a great player in his own right. But in terms of career value, he's somebody I'd put with Carlos Beltran, Kenny Lofton or Andruw Jones -- a great player in his day, but perhaps not an all-time great in center. -- Kahr
8. Cool Papa Bell
Teams
St. Louis Stars (1922-29, '29-31), Chicago American Giants ('29), Kansas City Monarchs ('32), Detroit Wolves ('32), Homestead Grays ('32), Pittsburgh Crawfords ('33-37), Tampico Alijadores ('38-39), Veracruz Azules ('40), Torreon Algodoneros ('40), Monterrey Industriales ('41), Chicago American Giants ('42), Homestead Grays ('43-46)
Honors
Hall of Fame (1974)
Championships
9 - St. Louis (Negro National League) (1928, '30, '31); Pittsburgh (NNL) ('33, '35, '36); Homestead (NNL) ('43-45)
Career stats
BA -- .317, SLG -- .426, Hits -- 1,096, HRs -- 36, RBI -- 239
The player
Satchel Paige said he was faster than Jesse Owens, although statistical records suggest the legends about his speed might be a little overstated. In lieu of videos, I'd compare him to Ichiro Suzuki, a high-average hitter who would slap the ball around the field. -- Schoenfield
Renowned for his speed (it was said he could turn off the light and be in bed before the room got dark), he would be known for even more had he been allowed to play in the majors before the color barrier ended the year after he retired. -- Caple
Probably the best center fielder on the planet well into the '30s, and on the outside looking in because of baseball's institutional racism. Bell's speed was legendary, and he was still hitting for a high average into his early 40s. -- Kahrl
7. Tris Speaker
Teams
Boston Americans (1907), Boston Red Sox ('08-15), Cleveland Indians ('16-26), Washington Senators ('27), Philadelphia A's ('28)
Honors
MVP (1912), Hall of Fame ('37)
Championships
3 -- Boston (1912, '15), Cleveland ('20)
Career stats
.345/.428/.500, OPS -- .928, Hits - 3,514, HRs -- 117, RBI - 1,531, Doubles -- 792 (all-time leader)
The player
Ty Cobb's rival from the dead ball era, the consensus is that Speaker was the better defender with the better arm, and while he wasn't quite Cobb at the plate, he was a dominant force, hitting .380 five times and remaining the all-time leader in doubles. -- Schoenfield
Ty Cobb's contemporary and statistical shadow during the all-white dead ball era, even ending his career in much the same way: under a cloud for a quickly shushed gambling scandal and playing part-time for Connie Mack. -- Kahrl
6. Mike Trout
Teams
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2011-present)
Honors
Rookie of the Year (2012), five-time All-Star ('12-16), four Silver Sluggers ('12-15), MVP ('14), two All-Star MVPs ('14-15)
Championships
None
Career stats*
.306/.400/.560, OPS -- .960, Hits -- 848, HRs -- 157, RBI -- 455
*Stats through July 10, 2016
The player
He's still young but has finished in the top two of the MVP vote in each of his four full seasons. Forget the Bryce Harper hype -- this is the best player in the game today. -- Caple
Trout excels at every baseball skill and has yet to finish a season with less than 8 fWAR. Barring a catastrophic injury or collapse, he'll finish his career as one of the greatest players of all time. -- Arthur
How incredible have Mike Trout's first five full seasons been (including 2016)? WAR7 is a stat that counts your best seven seasons via WAR: With less than five full years played and counting his ugly 2011 debut, Trout already ranks 12th all time among center fielders. If he just keeps cruising, through 2019, he'll "just" have the best seven-year run of any center fielder not named Cobb or Mays -- and they're in reach. So if you're wondering why he's already here, it's because he has earned it. -- Kahrl
5. Joe DiMaggio
Teams
New York Yankees (1936-42, '46-51)
Honors
13-time All-Star ('36-42, '46-51), three-time MVP (1939, '41, '47), Hall of Fame ('55)
Championships
9 -- New York Yankees (1936-39, '41, '47, '49-51)
Career stats
.325/.398/.579, OPS -- .977, Hits -- 2,214, HRs - 361, RBI -- 1,537
The player
In 1941, the year that DiMaggio hit in 56 straight games, he hit 30 home runs and struck out 13 times. During the streak, he struck out five times, none in the final 32 games. -- Tim Kurkjian, ESPN.com senior writer
The Yankee Clipper played only 13 seasons because he retired at age 36 and missed three seasons to WWII. But he is still a legend for his hitting, including a .325 career batting average, along with power and that amazing 56-game hitting streak that will never be topped. -- Caple
Three years of military service in what should have been his prime limit his career totals, but even beyond the longest hitting streak or winning 10 pennants in 13 seasons as the greatest player from the game's greatest dynasty, there's more to it. DiMaggio's celebrity was a product of his ability not just to produce, but to capture people's imagination. -- Kahrl
