# List of Major League Baseball career assists as a right fielder leaders

In baseball, an assist (denoted by A) is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is credited to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball (after it has been hit by the batter) before the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional. For example, if a ball strikes a player's leg and bounces off him to another fielder, who tags the baserunner, the first player is credited with an assist. A fielder can receive a maximum of one assist per out recorded. An assist is also credited if a putout would have occurred, had another fielder not committed an error. For example, a shortstop might field a ground ball cleanly, but the first baseman might drop his throw. In this case, an error would be charged to the first baseman, and the shortstop would be credited with an assist. Unlike putouts, exactly one of which is awarded for every defensive out, an out can result in no assists being credited (as in strikeouts, fly outs and line drives), or in assists being credited to multiple players (as in relay throws and rundown plays). The right fielder (RF) is one of the three outfielders, the defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. The right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing toward the pitcher's mound. The outfielders must try to catch long fly balls before they hit the ground or to quickly catch or retrieve and return to the infield any other balls entering the outfield. The right fielder must also be adept at navigating the area of right field where the foul line approaches the corner of the playing field and the walls of the seating areas. Being the outfielder farthest from third base, the right fielder often has to make longer throws than the other outfielders to throw out runners advancing around the bases, so they often have the strongest or most accurate throwing arm. The right fielder normally plays behind the second baseman and first baseman, who play in or near the infield; unlike catchers and most infielders (excepting first basemen), who are virtually exclusively right-handed, right fielders can be either right- or left-handed. In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the right fielder is assigned the number 9, the highest number.
Right fielders are most commonly credited with an assist when they throw the ball to an infielder who tags a runner attempting to advance on the basepaths, even on a caught fly ball that results in an out (see tag up); of special importance are throws to the catcher if the runner is trying to reach home plate to score a run, perhaps on a sacrifice fly. Right fielders will often record assists by throwing out runners who try to advance farther than the batter, such as going from first to third base on a single, or batter/runners who try to stretch a hit into a longer one. Right fielders also earn assists on relay throws to infielders after particularly deep fly balls, by throwing to a base to record an out on an appeal play, or in situations where they might deflect a fly ball before another defensive player makes the catch. Outfielders record far fewer assists than other players due to the difficulty of making an accurate throw in time to retire a runner from a great distance; middle infielders routinely record more assists in a single season than outfielders do in their entire careers. Assists are an important statistic for outfielders, giving a greater indication about an outfielder's throwing arm than assists by infielders do. In recent years, some sabermetricians have begun referring to assists by outfielders as baserunner kills.
The list of career leaders is dominated by players from the 1890s through 1920s, including the dead-ball era, due to that period's emphasis on more aggressive baserunning. Eight of the top nine players were active before 1930; only six of the top 19 players were active after 1950, none of them after 1992. Only 15 of the top 102 single-season totals were recorded after 1936, and only four after 1978; only 16 of the top 268 have been recorded since 1990. Because game accounts and box scores often did not distinguish between the outfield positions, there has been some difficulty in determining precise defensive statistics before 1901; because of this, and because of the similarity in their roles, defensive statistics for the three positions are frequently combined. Although efforts to distinguish between the three positions regarding games played during this period and reconstruct the separate totals have been largely successful, separate assist totals are unavailable; players whose totals are missing the figures for pre-1901 games are notated in the table below. Harry Hooper is the all-time leader in career assists as a right fielder with 333; he is the only right fielder with more than 300 career assists. Jason Heyward, who had 69 assists through the 2024 season to place him tied for 110th all-time, is the leader among active players.

## Key

| Rank | Rank amongst leaders in career assists. A blank field indicates a tie. |
| Player | Name of player |
| MLB | Total career assists as a right fielder in Major League Baseball |
| * | Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame |
| † | Denotes total is missing figures for pre-1901 games |

