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 LEFT FIELDERS
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10. Al Simmons
Teams
Philadelphia A's (1924-32, '40-41, '44), Chicago White Sox ('33-35), Detroit Tigers ('36), Washington Senators ('37-38), Boston Bees ('39), Cincinnati Reds ('39), Boston Red Sox ('43)
Honors
Three-time AL All-Star (1933-35), Hall of Fame ('53)
Championships
2 -- Philadelphia A's (1929-30)
Career stats
.334/.380/.535, OPS -- .915, Hits -- 2,927, HRs -- 307, RBIs -- 1,828
The player
Simply put, one of the greatest hitters of his generation. Hard to imagine he played for seven -- count 'em, seven -- teams. -- Scott Lauber, ESPN.com Red Sox reporter
A star on the World Series-winning 1929 and '30 Philadelphia A's, they called him "Bucketfoot Al" because of his batting stance. Known for his intensity, he won two batting titles while hitting .334 in his career and drove in 100-plus runs his first 11 seasons. -- David Schoenfield, ESPN.com senior writer
Simmons hit .334 for his career and batted .390 one season. Too bad he wasn't able to play longer because he finished just 73 hits shy of 3,000. -- Jim Caple, ESPN.com senior writer
Another whites-only era star, you can acknowledge that and then enjoy his being the Hall of Famer who never did stop putting his foot in the bucket at bat, as well as the key role he played as a guy with tremendous plate coverage starring for Connie Mack's last A's dynasty in 1929-31. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com baseball writer
9. Wille Stargell
Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1962-82)
Honors
Seven-time All-Star ('64-66, '71-73, '78), World Series MVP (1979), MVP ('79), Hall of Fame ('88)
Championships
2 -- Pittsburgh (1971, '79)
Career stats
.282/.360/.529, OPS -- .889, Hits -- 2,232, HRs -- 475, RBIs -- 1,540
The player
The most feared slugger on the "We Are Family" Pirates? "Pops," of course. -- Lauber
Pops hit 475 home runs but as produtive as he was, Pops was known for his team leadership. Which helped him earn the 1979 MVP award at age 39. -- Caple
"Pops" was a legend long before his last great season in '79, but the high-mound '60s muted his greatness: He slugged .491 in his 20s before they lowered the mound, then .555 afterward in 1969-1979. Without that, he'd be far beyond 500 career home runs, and get far more credit on this list. -- Kahrl
8. Tim Raines
Teams
Montreal Expos (1979-90, 2001), Chicago White Sox ('91-95), New York Yankees ('96-98), Oakland A's ('99), Baltimore Orioles ('01), Florida Marlins ('02)
Honors
Seven-time NL All-Star (1981-87), NL Silver Slugger ('86), All-Star Game MVP ('87)
Championships
1 -- New York (1996)
Career stats
.294/.385/.425, OPS -- .810, Hits -- 2,605, HRs -- 170, RBIs -- 980
The player
The fact that he's one of only four players with at least 2,500 hits, 1,500 runs and 800 stolen bases proves he was far more than merely Rickey Henderson Lite. -- Lauber
A seven-time All-Star who stole 808 bases, Raines also played in the majors with his son, Tim Jr. He did not have the career of his father, but who did? Raines Sr. belongs in the Hall of Fame. -- Caple
In the conversation because he was the NL's answer to Rickey Henderson and arguably the greatest player in Expos history, he was also one of the players robbed of his best opportunities to star in a bigger market by the owners' collusion conspiracy of the '80s. Worthy of this list as well as the Hall of Fame. -- Kahrl
7. Shoeless Joe Jackson
Teams
Philadelphia A's (1908-09), Cleveland Naps ('10-14), Cleveland Indians ('15), Chicago White Sox ('15-20)
Honors
None
Championships
1 -- Chicago (1917)
Career stats
.356/.423/.517, OPS -- .940, Hits -- 1,772, HRs -- 54, RBIs -- 785
The player
None other than Babe Ruth said Jackson was "the greatest natural hitter I ever saw." If only the world had seen more of Jackson, whose association with the Black Sox scandal cut short his career at age 32. -- Lauber
Was he one of the best pure hitters ever? Sure, he probably was. But I wouldn't put him in the top 100 players. His career, you may have heard, was cut a little short after all. -- Schoenfield
He's known primarily for taking money to throw the 1919 World Series but Jackson hit an astounding .356 for his career and batted .382 with a dozen home runs his final season. Maybe other gamblers should have paid him to make sure the White Sox won that series. -- Caple
