When I first had the idea to make baseball positions lists, before sitting down and actually writing out the names of the players at each position, I assumed that either shortstop or center field would be the hardest positions to narrow down to ten. I was mistaken. As it turns out right field has proven to be the most difficult and I’ve had to make some painful omissions. Just take a look at some of the current MLB right fielders; Acuna, Judge, Harper, Betts, Tatis, Kyle Tucker, George Springer. It is arguably the most stacked position in the sport. Now carry that over the span of 42 years and you begin to see my dilemma. But the lists must go on. So after much internal debate, I present to you The Top Right Fielders…Of My Lifetime.

10. Yasiel Puig

Yasiel Puig burst onto the American baseball scene in Spring Training of the 2013 season. After a strong 2012 season in AA, Puig lit Arizona on fire before the 2013 regular season by hitting .526 in the Cactus League and generating much speculation that he might break camp with the big club. The Dodgers decided to wait on Puig and sent him back to AA to begin the season. I, on the other hand, pulled the trigger on Puig and drafted him in the late rounds in the inaugural season of my fantasy baseball dynasty league. It took two months but on June 2, 2013 Puig made his MLB debut. He hit the ground running. In 26 games in June, Puig hit .436 with a .467 on-base percentage and a .713 slugging percentage. He won both the NL Rookie of the Month Award and the NL Player of the Month Award, the first time someone had won both in their first month in the Majors. The Wild Horse seemingly came up with a big hit, stolen base, outfield assist or home run every night. He propelled my fantasy team into first place, a lead I would not relinquish. The Wild Horse was one of the most exciting players in recent memory. His combination of speed, power, flare and the fact that he carried my fantasy team to a title place Puig at number 10 on my list.

9. David Justice

The Atlanta Braves have had a plethora of talent in right field during my lifetime. With players such as Justice, Jason Heyward, Jeff Francoeur, Nick Markakis, Gary Sheffield, J.D. Drew, Bobby Bonilla (briefly), Jose Bautista (even briefer) and current star right fielder, Ronald Acuna Jr., I could probably make this list entirely of Atlanta right fielders. A large part of my Braves-biased brain wanted to do just that but I restrained myself. However Justice is very deserving of inclusion. Justice was a fan favorite of Braves Country, including my Nana who was a huge Braves fan but had a tendency to butcher player’s names. I will always think of David “Justin” because of her. Justice, however didn’t start out so popular. His emergence paved the way for the franchise to trade Braves legend Dale Murphy and I for one, unjustly resented Justice for it. It didn’t take long for him to win me over however, as he won the 1989 NL Rookie of the Year Award proving himself a worthy successor to Murphy in the Atlanta outfield. Justice continued to play well over the next few seasons in Atlanta making the All-Star team in 1993, a year in which he hit 40 homers and drove in 120 runs. He made the All-Star team again in ’94 but it was the 1995 World Series that cemented David Justice as an Atlanta legend. Along with starting pitcher Tom Glavine, Justice was the hero of Game 6 when he scored the game’s only run with a solo homer in the bottom of the 6th inning. The Braves traded Justice to Cleveland before the 1997 season. He had several productive years with the Indians before going to the Yankees and winning his second World Championship in 2000. He finished his career in Oakland as a member of the magical Moneyball Athletics team. David Justice had a very memorable 14-year MLB career but makes my list primarily because of the 1995 World Series. And Halle Berry.

8. Sammy Sosa

Slammin’ Sammy Sosa was the ying to Mark McGwire’s yang during the summer of 1998 and the historic race to 62 homers in a single season. While McGwire was an established slugger prior to ’98, it seemed as though Sosa came out of nowhere to rewrite history. He’d actually had HR totals of 36, 40, and 36 in the three seasons prior to 1998, but nothing to suggest that he would be belting baseballs out of Wrigley Field at an unparalleled pace. Fittingly, he also came out of nowhere to enter the chase in ’98. He was trailing McGwire by 16 homers entering June and wasn’t on any home run record radars. He proceeded to blast 20 homers that month and was neck and neck with Big Mac heading into the heat of summer. Sammy would fall a little short of McGwire’s 70 homers but he piled up 66 long balls of his own and launched himself into baseball immortality the same way he launched baseballs onto Waveland Avenue. Sosa would post more prodigious homer totals the next few seasons with 63, 50, 64, 49 and 40 over the next 5 years. Sosa hit an astonishing 479 homers over a ten-year stretch from 1995 to 2004. He rocketed up the all-time home run leader board and finished his career with 609. That total, the decade of derby-like homer numbers and the summer of 1998, places Sosa at number 8 on my list.

