With apologies to first base, left field is the usual landing spot of the least athletic players on the team. Or the guys with the worst arms. But throughout the years there have been several outliers stationed in left field. Some of the best players in the history of the game called left field home. More than a few of them will be included in my list of The Top Left Fielders…Of My Lifetime.

10. Carl Crawford

Carl Crawford definitely didn’t belong in the unathletic category of left fielders. In fact, Craword led the American League in stolen bases and triples four times each during his time in Tampa Bay with the Rays. He was also a 4-time All-Star with the Rays and enjoyed perhaps the best season of his career during his final year with the team in 2010. He batted .307, led the league in triples with 13, swiped 47 bags, and had career highs in HRs (19) and RBI (90). This career year for Crawford would lead to him winning his only career Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards and paved the way towards a lucrative free agent contract with the Boston Red Sox. He would have 2 and half productive seasons in Boston before being dealt to the Dodgers at the deadline in 2012. He continued to put up good numbers initially in LA before being hampered by injuries and eventually retiring after being released in 2016. Crawford was an exciting player to watch and we might soon get a chance to see his athleticism on display again. Well kind of, his son Justin was drafted 17th overall by the Phillies in last year’s draft. I look forward to seeing Justin break into the bigs and bring conjure up the memories of Carl and his thrilling playing days.

9. Luis Gonzalez

Gonzo made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros in 1990. He toiled in relative baseball mediocrity for a decade with the Astros and later the Cubs and Tigers before finding a home and a career rebirth with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1999. Gonzalez showed signs of a breakout in 1998 while with the Tigers, hitting 23 HRs, but I don’t think anyone, including Arizona would’ve predicted the kind of numbers he would put up during his first season in the desert. He batted .336 and led the NL in hits with 206, including 45 doubles and 26 HRs. He also drove in 111 runs on his way to making the first of his 5 career All-Star games. I think it’s safe to say that Gonzalez liked the climate in Arizona. Gonzalez’s numbers continued to impress the next few years, but he truly became a legend with his series-winning, clutch walk-off single against the Yankees Hall of Fame closer, Mariona Rivera, in the classic 2001 World Series. Certain players become known for certain plays and although Gonzo was a really good player who put up some monster seasons in Arizona, this will always be the case with him. At least in my memory.

8. Ryan Klesko

Attention readers, we are now entering the Atlanta Braves portion of our blog post. Starting with number 8 on my list, Ryan Klesko. Klesko was a power hitting phenom who had two late season cups of coffee with the Braves before making the big club to stay in the 1994 season. His first full season in the majors came the following year and Klesko was an integral part of the 1995 World Champion Braves team. He put his power on display in the World Series that year. Hitting home runs in three consecutive games (3, 4, and 5), Klesko helped lead the Braves to their first Championship in Atlanta. He played with Atlanta for the remainder of the decade before heading west to join the San Diego Padres in 2000. His 2001 season with the Padres was perhaps his finest. Klesko hit .286 with 30 homers, 113 rbi and an impressive 23 stolen bases. Those numbers helped Klesko get elected to his first and only All-Star selection. Klesko was always a fan favorite in Atlanta and will always be a personal favorite of mine due to his tape measure homers and his ’95 World Series performance.

7. Justin Upton

Y’all gon’ make me lose my mind, Upton here, Upton here. When the Braves pulled off a blockbuster trade for Justin Upton in January of 2013, Braves Country practically did lose their collective mind. Justin’s older brother, BJ, had signed a free agent deal with Atlanta earlier in the offseason and the trade for Justin reunited the brothers. The Upton unification coupled with up and coming star, Jason Heyward, gave the Braves the most exciting outfield in baseball. The time had come to stop, drop and shut em’ down open up shop, but the outfield trio didn’t really pan out as expected and it wouldn’t be long before Braves fans lost their minds in a different way. Because BJ was basically brutally bad in Atlanta. Hitting .184 and .208 in his 2 seasons with the Braves. To his credit, Justin, who also played 2 seasons in Atlanta, held up his end of the bargain. He hit 27 and 29 HRs, respectively. His April of 2013 was particularly memorable as Justin was simply on fire. He homered seemingly every night and spurred a huge blockbuster deal in the inaugural season of our dynasty fantasy baseball league, with my buddy Willis parting with ace pitchers Stephen Strasburg and David Price to acquire Upton’s services. Needless to say, Willis finished last due to his willingness to pay the “Braves tax” in a fantasy baseball trade. Altogether Upton enjoyed a solid big league career including 4 All-Star selections and a Silver Slugger. Or in other words, Up was gonna give to ya, gonna give it to ya. He makes the list because of the excitement induced by visions of brotherly bombs and an electric Atlanta outfield that never really materialized.