## List

* Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.
| Rank | Player (2025 As) | Assists as a right fielder | Assists as a right fielder | Assists as a right fielder | Other leagues, notes |
| Rank | Player (2025 As) | MLB | American League | National League | Other leagues, notes |
| 1 | Harry Hooper* | 333 | 333 | 0 | |
| 2 | Roberto Clemente* | 255 | 0 | 255 | |
| 3 | Mel Ott* | 235 | 0 | 235 | Held modern National League record, 1946-1970 |
| | Paul Waner* | 235 | 0 | 235 | Held modern National League record, 1937-1970 |
| 5 | Sam Crawford* † | 195 | 152 | 43 | Held modern major league record, 1905-1909, 1914-1918; held American League record, 1906-1907, 1911-1915 |
| 6 | Sam Rice* | 192 | 192 | 0 | |
| 7 | Ross Youngs* | 185 | 0 | 185 | Held modern National League record, 1926-1937 |
| 8 | Tommy Griffith | 182 | 0 | 182 | Held modern National League record, 1925-1926 |
| 9 | John Titus | 180 | 0 | 180 | Held modern major league record, 1909-1914; held modern National League record, 1907-1925 |
| 10 | Hank Aaron* | 179 | 0 | 179 | |
| 11 | Chuck Klein* | 174 | 0 | 174 | Holds the modern single-season record of 41 (set in 1930) |
| 12 | Harry Heilmann* | 173 | 157 | 16 | Holds the American League single-season record (31 in 1924) |
| 13 | Johnny Callison | 159 | 6 | 153 | |
| | Rusty Staub | 159 | 10 | 149 | |
| 15 | Gavvy Cravath | 158 | 3 | 155 | |
| 16 | Dwight Evans | 155 | 155 | 0 | |
| 17 | Jesse Barfield | 154 | 154 | 0 | |
| 18 | Max Flack | 153 | 0 | 137 | Includes 16 in Federal League |
| 19 | Jack Tobin | 151 | 102 | 0 | Includes 49 in Federal League |
| 20 | Larry Walker* | 150 | 0 | 150 | |
| 21 | Tony Gwynn* | 148 | 0 | 148 | |
| 22 | Al Kaline* | 146 | 146 | 0 | |
| 23 | Mike Mitchell | 145 | 0 | 145 | Held the modern single-season record, 1907-1930 |
| 24 | Chief Wilson | 143 | 0 | 143 | |
| 25 | Dave Parker* | 136 | 0 | 136 | |
| | Frank Schulte | 136 | 9 | 127 | |
| 27 | Wally Moses | 134 | 134 | 0 | |
| 28 | Bobby Abreu | 130 | 38 | 92 | |
| 29 | Jeff Francoeur | 128 | 38 | 90 | |
| | Dave Winfield* | 128 | 51 | 77 | |
| 31 | Sammy Sosa | 127 | 23 | 104 | |
| 32 | Vladimir Guerrero* | 126 | 42 | 84 | |
| | Reggie Jackson* | 126 | 126 | 0 | |
| 34 | Shano Collins | 120 | 120 | 0 | |
| | Red Murray | 120 | 0 | 120 | |
| | Curt Walker | 120 | 0 | 120 | |
| 37 | Nick Markakis | 119 | 92 | 27 | |
| | Casey Stengel* | 119 | 0 | 119 | |
| 39 | Enos Slaughter* | 118 | 6 | 112 | |
| 40 | Willie Keeler* † | 117 | 86 | 31 | |
| 41 | Carl Furillo | 115 | 0 | 115 | |
| 42 | Babe Ruth* | 114 | 114 | 0 | |
| 43 | Bill Nicholson | 112 | 0 | 112 | |
| 44 | Steve Evans | 111 | 0 | 81 | Includes 30 in Federal League |
| | Dixie Walker | 111 | 11 | 100 | |
| 46 | Elmer Flick* † | 110 | 87 | 23 | Held modern major league record, 1901-1902; held American League record, 1905-1906, 1907-1911; held the modern single-season record, 1901-1902 |
| 47 | Bobby Bonds | 108 | 47 | 61 | |
| | Magglio Ordóñez | 108 | 108 | 0 | |
| 49 | Paul O'Neill | 105 | 53 | 52 | |
| 50 | Bruce Campbell | 104 | 104 | 0 | |
| | Kiki Cuyler* | 104 | 0 | 104 | |
| | Cliff Heathcote | 104 | 0 | 104 | |
| 53 | Jackie Jensen | 103 | 103 | 0 | |
| | Raúl Mondesí | 103 | 37 | 66 | |
| 55 | Al Cowens | 102 | 102 | 0 | |
| 56 | Willard Marshall | 100 | 1 | 99 | |
| | Tim Salmon | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| | Ichiro Suzuki* | 100 | 97 | 3 | |
| 59 | Tom Brunansky | 99 | 81 | 18 | |
| 60 | Harry Lumley | 98 | 0 | 98 | |
| | Rubén Sierra | 98 | 97 | 1 | |
| 62 | Ty Cobb* | 96 | 96 | 0 | Held American League single-season record, 1907-1924 |
| | Jermaine Dye | 96 | 94 | 2 | |
| | Gene Moore | 96 | 19 | 77 | |
| 65 | George Browne | 95 | 6 | 89 | |
| | Jay Buhner | 95 | 95 | 0 | |
| | José Guillén | 95 | 40 | 55 | |
| | Billy Southworth* | 95 | 1 | 94 | |
| | Glenn Wilson | 95 | 15 | 80 | |
| 70 | Jay Bruce | 94 | 4 | 90 | |
| | Shoeless Joe Jackson | 94 | 94 | 0 | |
| 72 | Sixto Lezcano | 93 | 61 | 32 | |
| 73 | Jack Clark | 91 | 1 | 90 | |
| 74 | Babe Herman | 90 | 0 | 90 | |
| | Hunter Pence | 90 | 0 | 90 | |
| 76 | José Bautista | 88 | 79 | 9 | |
| 77 | Rocky Colavito | 87 | 87 | 0 | |
| | Tommy Henrich | 87 | 87 | 0 | |
| 79 | Hank Bauer | 86 | 86 | 0 | |
| 80 | Bob Meusel | 84 | 83 | 1 | |
| 81 | Jeromy Burnitz | 83 | 13 | 70 | |
| | Shawn Green | 83 | 43 | 40 | |
| | Cory Snyder | 83 | 65 | 18 | |
| 84 | Wally Post | 82 | 0 | 82 | |
| 85 | Socks Seybold † | 81 | 81 | 0 | |
| | Elmer Smith | 81 | 78 | 3 | |
| | Ellis Valentine | 81 | 5 | 76 | |
| 88 | Patsy Donovan † | 80 | 15 | 65 | Held modern major league record, 1902-1905; held modern National League record, 1902-1906; held the modern single-season record, 1902-1907 |
| 89 | Pete Fox | 79 | 79 | 0 | |
| | Danny Moeller | 79 | 78 | 1 | |
| 91 | Andre Dawson* | 77 | 0 | 77 | |
| | Braggo Roth | 77 | 77 | 0 | |
| 93 | Cozy Dolan † | 76 | 0 | 76 | Held modern National League record, 1906-1907 |
| | Doc Gessler | 76 | 68 | 8 | |
| | Darryl Strawberry | 76 | 3 | 73 | |
| 96 | Danny Murphy † | 75 | 67 | 0 | Includes 8 in Federal League |
| | Ron Northey | 75 | 1 | 74 | |
| 98 | Dante Bichette | 74 | 32 | 42 | |
| | George Harper | 74 | 7 | 67 | |
| 100 | Ival Goodman | 73 | 0 | 73 | |
| | Gary Sheffield | 73 | 17 | 56 | |

