So why have these center fielders been placed into the National Baseball Hall of Fame? The following chart briefly illustrates the statistical accomplishments of each center fielder currently enshrined in Cooperstown.
The chart is meant to serve as a quick compilation of lifetime statistics meant for easy comparison side-by-side comparison. Full stats for each center fielder can be found by simply visiting the "back of their baseball card" on Baseball Almanac.
"I didn't expect to make it all the way to the big leagues..." - Hall of Fame Center Fielder Edd Roush
Stats for Hall of Fame Center FieldersBOLD Indicates Statistical Leader For HOF Centerfielders |
||||||||
HOF CF | AVG | OBP | SLG | HITS | HR | RBI | RUNS | SB |
Richie Ashburn | .308 | .397 | .382 | 2,574 | 29 | 586 | 1,322 | 234 |
Earl Averill | .318 | .395 | .534 | 2,019 | 238 | 1,164 | 1,224 | 70 |
Max Carey | .285 | .361 | .386 | 2,665 | 70 | 800 | 1,545 | 738 |
Ty Cobb | .366 | .433 | .512 | 4,189 | 117 | 1,937 | 2,246 | 892 |
Earle Combs | .325 | .397 | .462 | 1,866 | 58 | 632 | 1,186 | 96 |
Andre Dawson | .279 | .323 | .482 | 2,774 | 438 | 1,591 | 1,373 | 314 |
Joe DiMaggio | .325 | .398 | .579 | 2,214 | 361 | 1,537 | 1,390 | 30 |
Larry Doby | .283 | .387 | .490 | 1,515 | 253 | 969 | 960 | 47 |
Hugh Duffy | .324 | .384 | .449 | 2,282 | 106 | 1,302 | 1,552 | 574 |
Ken Griffey, Jr. | .284 | .370 | .538 | 2,781 | 630 | 1,836 | 1,662 | 184 |
Billy Hamilton | .344 | .455 | .432 | 2,158 | 40 | 736 | 1,690 | 912 |
Mickey Mantle | .298 | .423 | .557 | 2,415 | 536 | 1,509 | 1,677 | 153 |
Willie Mays | .302 | .387 | .557 | 3,283 | 660 | 1,903 | 2,062 | 338 |
Kirby Puckett | .318 | .363 | .477 | 2,304 | 207 | 1,085 | 1,071 | 134 |
Edd Roush | .323 | .369 | .446 | 2,376 | 68 | 981 | 1,099 | 268 |
Duke Snider | .295 | .381 | .540 | 2,116 | 407 | 1,333 | 1,259 | 99 |
Tris Speaker | .345 | .428 | .500 | 3,514 | 117 | 1,529 | 1,882 | 432 |
Lloyd Waner | .316 | .353 | .393 | 2,459 | 27 | 598 | 1,201 | 67 |
Hack Wilson | .307 | .395 | .545 | 1,461 | 244 | 1,062 | 884 | 52 |
HOF CF | AVG | OBP | SLG | HITS | HR | RBI | RUNS | SB |
Stats for Hall of Fame Center Fielders | Research by Baseball Almanac |
Did you know that Lloyd "Little Poison" Waner had two-hundred twenty-three hits and a .355 batting average during his rookie season?
Larry Doby was the first black player in the American League. Prior to that he was a standout slugger for the Newark Eagles in the Negro Leagues.
In 1894 Hugh Duffy joined the .400 Hitters Club, but did you know that his .440 average that season was the highest ever hit by any player during a full season?