Still judged for his inclusion in the Black Sox scandal, and still condemned for it. Suspended forever after his age-32 season, since we don't have the back slope of his career to judge him fully, not someone I'd rank among these others. -- Kahrl
6. Manny Ramirez
Teams
Cleveland Indians (1993-2000), Boston Red Sox ('01-08), Los Angeles Dodgers ('08-10), Chicago White Sox ('10), Tampa Bay Rays ('11)
Honors
Nine AL Silver Sluggers (1995, '99-06), 12-time AL All-Star ('95, '98-08), World Series MVP (2004)
Championships
2 -- Boston (2004, '07)
Career stats
.312/.411/.585, OPS -- .996, Hits -- 2,574, HRs -- 555, RBIs -- 1,831
The player
Charlie Manuel often says that to know Manny is to understand him. Many who have known Manny would disagree. Regardless, he makes everybody's short list of the greatest right-handed hitters of all-time. -- Lauber
Another left fielder with PED issues, Manny hit .312 with 555 home runs. He also helped the Red Sox to their first world series title in 86 years. -- Caple
"Manny being Manny" wasn't merely the clownish contemporary riff on a Ruthian theme, his raw stats also wouldn't look out of place among the greats in whites-only era between the wars, even acknowledging his late-career suspensions for PEDs. -- Kahrl
5. Carl Yastrzemski
Teams
Boston Red Sox (1961-83)
Honors
18-time All-Star ('63, '65-79, '82-83), All-Star Game MVP ('70), MVP (1967), Triple Crown ('67), seven Gold Gloves ('63, '65, '67-69, '71, '77), Hall of Fame ('89)
Championships
None
Career stats
.285/.379/.462, OPS -- .841, Hits -- 3,419, HRs -- 452, RBIs -- 1,844
The player
Say what you want about his 3,419 hits or his 452 home runs. Yaz's greatest achievement might have been succeeding Ted Williams in left field at Fenway Park in 1961 and playing at a Hall-of-Fame level for the next 23 years. -- Lauber
His 1967 season goes down as one of the best ever: He won the Triple Crown, hitting .326/.418/.622 with 44 home runs in a pitcher's era, but most famously carried the Impossible Dream Red Sox to the pennant, hitting .417 with nine home runs and 26 RBIs in September. -- Schoenfield
It isn't easy taking the place of Ted Williams, but Yaz did a pretty good job, winning three batting titles and making 18 All-Star teams. He also knew how to play the Green Monster pretty well. -- Caple
When you look at combined value metrics like WAR or Jay Jaffe's JAWS, it might surprise you to find that after LF's all-time trinity of Williams, Bonds and Henderson, Yaz is the guy who doesn't quite rise to their level, but is far better than everyone else on this list. In itself, that's a testament to his greatness. A premium defender in front of the Green Monster and another star who saw the low-scoring '60s cut into his prime seasons. -- Kahrl
4. Pete Rose
Teams
Cincinnati Reds (1963-78, '84-86), Philadelphia Phillies ('79-83), Montreal Expos ('84)
Honors
Rookie of the Year (1963), 17-time All-Star ('65, '67-71, '73-82, '85), MVP ('73), World Series MVP ('75), two Gold Gloves ('69, '70), Silver Slugger ('81),
Championships
3 -- Cincinnati (1975, '76) Philadelphia ('80)
Career stats
.303/.375/.409, OPS -- .784, Hits -- 4,256 (all-time leader), HRs - 160, RBIs -- 1,314, Games -- 3,562 (all-time leader), At-bats -- 14,053 (all-time leader)
The player
The epitome of a hustler, on the field and off. Records are made to be broken, but MLB's all-time hit king might never lose his crown. -- Lauber
In one sense, the hits record made him overrated -- his career OPS+ is the same as Justin Upton or Ken Griffey SENIOR -- and he hung on way too long when he was no longer productive. But at his peak, he was excellent, a guy who could get on base, would play wherever his team needed him (he was a regular second base, left field, right field, third base and first base) and rarely missed a game. -- Schoenfield
Charlie Hustle played at least 500 games games in five positions, but he was always best at the plate. Rose finished with 4,256 hits and he also touched home plate with a run 2,165 times. Who would have bet he could do all that? -- Caple
3. Rickey Henderson
Teams
Oakland A's (1979-84, '89-93, '94-95, '98), New York Yankees ('85-89), Toronto Blue Jays ('93), San Diego Padres ('96-97, '01), Anaheim Angels ('97), New York Mets ('99-2000), Seattle Mariners ('00), Boston Red Sox ('02), Los Angeles Dodgers ('03)
