We've had the pleasure of watching two of baseball greatest players pursue two of baseball's most significant records this past week.

The record runs of Barry Bonds and Rickey Henderson brings up a good question guaranteed to keep a bar argument going until closing time. Who is the best left fielder of all time?

The question boils down to three players – Barry, Rickey and Ted Williams (I'm excluding Stan Musial, who played only a third of his games in left field). Here's a look at how they stack up:

Teddy Ballgame
Williams once said that all he wanted was to be able to walk down the street and hear people say, "There goes the best hitter who ever lived." If people didn't say it, they should have.

Making the case: Williams hit .344 with a .483 on-base percentage (first all-time), a .634 slugging percentage (second all-time) and 521 home runs. He scored 1,798 runs and drove in 1,839. And his career totals would be much higher had he not lost nearly five seasons to military service – he served in both WWII and in Korea (when he was 34). He won two Triple Crowns and two MVPs (and should have won more but one year a writer left him off the ballot even though he won the Triple Crown). He batted .388 at age 39. He hit .328 with 29 home runs his final season and homered in his final at-bat.

According to "Total Baseball" calculations, he was his league's best player six seasons.

Knocking it down: Williams never was considered a good fielder. He also was a slug on the bases (Rickey has more steals this year than Ted did his entire career). And while he was penalized by his military service, he also played his first five seasons before the color line was broken (and which was only gradually crossed in the American League). Which means he faced inferior competition.

Barry
In addition to all the hours in the batting cage, Barry Bonds also had a lot of DNA going for him. His father, Bobby, was one of the game's better outfielders in the '70s, as was his uncle, Reggie Smith. Reggie Jackson is a cousin. His godfather is Willie Mays. "I'm just blessed," Bonds has said. "My father is a gifted athlete. I get a lot of information from someone I consider the best all-around baseball player, Willie Mays. So I get a lot of information from a lot of great athletes."

Making the case: An all-around player, he is close to becoming the first player to ever hit 500 home runs and steal 500 bases. He is an eight-time Gold Glove winner and a three-time MVP (he probably should have won two other years as well). Only six players have hit more home runs. While his lifetime average is just .291, he has a .418 on-base percentage and .583 slugging percentage (seventh all time). And he isn't done. He is 38 but probably has two more solid seasons ahead of him. He could very easily finish with more home runs than his godfather. He is undoubtedly the greatest player who has never been in a World Series.

According to Total Baseball calculations, he's been his league's best player in eight seasons -- with a ninth on the way.

Knocking it down: While Bonds has been a great player throughout his career, you could argue that his recent outrageous production is partly related to the surge in all offensive statistics the past couple years because of diluted pitching, smaller ballparks and bigger, stronger players.

But that's about it as far as the negatives.

Rickey
Asked what drawing even with Ty Cobb's run record meant Wednesday night, Henderson told reporters: "Even's nothing. Even is, I done tied Ty."

You have to love Rickey.

Making the case: Rickey would seem to be the odd man out in this argument. His career batting average is only .284. He has only 290 home runs and only 1,093 RBI. So he doesn't even begin to compare to Ted as a hitter. But look at it from a slightly different angle and the case isn't so clear.

Offensive production isn't just a matter of hitting. It's a matter of producing runs, and because of Rickey's running ability, no one has scored more runs. He has stolen hundreds more bases than the next nearest player. He has more walks than Babe Ruth. He has a .402 on-base percentage. In his prime, he was the most disruptive force in baseball outside of Morganna, capable of affecting a pitcher's approach every inning he batted. And he was a good fielder (he won one Gold Glove).

According to Total Baseball calculations, he's been the league's best player in four seasons.

Knocking it down: Even with five extra seasons, Rickey has 300 fewer runs produced (runs plus RBIs) than Williams. As much of a force Rickey was on the bases, he still relied on somebody else knocking him in.

My verdict:

Bonds, just ahead of Williams, followed by Rickey.

You can begin arguing now.

Jim Caple is a senior writer for ESPN.com.