Baseball writer Bill James , in the The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract , ranked Robinson as the 32nd greatest player of all time based on his performance on the field . James noted that Robinson was one of the top players in the league throughout his career . Baseball writer Bill James , in The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract , ranked Robinson as the 32nd greatest player of all time strictly on the basis of his performance on the field , noting that he was one of the top players in the league throughout his career .