Honors
10-time AL All-Star (1980, '82-88, '90-91), AL Gold Glove ('81), three AL Silver Sluggers ('81, '85, '90), AL MVP ('90), Hall of Fame (2009)
Championships
2 -- Oakland (1989), Toronto ('93)
Career stats
.279/.401/.419, OPS -- .820, Hits -- 3,055, HRs -- 297, RBIs -- 1,115, Runs -- 2,295 (all-time leader), SB -- 1,406 (all-time leader)
The player
"Rickey being Rickey" was a sight to behold. He could beat you with a walk, two stolen bases and a sacrifice fly or with a towering home run. As fast as he was, somehow those stirrup socks made him look even faster. -- Lauber
Here's how good Rickey was: Even if he never stole a base he'd be a Hall of Famer. But he stole 1,406 of them, the most ever, and scored the most runs in MLB history. He won one MVP award and probably should have won three. The unquestioned best leadoff hitter of all time. -- Schoenfield
Not only the all-time leader in stolen bases (and the single season record holder as well), Rickey also holds the record for most career runs (2,295). And runs, are the most important stat in baseball. -- Caple
The best leadoff man in the history of the game, Rickey was a joy to watch: the deep crouch at the plate, the coiled spring taking his lead at first base, the swagger. Add to that his limitless joy in playing anywhere that would play him at the end. -- Kahrl
2. Barry Bonds
Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-92), San Francisco Giants ('93-2007)
Honors
Seven-time MVP (1990, '92-93, 2001-04), 14-time All-Star ('90, '92-98, '00-04, '07), eight Gold Gloves ('90-94, '96-98), 12 Silver Sluggers ('90-94, '96-97, '00-04)
Championships
None
Career stats
.298/.444/.607, OPS -- 1.051, Hits -- 2,935; HRs -- 762 (all-time leader), RBIs -- 1,996; BBs -- 2,558 (all-time leader); IBBs -- 688 (all-time leader)
The player
He is, after Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, the greatest hitter ever. In 2002, Bonds was walked intentionally with no one on base eight times. -- Tim Kurkjian, ESPN.com senior writer
For as much as we dwell on the video-arcade numbers from his final 10 seasons, sometimes we don't make enough of what he did in his first 12: .288/.408/.551, 374 HR, 417 SB, three NL MVP awards. -- Lauber
The numbers defy sense. He posted a .609 OBP one year. That gets you all-county in high school; you don't do that in the major leagues. Yes, his legacy is deservedly controversial, but Ted Williams wasn't close to the all-around player that Bonds was. And Williams never posted a .609 OBP. -- Schoenfield
Sure, there is the PED issue. But Bonds is among the greatest players of all time, with 762 home runs, a career OPS of 1.051. He was so feared a hitter that he once was walked intentionally -- with the bases loaded. -- Caple
Barry Bonds the young player was the game's greatest in his day; Barry Bonds the older man was the most feared slugger ever. Some might put an asterisk next to his name, but the performance was the best ever at left field or power production. -- Kahrl
1. Ted Williams
Teams
Boston Red Sox (1939-42, '46-60)
Honors
Two-time MVP (1946, '49), two Triple Crowns ('42, '47), 19-time All-Star ('40-42, '46-51, '53-60*), Hall of Fame ('66)
*played in two All-Star Games in '59 and '60.
Championships
None
Career stats
.344/.482 (all-time leader)/.634, OPS -- 1.116, Hits -- 2,654; HRs -- 521, RBIs -- 1,839
The player
David Ortiz insists on calling him "Mr. Williams," Big Papi's nod to the greatest hitter who ever lived. Just imagine if he hadn't lost three prime years to serve in World War II. -- Lauber
You know the quote: Williams once supposedly said, "All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street folks will say, 'There goes the greatest hitter that ever lived.' " It has been 56 since he last played; nobody has passed him yet (although Barry Bonds came close). -- Schoenfield
The last player to hit .400, Teddy Ballgame batted .334 with 521 home runs despite missing five seasons while serving in two wars And when he homered in his last at-bat, there went the greatest hitter who ever lived. -- Caple
The last .400 hitter, decorated veteran, the pull hitter so great the shift couldn't stop him, Williams' legend as the patron saint of the art of hitting is unchallengeable. -- Kahrl