Top 10 American League Right Fielders of All-Time

Who are the top 10 right fielders who played the majority of or all of their career in the American League?

Russ Cohen and I are embarking on a project to put together a list of the 10 best players at each position, with him doing the top National Leaguers and me taking on the best in the junior circuit.

The list comprises the 10 best right fielders who played the majority of or all of their career in the American League.

Note: Any player who was entangled in performance-enhancing drugs or is suspected of taking them were not under consideration. They should never be enshrined in Cooperstown and thus do not belong on this list.

1. George Herman Ruth 

“The Babe” is simply the best there was and best there ever will be in this game. Starting as a dominating left-handed starting pitcher, Ruth won three titles with the Red Sox in 1915-16, and 1918. Splitting time between the mound and the outfield in his last two seasons in Boston, “The Great Bambino” led the AL in home runs before being sold to the Yankees in 1920. Credited with saving baseball after the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, “The Sultan of Swat” led the American League in homers 10 times, walks 11 times, runs scored eight times, is the all-time leader in slugging percentage (.690), OPS (1.164), finished his 22-year career with a .342 career batting average, 714 HR’s, an AL MVP and seven World Championships.

2. Frank Robinson

After playing the first half of his career in the NL, Robinson spent the latter half with Baltimore, California, and Cleveland, hitting 586 career home runs, winning the Triple Crown, AL and World Series MVP in 1966, two World Championships with the Orioles, Rookie of the Year and is the only player in Major League history to win MVPs in both leagues.

3. Al Kaline

Kaline spent all 22 years of his career in Detroit, earning the nickname “Mr. Tiger”. The 15-time All-Star was known for his consistent greatness at the plate (.297 career batting average, 3,007 hits, and 399 home runs) and prowess in the outfield (10 Gold Gloves). He won an AL batting title in 1955 and hit .379 for the Tigers in the 1968 Series victory over St. Louis.

4. Ichiro Suzuki

The first Japanese superstar, Suzuki began his MLB career in Seattle at 27, winning AL Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2001, 10 straight Gold Gloves, and All-Star appearances, two AL batting titles, and leading the league in hits seven times. Known also for his rocket throwing arm in right and his demon speed on the basepaths, Ichiro played until age 45 and finished with 3,089 hits.

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5. Reggie Jackson

“Mr. October” was known as the quintessential slugging outfielder and less for his defensive prowess. Playing all 21 years of his career in the AL with Kansas City, Oakland, Baltimore, New York, and California, Jackson won five World Championships, one AL MVP, and two Series MVPs, led the league in homers four times, and hit 563 in his career.

6. Harry Heilmann

Taking up for where Crawford left off, Heilmann played most of his 17-year major career with the Detroit Tigers, winning four American League batting championships, hitting over .400 in 1923 and over .390 three times, and posting a career batting average of .342.

7. Dave Winfield

Winfield was an excellent all-around athlete that was drafted by the NFL, NBA, and ABA, but chose to play baseball, going right from college to the San Diego Padres in 1973. Signing as a free agent with the Yankees in 1980, he spent the last 14 years of his career in the AL playing right or DH, finishing with 3,110 career hits, 465 HRs, seven Gold Gloves, and one World Championship with Toronto in 1992.

8. Mookie Betts

In spite of playing just six years in the American League, Betts has established himself as one of the finest right-fielders in history with a batting title, Most Valuable Player award, five Gold Gloves, and two World Championships (2018 – Boston, 2020 – Los Angeles)

9. Dwight Evans

Known for his great throwing arm from right field and his keen batting eye, “Dewey” spent all 20 years of his career in the AL with Boston and Baltimore, leading the league in walks three times, winning six Gold Gloves, 2,446 career hits, and 385 home runs.

10. Sam Crawford

The Hall-of-Famer made the move from the National League in 1903 and partnered with teammate Ty Cobb to form one of the most fearsome offensive duos in the American League. “Wahoo Sam” holds the MLB record for most career triples with 309 and fell 39 hits short of 3.000 before retiring in 1917.