# List of Major League Baseball career double plays as a center fielder leaders

In baseball statistics, a double play (denoted as DP) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. One double play is recorded for every defensive player who participates in the play, regardless of how many of the outs in which they were directly involved, and is counted in addition to whatever putouts and assists might also apply. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. The center fielder (CF) is one of the three outfielders, the defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. Center field is the area of the outfield directly in front of a person standing at home plate and facing beyond the pitcher's mound. The outfielders' duty is to 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. Generally having the most territory to cover, the center fielder is usually the fastest of the three outfielders, although this can also depend on the relative strength of their throwing arms and the configuration of their home field, due to the deepest part of center field being the farthest point from the infield and home plate. The center fielder normally plays behind the shortstop and second baseman, who play in or near the infield; unlike catchers and most infielders (excepting first basemen), who are virtually exclusively right-handed, center fielders can be either right- or left-handed. In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the center fielder is assigned the number 8.
Center fielders are most commonly credited with a double play 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. Left 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. Outfielders also earn double plays 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; in extraordinary instances, right fielders have occasionally recorded double plays by throwing out batters at first base after fielding uncaught line drives that reached them quickly. Outfielders record far fewer double plays 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 double plays in a single season than outfielders do in their entire careers. Double plays are an important statistic for outfielders, giving a greater indication of a left fielder's throwing arm than double plays by infielders do. In recent years, some sabermetricians have begun referring to assists by outfielders as baserunner kills.
Tris Speaker is the all-time leader in career double plays as a center fielder with 146; he is the only player to record more than 100 career double plays as a center fielder. Jackie Bradley Jr. , who had 20 double plays through the 2023 season to place him tied for 82nd all-time, is the leader among active players.

## Key

| Rank | Rank amongst leaders in career double plays. A blank field indicates a tie. |
| Player (2025 DPs) | Number of recorded double plays during the 2025 Major League Baseball season |
| MLB | Total career double plays as a center fielder in Major League Baseball |
| * | Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame |
| † | Denotes total is missing figures for pre-1901 games |
| Bold | Denotes active player |

