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Thursday April 26, 2012

Bryan Sheehan: Have you ever sat and pondered as to who is the best Center Fielder in the game of baseball today? With so many good options, it is rather hard to make the choice. To make the assessment, you have to look at all the “tools” and come up with the best all-around Center Fielder in the game. Keeping that in mind, here are my top-5 selections- starting with #5:

5. Shane Victorino

The Flyin’ Hawaiian is the epitome of all-around solid player. Not the greatest in any aspect, he has a jack-of-all-trades look that is made extraordinary by his hustle. Though he won’t steal gratuitous amounts of bases, his speed on the basepaths is seen in his league leading 16 triples last year. His three straight Gold Gloves from 2008-2010 are also really impressive, and considering his perfect fielding percentage in 2011, he could have easily won four straight. 

4. Michael Bourn 

Bourn is the prototypical fast center fielder. He’s led the league in stolen bases for the past three years, nabbing 61 in his 2011 campaign between the Astros and the Braves. Like Juan Pierre in his prime, Bourn is extremely fast, and can make good contact with the ball. Though it’s not all-star worthy, his .294 batting average last season was 27 points higher than the league average for leadoff hitters. His speed also translates on defense, giving him great range to run down balls in the gap. 

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