Rose really played all over the place, but was a fine player with The Reds and early on with The Phillies. He frankly hung around too long to break Cobb's hit record. Of course, he was a hustling player who got the most out of his talent, many others of his time had more talent, but he maximized what he had. He ran hard, stole bases, hit lots of doubles and singles, and usually hit over .300 in his prime. Unfortunately for him, the whole gambling/ HOF issue and his obnoxious personality have overshadowed his accomplishments.

I like Pete Rose as much as the next guy but to rate him higher than Roberto Clemente or Dwight Evans seems silly to me. He is certainly not remembered by many baseball fans of his day for playing right field and to rate him among the giants of the position having only played here the equivalent of 3 or 4 seasons seems a travesty. How many All-Star games did he start in Right Field? I'd rate him higher as an overall baseball player, maybe as a hitter. But, as a right-fielder he was part of a large pack of mediocre defensive players who hit lots of singles. Huge effort, suspect arm and range, good consistent hitter without much power. Pesky? Yes. Competitive? Very. One of the great right-fielders of the game? Are you kidding?

Pete can beat you in the field, at the plate, and with the Bookie.

Played hard-nosed baseball, was never afraid to dive head first into a base (or in Ray Fosse's case, a player). Although his betting on baseball has tainted the possibility of him getting into the Hall of Fame, the list is asking for the best RIGHT FIELDER in history, and not what he did off the field.

I've said elsewhere what I think of Pete Rose the total package, and I don't plan to repeat it completely here. As tboneya says, Rose was asked to play a lot of positions during his first career for the Reds, and I settled on right because it seemed the position he was most suited to. He was adequate at third, but was far from a natural hot corner man, and while his range and arm were not particularly suited for right, he played the position reasonably well. His hitting during this period was solid, and his baserunning and competitive fire were one of the main sparks of the great Reds teams of the mid-seventies. His work with the Phillies and Expos was pretty grim on the field, and his final few years with the Reds were a disgrace.

Pete gets a 5 for being a versitile player who played 1st, 2nd, 3rd, LF and RF. He wasn't a great RF but his work ethic and great hitting make him a 5. He may have been a dick, but he ain't no Barry Bonds, as Nuxall would say.