4. Ken Griffey Jr.
Teams
Seattle Mariners (1989-99, 2009-10), Cincinnati Reds ('00-08), Chicago White Sox ('08)
Honors
10-time AL All-Star ('90-99), All-Star MVP ('92), three-time NL All-Star (2000, '04, '07), 10 AL Gold Gloves ('90-99), seven AL Silver Sluggers ('91, '93-94, '96-99), AL MVP (1997), Hall of Fame ('16)
Championships
None
Career stats
.284/.370/.538, OPS -- .907, Hits -- 2,781, HRs -- 630, RBI -- 1,836
The player
The young Griffey combined grace and power, with the ability to run down fly balls at the warning track and produce prodigious power with that beautiful swing. In the 1990s, the debate for best player in the game was between him and Barry Bonds. The second half of his career was more melancholy, but he enters the Hall of Fame this year with the highest vote percentage ever received. Does that mean he was the best ever? No, but some players simply transcend their numbers, and Junior is one of them. -- Schoenfield
Junior is going into the Hall next week with the highest percentage of votes ever. Why? Because he could hit, hit with power, catch, throw and run with the best of all time. The only thing he couldn't do was get to a World Series (except when watching his dad). -- Caple
There's a bittersweet quality to Griffey's career, because injuries in his 30s kept him from barging into the Mantle-Mays conversation, but among center fielders he's second only to Mays in career home runs, with 630. The greatest most of us have seen and can clearly remember, until Mike Trout showed up. -- Kahrl
3. Ty Cobb
Teams
Detroit Tigers (1905-26), Philadelphia A's ('27-28)
Honors
MVP (1911), Hall of Fame ('36)
Championships
None
Career stats
.366 (all-time leader)/.433/.512, OPS -- .945, Hits -- 4,189, HRs -- 117, RBI -- 1,933
The player
On May 5, 1925, Ty Cobb, angered that a writer called him a singles hitter, went 6-for-6 with three home runs and a double, for a total of 16 total bases, then an American League record. -- Kurkjian
With a .366 career mark and 12 batting titles, he's the greatest hitter of all time, if you simply mean batting average. He was also the greatest base stealer of his era and led his league eight times in slugging percentage. More than 100 years after Cobb's debut, his legacy remains secure. -- Schoenfield
Perhaps not the nicest man who ever played the game, he still was one of the best. He won 12 batting titles and hit .400 twice, and his career average of .366 is the highest ever. -- Caple
The electric offensive star of the game's dead ball era, Cobb owns the all-time highest career batting average, made more impressive still by his .950 OPS before they moved to the livelier ball. The DH rule might have kept him on the field until he was 50, because he hit .323 in his last season at 41. -- Kahrl
2. Mickey Mantle
Teams
New York Yankees (1951-68)
Honors
20-time All-Star ('52-65*, '67-68), Triple Crown ('56), three-time MVP (1956-57, '62), Gold Glove ('62), Hall of Fame ('74)
*played in two All-Star Games in '59, '60, '61 and '62
Championships
7 -- New York (1951-53, '56, '58, '61-62)
Career stats
.298/.421/.557, OPS -- .977, Hits -- 2,415, HRs - 536, RBI -- 1,509
The player
Mickey Mantle had an OPS over 1.000 eight times in a 10-year span. In that span, Mantle scored more than 100 runs in seven consecutive seasons, drew 100 or more walks in eight seasons and won three American League MVP awards. -- Kurkjian
He won three AL MVP Award and probably should have won six. His 1956-57 seasons are arguably the best consecutive seasons a position player ever had, and he won the Triple Crown in 1956. He wasn't the center fielder that Willie Mays was, and his career was shorter because his knees went bad, but the worshipping was justified. -- Schoenfield
Mantle is the best switch-hitter in the history of the game via WAR, OPS+ and home runs. The quandary he leaves us with is whether he'd have been even greater if he hadn't injured himself early on the field, or wasted his talents late away from it. For all that, he was one of the signature players of the game's "Golden Era," so much beloved among the Boomers who grew up then. -- Kahrl
1. Willie Mays
Teams
New York Giants (1951-52, '54-57), San Francisco Giants ('58-72), New York Mets ('72-73)
Honors
Rookie of the Year (1951), two-time MVP ('54, '65), 24-time All-Star ('54-73*), 12 Gold Gloves ('57-68), Hall of Fame ('79)
*played in two All-Star Games in '59, '60, '61 and '62
Championships
1 -- New York (1954)
Career stats
.302/.384/.557, OPS -- .941, Hits 3,283, 660 HRs, 1,903 RBI
The player
When Mays arrived in the major leagues in 1951, the game had never seen such a combination of power and speed. And he remains the greatest such combination ever. When he retired in 1973, Mays was second all time in home runs and 29th in stolen bases. -- Kurkjian
The Say Hey Kid might have been the greatest player of all time with 660 HRs, two MVPs and 20 All-Star Game appearances. And his catch of Vic Wertz's fly ball in the 1954 World Series will remain in baseball memories forever. -- Caple
Like Oscar Charleston with the benefit of inclusion or Mickey Mantle without the injuries, Mays is easily the best. He's greatness without question marks, ranking tops in WAR, peak performance, Jaffe's JAWS, all of which do more than just total up offensive value by making space for Mays' defensive greatness. -- Kahrl