## Other Hall of Famers

| Player | Assists as a right fielder | Assists as a right fielder | Assists as a right fielder | Other leagues, notes |
| Player | MLB | American League | National League | Other leagues, notes |
| Harold Baines* | 71 | 71 | 0 | |
| Tony Oliva* | 70 | 70 | 0 | |
| Frank Robinson* | 69 | 33 | 36 | |
| Stan Musial* | 68 | 0 | 68 | |
| Kirby Puckett* | 29 | 29 | 0 | |
| Lou Brock* | 27 | 0 | 27 | |
| Billy Williams* | 23 | 0 | 23 | |
| Goose Goslin* | 19 | 19 | 0 | |
| Max Carey* | 17 | 0 | 17 | |
| Hack Wilson* | 16 | 0 | 16 | |
| Chick Hafey* | 13 | 0 | 13 | |
| Ken Griffey Jr.* | 12 | 0 | 12 | |
| Ted Williams* | 11 | 11 | 0 | |
| Heinie Manush* | 10 | 1 | 9 | |
| Duke Snider* | 10 | 0 | 10 | |
| Larry Doby* | 9 | 9 | 0 | Negro League totals unavailable |
| Pete Hill* | 8 | 0 | 0 | Includes 8 in Negro National League (first) (incomplete) |
| Monte Irvin* | 8 | 0 | 7 | Includes 1 in Negro National League (second) (incomplete) |
| Mickey Mantle* | 8 | 8 | 0 | |
| Honus Wagner* † | 8 | 0 | 8 | |
| Frank Chance* † | 7 | 0 | 7 | |
| Jud Wilson* | 7 | 0 | 0 | Includes 3 in Eastern Colored League, 3 in Negro National League (second), 1 in American Negro League (incomplete) |
| Freddie Lindstrom* | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| Lloyd Waner* | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| Ed Delahanty* † | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Joe Medwick* | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Cristóbal Torriente* | 2 | 0 | 0 | Includes 2 in Negro National League (first) (incomplete) |
| Willard Brown* | 1 | 0 | 0 | Includes 1 in Negro American League (incomplete) |
| Hugh Duffy* † | 1 | 0 | 1 | |