7. Jose Canseco

Another player with strong ties to Mark McGwire, next on the list is his brother in bash, Jose Canseco. Canseco made his debut with a late season call up in 1985 with the Oakland Athletics. The following season, his first full year of big league action, Canseco belted 33 HRs, drove in 117 runs and was named AL Rookie of the Year. Two years later Canseco produced one of the most impressive offensive seasons in history up to that point, as he became the first player in the majors to ever have 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in the same season. That feat led to Canseco taking home the 1998 AL MVP Award. Canseco’s power and speed combination was unlike anything the sport had ever seen and he became an immediate superstar. I remember opening a pack of 1989 Topps baseball cards that I’d bought from the concession stand at the local Little League field and pulling a Canseco card. I was beyond stoked and after flaunting it to all my buddies, it went directly to my mom’s purse for safekeeping. Canseco would go on to have a memorable MLB career, albeit one mired in controversy. He was one of the faces of the steroid scandal, took a fly ball off his dome that caromed over the fence for a homer, and wrote a tell-all book exposing many of his former friends and teammates. A polarizing player to be sure. I prefer to remember his Oakland A’s days, his unequaled athleticism and the joy he and McGwire brought to me by bashing baseballs and forearms when I was a young baseball crazed kid.

6. Vladimir Guerrero Sr.

The Impaler was perhaps the best bad-ball hitter in MLB history. His aggressive approach at the plate often saw him chase pitches outside the zone. But unlike most players, Vlad was not only able to hit these pitches but hit them with authority. This offensive prowess would propel Vladdy to 9 All-Star games, 8 Silver Sluggers, the AL MVP Award in 2004 and eventually into the Hall of Fame. While he wasn’t the best defender in right field, Guerrero had an absolute cannon of a throwing arm. A Youtube search of the best throws in MLB history will bring forth several of Vlad’s highlight reel hose piece hoists from right field. I would also be remiss not to mention the fact that his son Vlad Jr. a first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, is one of the best hitters currently in the majors. The apple doesn’t fall from the tree and Vlad makes the list because he swung a baseball bat like he was holding an axe trying to fall a tree. Chopping his way to astonishing results and unforgettable memories.

5. Aaron Judge

All rise! Court is in session. The honorable Aaron Judge is presiding over the home run hearings. Standing 6’7″ and weighing in at 282 pounds, Aaron Judge is a mountain of a man and the most prodigious power hitter of this generation. He is arguably the best hitter of this generation, period. Judge homered in his first career big league at-bat hasn’t really stopped hitting homers since. He’s been breaking home run records ever since he broke into the big leagues. In his first full season in 2017 Judge hit 52 big flies, breaking the rookie record for home runs in a season. That record was broken two years later by Pete Alonso, who hit 53. But Judge still holds the American League record and last season he added another prestigious AL home run record, most home runs in a single season with 62. Judge has battled injuries throughout his career and that along with his somewhat late arrival to the majors, he was 25 in his first full season, may prevent him from climbing extremely high on the career home run list, but his accomplishments so far have him placed at 5th on mine.

4. Andre Dawson

The Hawk was one of my favorite players growing up. Although Dawson began his Major League career in 1976, four years before I was born, he was in his prime around the time that I was just really getting into baseball as a kid. After spending the first ten years of his career in Montreal with the Expos, he signed with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent prior to the 1987 season. He wasted little time endearing himself to Wrigleyville as he produced the finest season of his career, leading the NL in homers (49) and rbi (137) on his way to the 1987 NL MVP Award. I watched the Cubs a lot during the late 80’s on WGN and Dawson always impressed. If he wasn’t hitting blasts into the bleachers above the ivy at Wrigley Field he was throwing out base runners with his rocket-like right arm. Dawson finished his career with 8 All-Star appearances, 4 Silver Slugger Awards and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.