## List

* Stats updated as of the end of the 2024 season.
| Rank | Player (2025 DPs) | Double plays as a center fielder | Double plays as a center fielder | Double plays as a center fielder | Other leagues, notes |
| Rank | Player (2025 DPs) | MLB | American League | National League | Other leagues, notes |
| 1 | Tris Speaker* | 146 | 146 | 0 | |
| 2 | Ty Cobb* | 77 | 77 | 0 | |
| 3 | Willie Mays* | 59 | 0 | 59 | |
| 4 | Max Carey* | 58 | 0 | 58 | |
| 5 | Clyde Milan | 55 | 55 | 0 | |
| 6 | Dode Paskert | 48 | 0 | 48 | |
| 7 | Cy Seymour † | 46 | 0 | 46 | |
| 8 | Ginger Beaumont † | 44 | 0 | 44 | |
| | Sam West | 44 | 44 | 0 | |
| 10 | Ken Griffey Jr.* | 41 | 35 | 6 | |
| | Edd Roush* | 41 | 0 | 37 | Includes 4 in Federal League |
| 12 | Fielder Jones † | 40 | 40 | 0 | |
| | Tommy Leach † | 40 | 0 | 40 | |
| 14 | Richie Ashburn* | 39 | 0 | 39 | |
| | Happy Felsch | 39 | 39 | 0 | |
| 16 | Steve Finley | 37 | 0 | 37 | |
| 17 | Hy Myers | 36 | 0 | 36 | |
| 18 | Joe Birmingham | 35 | 35 | 0 | |
| | Doc Cramer | 35 | 35 | 0 | |
| | Vince DiMaggio | 35 | 0 | 35 | |
| | Amos Otis | 35 | 34 | 1 | |
| 22 | Roy Thomas † | 34 | 0 | 34 | |
| 23 | Kenny Lofton | 33 | 30 | 3 | |
| 24 | Bill Bruton | 31 | 9 | 22 | |
| | Jim Edmonds | 31 | 8 | 23 | |
| | Amos Strunk | 31 | 31 | 0 | |
| 27 | Dom DiMaggio | 30 | 30 | 0 | |
| | Fred Lynn | 30 | 30 | 0 | |
| | Kirby Puckett* | 30 | 30 | 0 | |
| | Cy Williams | 30 | 0 | 30 | |
| 31 | Brett Butler | 29 | 13 | 16 | |
| | Joe DiMaggio* | 29 | 29 | 0 | |
| | Baby Doll Jacobson | 29 | 29 | 0 | |
| 34 | Earl Averill* | 28 | 28 | 0 | |
| | Carlos Beltrán | 28 | 14 | 14 | |
| | Curt Flood | 28 | 0 | 28 | |
| | Lloyd Waner* | 28 | 0 | 28 | |
| 38 | Paul Blair | 27 | 27 | 0 | |
| | Jim Wynn | 27 | 0 | 27 | |
| 40 | Jimmy Barrett † | 26 | 26 | 0 | |
| | Benny Kauff | 26 | 0 | 18 | Includes 8 in Federal League |
| | Burt Shotton | 26 | 25 | 1 | |
| 43 | Johnny Bates | 25 | 0 | 25 | |
| | Danny Hoffman | 25 | 25 | 0 | |
| | Solly Hofman | 25 | 0 | 24 | Includes 1 in Federal League |
| | Mickey Mantle* | 25 | 25 | 0 | |
| | Jigger Statz | 25 | 0 | 25 | |
| 48 | Sam Chapman | 24 | 24 | 0 | |
| | Ira Flagstead | 24 | 23 | 1 | |
| | Adam Jones | 24 | 24 | 0 | |
| | Omar Moreno | 24 | 4 | 20 | |
| | Johnny Mostil | 24 | 24 | 0 | |
| 53 | Andruw Jones | 23 | 0 | 23 | |
| | Mark Kotsay | 23 | 12 | 11 | |
| | Nemo Leibold | 23 | 23 | 0 | |
| | Terry Moore | 23 | 0 | 23 | |
| | Jack Smith | 23 | 0 | 23 | |
| | Homer Smoot | 23 | 0 | 23 | |
| | Bobby Thomson | 23 | 1 | 22 | |
| 60 | César Cedeño | 22 | 0 | 22 | |
| | Earle Combs* | 22 | 22 | 0 | |
| | Marquis Grissom | 22 | 0 | 22 | |
| | Johnny Groth | 22 | 22 | 0 | |
| | Lance Johnson | 22 | 14 | 8 | |
| | Willie McGee | 22 | 2 | 20 | |
| | Rebel Oakes | 22 | 0 | 18 | Includes 4 in Federal League |
| | B.J. Upton | 22 | 15 | 7 | |
| 68 | Ping Bodie | 21 | 21 | 0 | |
| | Willie Davis | 21 | 1 | 20 | |
| | Larry Doby* | 21 | 21 | 0 | Negro League totals unavailable |
| | Emmet Heidrick † | 21 | 19 | 2 | |
| | Dave Henderson | 21 | 21 | 0 | |
| | Garry Maddox | 21 | 0 | 21 | |
| | Gary Pettis | 21 | 21 | 0 | |
| | Fred Schulte | 21 | 20 | 1 | |
| | Jimmy Slagle | 21 | 0 | 21 | |
| | Del Unser | 21 | 15 | 6 | |
| | Tillie Walker | 21 | 21 | 0 | |
| | Devon White | 21 | 18 | 3 | |
| | Hack Wilson* | 21 | 0 | 21 | |
| | Mookie Wilson | 21 | 3 | 18 | |
| 82 | Harry Bay | 20 | 18 | 2 | |
| | Jackie Bradley Jr. (0) | 20 | 18 | 2 | |
| | Darrin Jackson | 20 | 2 | 18 | |
| | Rick Monday | 20 | 11 | 9 | |
| 86 | Mike Cameron | 19 | 9 | 10 | |
| | Taylor Douthit | 19 | 0 | 19 | |
| | Doug Glanville | 19 | 18 | 1 | |
| | Dave Philley | 19 | 19 | 0 | |
| | Chick Stahl † | 19 | 19 | 0 | |
| 91 | Lenny Dykstra | 18 | 0 | 18 | |
| | Carlos Gómez | 18 | 8 | 10 | |
| | Torii Hunter | 18 | 18 | 0 | |
| | Charlie Jones | 18 | 18 | 0 | |
| | Chet Lemon | 18 | 18 | 0 | |
| | Ray Powell | 18 | 0 | 18 | |
| | Mickey Rivers | 18 | 18 | 0 | |
| | Andy Van Slyke | 18 | 1 | 17 | |
| 99 | Tommie Agee | 17 | 10 | 7 | |
| | Wally Berger | 17 | 0 | 17 | |

## Other Hall of Famers

| Player | Double plays as a center fielder | Double plays as a center fielder | Double plays as a center fielder | Other leagues, notes |
| Player | MLB | American League | National League | Other leagues, notes |
| Duke Snider* | 17 | 0 | 17 | |
| Oscar Charletston* | 15 | 0 | 0 | Includes 10 in Negro National League (first), 4 in Eastern Colored League, 1 in American Negro League |
| Sam Rice* | 15 | 15 | 0 | |
| Turkey Stearnes* | 15 | 0 | 0 | Includes 12 in Negro National League (first), 2 in Negro National League (second), 1 in Negro American League (incomplete) |
| Roger Bresnahan* † | 14 | 0 | 14 | |
| Al Simmons* | 14 | 14 | 0 | |
| Robin Yount* | 13 | 13 | 0 | |
| Andre Dawson* | 12 | 0 | 12 | |
| Kiki Cuyler* | 7 | 0 | 7 | |
| Goose Goslin* | 7 | 7 | 0 | |
| Heinie Manush* | 7 | 7 | 0 | |
| Cool Papa Bell* | 6 | 0 | 0 | Includes 4 in Negro National League (first), 2 in Negro National League (second) |
| Willard Brown* | 6 | 0 | 0 | All 6 DPs were in Negro National League (second) (incomplete) |
| Sam Crawford * † | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| Elmer Flick* † | 5 | 5 | 0 | |