My vote:

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**** Edmonds

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This. EOT

Agree with the Edmonds hate. But ****,... that catch.

Great catch by Edmonds but Willie Mays with the same type of catch and the accurate throw afterwards gets my vote.

And yes; F*** Edmonds

my issue with Edmonds -- he was a slow centerfielder -- and his lack of speed made those great catches 'great.'

Willy Taveras or Michael Bourn catches the same ball without a dive and without all the dramatics

W,

The thread is about great catches, not overall defensive ability. Agreed that a center fielder with better speed maybe runs that one down without needing to make the spectacular catch... but that was a SPECTACULAR catch. Who cares how good of an outfielder he was in your opinion. And by the way the guy won 8 gold gloves during his career. Now, I don't want to get into an argument about the legitimacy of the Gold Glove award as there have been some weird outcomes in the past for sure but it's not like we're talking about one of the worst outfielders in the game during his career. He didn't have top flight speed as evidenced by his SB numbers but he was at minimum one of the 5 best CF'ers in the league during his prime.

As to the actual question in the OP, Gary Matthews Jr.'s catch is the other obvious candidate that pops into my mind.



Those two catches stand out above pretty much every other catch I can recall from the recent past (30 years).

I remember Kenny Lofton being pretty adept at robbing homeruns while he was in Cleveland but not a single one of those stands out as being that memorable.

And one more catch that doesn't really count since it was in the stands but I saw this on MLBtv the other day so I thought I'd post it as well.



I won't ruin the surprise for those that haven't seen it but it's pretty incredible and matches Eric Byrnes to a "T" from his playing days.

Jose Canseco want's in...

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Jose Canseco want's in...

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Lol rangers

I forgot about this play I'm giving the Wizard the nod over Willie Mays

This might not be a 'catch', but it is still on of the most heads up plays I have seen while watching baseball.

Ha ha ha. That or Cansecos. header home run assist.

Came here to post the GMJ catch in center field. Insane. Dead sprint, jump onto the wall, essentially blind, and catch it while rotating.

Also, in regards to the last clip, that face he makes after he realizes he isn't being heard. All been there.

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I remember Kenny Lofton being pretty adept at robbing homeruns while he was in Cleveland but not a single one of those stands out as being that memorable.

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I always liked Kevin Mitchell's barehand catch. Not sure it was the greatest ever but it deserves a mention.

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Came here to post the GMJ catch in center field. Insane. Dead sprint, jump onto the wall, essentially blind, and catch it while rotating.

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That was a great one.

That GMJ one was greatness.

Love this one.



And holy hell, I'd forgotten about those gawdawful Angels uniforms.

Another great one. Dat throw too.

NOT the best but the most fun goes to Manny Ramirez!

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Best non-catch??

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I am flat out dying laughing.

Jeter flip was good, but that out was due more to Giambi's horrid baserunning than Jeter's greatness.

Puckett catch I'm not sure which is more impressive -- Puckett's throw or the fact that Pendleton actually made it back to 1st base -- would have to think he was midway between 2nd and 3rd by the time Puckett came down with that.

I hear the Willie Mays catch brought up every time this argument takes place. It's a tough catch, but that exact play happens every year. Dead sprint back, over the head. Infielders do it all the time. Am I missing something? Berkman on Tal's hill should get an honorable mention.

GMJ or GTFO

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Another great one. Dat throw too.

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Holy crap...dat throw!

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Jose Canseco want's in...

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My question on that play is why was it ruled a HR instead of a 4 base error?

In batting practice at the old Arlington Stadium in the mid-70s, I was in the outfield for a Boston game. Fred Lynn was out shagging flies but didn't appear to be doing much. As I watched him, he folded his wrist backward and his glove faced up on the backside of his body. Next thing I know, a ball goes in there! He read the ball off the bat into the glove 3 inches behind the back of his shoulder. Not during the game but still fun to watch.

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In batting practice at the old Arlington Stadium in the mid-70s, I was in the outfield for a Boston game. Fred Lynn was out shagging flies but didn't appear to be doing much. As I watched him, he folded his wrist backward and his glove faced up on the backside of his body. Next thing I know, a ball goes in there! He read the ball off the bat into the glove 3 inches behind the back of his shoulder. Not during the game but still fun to watch.

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If Fred Lynn stayed in Boston, he'd be in the Hall of Fame.

Bo Jackson looked like he mistimed the ball and had to really adjust to make the catch, and yes, it was Carlton Fisk running, but what a freak show this play has always been.

Warning, don't start chasing Bo Jackson links on YouTube, you will waste at least 30 minutes watching his TD runs at Auburn, JC that man was fast.