The Captains of the Outfield

In baseball, a lot of the credit for winning usually goes to pitchers, along with a lot of the money. But there may be no more glamorous position in the game than the center fielder. When the outfield’s anchor can hit for average, hit with power, throw, field, and run — the proverbial five-tool player — you’re looking at what is close to a baseball unicorn. So, we asked former Lions center fielder Collin Hinds ’95, now a filmmaker, to name his favorite MLB center fielders. —The Editor

Joe DiMaggio
He owns the most impressive offensive streak in baseball, 56 games with a hit! DiMaggio is considered one of the greatest players ever and led the Yankees to a World Series four-peat and a separate three-peat along the way. Stats: 361 HRs, 2,214 hits, 1,537 RBIs, .325 avg., 13-time All-Star.

Willie Howard Mays Jr.
My father watched him at New York’s Polo Grounds. Mr. Mays, my father said, would have hit even more home runs had the Polo Grounds’ huge outfield (483-505 ft.) not been a graveyard for well-struck balls. He did it all with unparalleled grace and joy: 660 HRs, 3,283 hits, 1909 RBIs, .302. avg., 59 double plays from center field, and 12 straight Gold Gloves (the award did not exist the first six years of his career). 

Mickey Mantle

Arguably the best switch hitter of all time and holder of the second-most World Series titles of all center fielders — and Mantle did it all while plagued with injuries that hampered his hitting and lightning speed. An on-the-field phenom. His career numbers: 536 HRs, 2,415 hits, 1,509 RBIs, .298 avg., 20-time All-Star, three-time AL MVP.

Ken Griffey Jr.  

Griffey Jr. is to me what Mr. Mays was to my father. He played with a joy similar to Mr. Mays. Cool life moment: Griff’s father, Griffey Sr., was Seattle’s roving hitting instructor and was hospitalized in my first year of pro ball. Our manager, Marty Martinez, took three of us to visit Ken Sr. to cheer him up. We had Ken Sr. laughing so much the nurses came in because his blood pressure skyrocketed. He blamed it on me, “It’s this guy right here.” Junior’s stats: 630 HRs (second among center fielders), 1,836 RBIs, .284 avg., 13-time All-Star, 10 Gold Gloves.

Carlos Beltran

One of the best switch-hitters ever: 435 HRs, 2,725 hits, 1,587 RBIs, .279 avg., nine-time All-Star, three Gold Gloves.

Andruw Jones

One of the best all-around center fielders ever, and LMU Hall of Famer Chris Donnels ’87 confirms it. Despite his defensive skills, Jones often is overlooked because he made the exceptional look easy: 434 HRs, 1,289 RBIs, .254 avg., 10 Gold Gloves, five-time All-Star.

Kirby Puckett

A brilliant fielder and great athlete who didn’t have the prototypical body (he was on the round side), but, boy, could Puckett play! The stats: 10-time All-Star, 6 Gold Gloves, 207 HRs, 1,085 RBIs, .318 avg., one AL batting title.

Kenny Lofton

Despite stats similar to Ichiro Suzuki, Lofton is underrated and not yet voted into the MLB Hall of Fame. A true lead-off hitter who disrupted pitchers. Six-time All-Star, five-time AL stolen base leader, 4 Gold Gloves, 622 total stolen bases, 781 RBIs, .299 avg.

Eric Davis

One of MLB’s greatest power/speed players, Davis was the game’s first 30 HR/50 SB player. He had seven 20 HR/20 SB seasons. Davis is among the best defensive center fielders of all time and was flat out electric every time he touched the ball. A super-cool L.A. guy.

Collin Hinds ’95 is an executive producer and filmmaker at Black Bench Productions in Los Angeles. A center fielder for the LMU Lions from 1992-94, he played professional baseball for two years after being drafted in 1994 by the Seattle Mariners.