3. Ronald Acuna Jr.

Back before I started writing my positions lists back in March I knew that Ronald Acuna would be one of the ten players included in my right fielders edition. He has arguably been the most exciting player in MLB to watch since his arrival in the majors in 2018. That year Acuna hit .293 and belted 26 homers in just 111 games and was named NL Rookie of the Year. That postseason he also had one of the most memorable homers in Braves playoff history. With the Braves trailing the Dodgers in the series 0-2 on the verge of elimination, Acuna came to the plate with the bases loaded against LA’s Walker Buehler. Ronald worked the count to 3-0 and then took what was obviously ball 4. Except the umpire called the pitch a strike. This seemed to set Acuna off and he absolutely launched the next pitch into the left field stand for an emphatic second-inning grand slam. The Braves went on to win that game but ultimately lost the series. However it was clear that Acuna had arrived. In 2019 he led the NL in runs with 127 and stolen bases with 37. He also hit 41 homers, giving him a 30/30 season at age 21. Acuna has been nothing short of exceptional so far in his career so I knew he would make the list. However what I didn’t know was how high I would feel compelled to move him up the list based on his 2023 season so far. Acuna is having a historic power/speed year, the likes of which we’ve never seen before. At the time I’m writing this he is hitting .341 with 25 homers and 52 stolen bases. He’s a lock for his second career 30/30 season and 70 stolen bases is also a real possibility. We could see Acuna produce the first 30/60 or even 40/80 season in MLB history. Even if he falls short of 40 homers he is still likely to achieve the first 30/60 season in history. Eric Davis has the only 30/50 season in history and Acuna only needs 5 homers to join him. Acuna is the prohibitive favorite to win the NL MVP this season and it’s a little hard to believe that he’s still only 25 and might just be entering his prime.

2. Tony Gwynn

The man known as Mr. Padre got his nickname because he played his entire career in San Diego. And what a career Tony Gwynn had. 15 All-Star appearances, 8 NL batting titles, 7 Silver Sluggers, 5 Gold Gloves. All culminating with a first ballot Hall of Fame selection in 2007. Gwynn finished his career with some pretty crazy contact numbers especially given the era in which he played. He had a .338 lifetime batting average, 3,141 career hits and only struck out 434 times in 10,232 career plate appearances. Gwynn was never the sexiest or most popular player because he didn’t really hit homers. But he was one of the most respected hitters in history. Both by his peers and baseball fans everywhere. I have to admit that he was never really one of my favorite players growing up either. But as time goes on I’ve grown to really appreciate the type of player he was and his approach and dedication to his craft of hitting. With strikeout numbers for hitters growing and growing as the three true outcome offensive philosophy gaining traction in today’s game, it’s nice to look back on Tony Gwynn and what he accomplished during his 20 years in the majors.

1. Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro played the first 9 seasons of his professional baseball career in Japan before signing with the Seattle Mariners in 2001 at the age of 27. There was no doubt that Ichiro could hit but there were plenty of people that doubted he could hit against Major League pitching. Suzuki wasted little time erasing any doubt in his first big league season. He led the AL in hits (242), stolen bases (56) and batting average (.350) on his way to winning the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP Awards. He led the league in hits 6 seasons, won 2 batting titles, made 10 All-Star teams, won 10 Gold Gloves and 3 Silver Sluggers. Yeah I think Ichiro adjusted to American baseball just fine. Hideo Nomo may have started my fascination with Japanese players transitioning to MLB but Ichiro cemented it. I liked that he didn’t waiver in his approach or play style when he came over. I liked his batting stance and swing. I liked his speed and his throwing arm in right field. The thing about Ichiro that is most impressive to me is that he collected 3089 career hits after not making his MLB debut until he was 27 years old. That is why Ichiro Suzuki is the The Top Right Fielder…Of My Lifetime.