The best outfields in baseball history

As we wait for the return of baseball, it’s a good time to reflect on some of the best three-man outfields the game has ever seen. We’ll rank the top five groupings below, going from left field to right, while including the years that the three men were teammates.

5. Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez (Indians, 1993-1996)

The Indians made the World Series in 1995 thanks in large part to the contributions of Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, and Manny Ramirez.

Belle led the AL in RBIs in three of the four years these outfielders were together, and hit an MLB-best 50 homers in 1995. He was an All-Star and a Silver Slugger every season from 1993 to 1996.

Lofton, a .300 hitter over 10 seasons in Cleveland, paced the majors in steals three different times from 1993 to 1996. He also won a Gold Glove in each of those four seasons.

Ramirez was just coming into his own by 1995, breaking out for 31 homers and 107 RBIs and earning his first of 12 career All-Star nods. He tallied 33 homers and 112 RBIs in his final season with Belle and Lofton alongside.

4. Ed Delahanty, "Sliding" Billy Hamilton, Sam Thompson (Phillies, 1891-1895)

For five seasons, the Phillies sported three future Hall of Famers in the outfield.

Ed Delahanty led the majors in homers and RBIs in 1893 and 1896, and batted above .400 in 1894 and 1895. "Sliding" Billy Hamilton, third all-time in stolen bases (914), swiped as many as 111 bags in a season (1891) during this five-year run. He also hit as high as .403 in 1894. Sam Thompson led the majors in RBIs in 1894 and both homers and RBIs in 1895.

However, this unit gets points off for never finishing higher than third in the National League.

3. Jim Rice, Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans (Red Sox, 1974-1980)

Hall of Fame left fielder Jim Rice was flanked for several seasons by the talented Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans in Boston, with primary DH and fellow Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski occasionally making the rotation in those formative years.

Lynn got the jump on Rice in their rookie season of 1975, winning Rookie of the Year honors as well as the AL MVP award as he hit .331 with 21 homers and 105 RBIs. Lynn also won a Gold Glove, the first of four in his career, and earned his first of nine straight All-Star game nominations. He went on to win the AL batting title in 1979 with a .333 average.

Rice won AL MVP in 1978 as he led the majors in hits (213), triples (15), homers (46), and RBIs (139). Evans, who spent 19 years in Boston, won four Gold Gloves with Rice and Lynn alongside and hit as high as .287 in 1977.

This trio lost their only World Series appearance together in 1975.

2. Bob Meusel, Earle Combs, Babe Ruth (Yankees, 1924-1929)

The 1927 Yankees set the standard for which all other teams are measured – Bob Meusel, Earle Combs, and the incomparable Babe Ruth comprised the team's fearsome outfield.

Meusel is not enshrined in Cooperstown, but was a .309 lifetime hitter and led the AL in homers and RBIs in 1925. Combs, in the Hall of Fame along with Ruth, was at his peak in 1927 when he legged out a MLB-leading 23 triples and hit .356.

Ruth, one of the best to ever play the game, hardly needs an introduction. 1927 was the year he hit 60 homers, a single-season record that stood until 1961.

1. Bobby Veach, Ty Cobb, Harry Heilmann (Tigers, 1914, 1916-1923)

Ty Cobb, arguably the greatest pure hitter of all time, is synonymous with the Detroit Tigers franchise, and he was teammates with fellow Hall of Famer Harry Heilmann and the great Bobby Veach for many years.

Veach was considered an outstanding defender in left field and led the AL in total RBIs from 1915 to 1922, outpacing even the great Babe Ruth. Heilmann won four batting titles in Detroit and led the majors in hits (237) in 1921.

None of these players ever won a World Series, but they’re too well-rounded and exceptional a group not to be considered the greatest outfield of all-time. 

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