6. Ron Gant

We are here to pump… you up! Ron Gant was definitely no girly man. Although he played most of his career in left field, Gant actually started out as a second baseman. There must be something about Braves second basemen and schmedium jerseys. Because just like another memorable Braves player, and OMLT list alumnus, Dan Uggla, Gant really filled out the sleeves of a baseball uniform. He also filled up the stat sheet. Gant had back-to-back 30/30 seasons in 1991 and 1992. He had career highs with 36 HRs and 117 RBI in 1994 and seemed to be on the verge of baseball superstardom. The Braves signed him to one of the largest contracts in team history that offseason. Shortly after the ink dried on that contract Gant broke his right leg in an ATV accident and was subsequently released by Atlanta. He missed the entire 1994 season before playing the 1995 season with the Reds. Even though Gant made the All-Star team that season he didn’t seem to have the same explosiveness as he did prior to the accident. He went on to have a nice career, mostly with the Cardinals, then bouncing around several teams before eventually retiring after 16 years in the show. We can only imagine what his career numbers would’ve looked liked if not for the ATV incident. He could’ve quite possibly moved way up on this list.

5. Alfonso Soriano

Next on the list we have another left fielder who made the transition to the position from second base, Alfonso Soriano. Soriano actually started his baseball career in Japan, playing in the Japanese minor leagues and then with the Hiroshima Tokyo Carp in the NPB. After a bit of legal wrangling he was able to retire from the NPB and became a MLB free agent in 1998. He was signed by the Yankees and made his big league debut in 1999. He took over the starting second base job in 2001 and had decent numbers before breaking out big in 2002. He led the American League in hits with 209 and stolen bases with 41. He also hit 39 HRs, 51 doubles and drove in 102 runs on his way to making the first of his 7 consecutive All-Star teams. During that seven year stretch Soriano won 4 Silver Sluggers, had three 30/30 seasons and one 40/40 season in 2006. Soriano’s combination of power and speed was unparalleled at the time. He finished his career with 481 HRs and 289 stolen bases, good for number 5 on my list.

4. Tim Raines

If ya smell la la la… what Rock is cookin’. Tim “Rock” Raines was the most electrifying man in left field throughout the 1980’s. He made many pitchers of his era look like roody poo candy asses and it didn’t matter what the catcher’s name was. Raines would tell them to just bring it, on his way to leading the NL in steals 4 consecutive seasons from 1981 to 1984. He also made 7 consecutive NL All-Star teams starting in 1981. It seemed as though Raines swiped millions… and millions of bases during his career but he actually ended with 808, good for 5th on the all-time list. Eventually Hall of Fame voters knew their role and shut their mouths and elected Raines into HOF in 2017 after ten years on the ballot. Well deserved for a player who laid the smack down on the diamond for two decades.

3. Manny Ramirez

Manny being Manny meant many things. Good, bad and ugly. Let’s start with the bad. Manny was known to mentally check out frequently during games. Especially while playing defense. Calling him a left fielder is being generous. The phrase “off in left field” fit Manny perfectly. Now for the good. Manny hit. For average, with a .312 career number and a batting title with a .349 total in 2002. For power, with 555 career homers and a HR title with 43 in 2004. He also owns the career record for postseason HRs with 29. Lastly, we have the ugly. Steroids. Manny was suspended on two different occasions for testing positive for performance enhancing substances. Like many known baseball steroids users, it’s a curiosity to know what his career numbers would’ve been without them. Even so, it’s hard to deny that Manny was one of the best hitters in baseball history, evidenced by his 12 All-Star selections and 9 Silver Sluggers. Just Manny being Manny.

2. Rickey Henderson

The “Man of Steal”, Rickey Henderson was a real life superhero on the baseball field. Henderson is widely regarded as the best leadoff hitter and baserunner in the history of baseball. He holds the Major League records for career stolen bases, runs, walks (minus intentional walks) and leadoff home runs.His 1,406 career steals is 50% higher than the total of second place on the all-time list. He holds the single-season stolen base record with an astonishing 130 in 1982. To put that into perspective, the Texas Rangers lead the majors in stolen bases in 2022 with 128. No team in baseball stole more bases collectively last year than Henderson did by himself in 1982! He led his league in steals 12 separate seasons, including 66 in 1998 at age 39. Henderson made 12 All-Star teams, won 3 Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove and was the 1990 AL MVP. The man who was faster than a speeding bullet was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009. Rickey was one of a kind but he only takes the number 2 spot on my list.

1. Barry Bonds

The most controversial player in the history of the game and arguably the best hitter. Barry Bonds. There are opinions everywhere on Bonds and his achievements. You can almost split his career in halves and have 2 Hall of Fame players. He was one of the best players in baseball before the steroid era and was undoubtedly the best hitter during it. His numbers are staggering. He owns the career records for HRs (762), base on balls (2558) and intentional walks (688). He holds the single-season HR record with 73. Bonds was a 14-time All-Star, won 12 Silver Sluggers, 8 Gold Gloves, 2 batting titles and a record 7 MVP Awards. From the 2000 season until he retired in 2007, Bonds was simply the most dominant hitter in history. Bonds had a .609 on-base percentage in 2004. Imagine getting on base 60% of the time. It’s unreal. I could go on and on about Bonds’ career numbers and accomplishments but to put it as plainly as possible, Bonds was the Top Left Fielder…Of My Lifetime. And quite possibly the best hitter of all-time.