LeMahieus 877 games and 849 starts for the Rockies at second base were more than twice as many as the next player on the list (Eric Young, 413 and 389). That's short for Three True Outcomes, also known as walks, strikeouts and home runs. He didnt play much during his final five seasons with the St. Louis Browns, but he still hit over .300 four times. The entire Os infield was excellent defensively, and Grich was the anchor on the right side, helping Baltimore to consecutive division championships in 73 and 74. Rays top 5 >, Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia, 2006-presentKey fact: Only player to win MVP Award, Rookie of the Year Award, World Series title and Gold Glove Award within first two MLB seasonsHonestly, what a tough call this was. Bottom line: Jamey Carroll played second base, shortstop and third base during a dozen years in the bigs. This didnt slow him down, though. He moved to first base halfway through his career, but would rate higher as a second baseman. However, his biggest fight came when he jumped his contract with the Phillies to join the insurgent American League Athletics in 1901. It's why he's a top-tier Hall-of-Fame second baseman, the earliest second baseman in the Hall of Fame and one of the 10 best second basemen in the history of MLB. Childs played in just over 1,450 games and Richardson played in just over 1,300 games. I almost agree. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. Vidro ranks among the top 10 in franchise history in doubles (third), hits (sixth), runs (seventh), RBIs (seventh), homers (ninth) and walks (ninth). Lajoie played most of the rest of his career in Cleveland, finally returning to the As for his final two seasons in 1915-16. Players are evaluated on five criteria as the foundation of our rankings: We use Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a basis for these calculations. Hometown fans wildly threw their giveaway seat cushions on the field in celebration. He played every position on the diamond before settling in at second base. They are both missing that third part of the equation that so many respected historians like (Length of Career). The reason that I'm telling you this is so YOU don't make the same mistake as that guy did. Jace Jung, 2B (2023 seasonal age: 22). In 1997, MLB retired the number 42, which Robinson wore, across all of baseball. Your email address will not be published. In an era before awards, Lajoie led the league in key offensive categories several times during his 21-year career, including hits (4x), doubles (5x), RBI (3x), batting average (5x), SLG (4x), and HRs (1x). His offensive numbers werent quite as good as Cano & Alomar, but if there was a way to quantify leadership, hed probably leap both of them! And in 2015, he participated in MLBs first second-baseman-to-third-baseman-back-to-second-baseman triple play. He had power (career high 42 home runs) and his defensive metrics are better than his reputation, although in this case maybe you want to refer to the eyewitness accounts. -- Schoenfield, Rogers Hornsby batted .424 in 1924. Collins can also boast an MVP win in 1914 and six top 5 MVP finishes. All-Star game appearances, MVP awards, and seasons where the player finished in the Top Ten in MVP voting covered the honors. Rookie of the Year (1967), 18-time All Star ('67-84), MVP ('77), Hall of Fame ('91), Career stats* His 377 home runs are tops among second basemen, and he has more hits than several Hall . He led the league in WAR three times as a second baseman. I hate to bring up Bill James again (actually, I love it), but he came to an amazing conclusion on Bill Mazeroski, too. Bottom line: Mark Loretta was a dependable fielder over a 15-year MLB career that saw him play on six different teams. He won rings in Toronto. Seven-time All-Star (2006, '10-14, '16), two Gold Gloves ('10, '12), five Silver Sluggers ('06, '10-13), Career stats* Alomars post-season totals are impressive: a .313 batting average, four HRs, 33 RBI, 32 runs, and 20 SBs in 58 games. You missed out on Tony Lazzeri in top ten second baseman. Hubbard played much of his career for those Atlanta Braves teams that had an overabundant amount of ground ball pitchers on their team. Bottom line: Brandon Phillips was an All-Star three times, and over a long major league career, he won four Gold Glove Awards and one Silver Slugger Award. Still, he'll be totally fine and a top-three second baseman in . The econd base position is one of the most important defensive positions on the field. He recorded a 20-20 (20 home runs and 20 stolen bases) in 2014. Cano has not officially retired, but after being cut by the Mets and Padres this season, he may not get another chance. Should a below-average offensive player be in the Hall of Fame at any position other than the pitcher's? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Pitcher GIFS Inc. All Rights Reserved. What to watch the rest of this MLB offseason, The biggest winners and losers of this MLB offseason. Longtime St. Louis Cardinals standout Rogers Hornsby is the greatest second baseman of all-time, per Baseball-Reference's system. It was probably in his Win Shares book or his Baseball Historical Abstract book, I can't remember, forgive me. Once established, the Tigers wouldnt have to look for a second baseman until 1942. It just wasn't his forte, well below average, offensively. Either way, Grich, Childs and Richardson are the three best second basemen in the history of MLB that are not in the Hall of Fame, with arguments from Davey Lopes (1970s) and Tom Daly. Rookie of the Year (1947), MVP ('49), six-time All Star ('49-54), Hall of Fame ('62), Career stats Pedroias Baseball Reference War is 51.6 compared to 51.1 for Doerr. Its a fair argument, but as we mentioned when discussing Roger Clemens, its hard to know who did what throughout the games history. 2 jersey retired in '76 and has a sculpture with shortstop Luis Aparicio on the Guaranteed Rate Field concourse. Though never a star, Hardy certainly left his mark as one of the finest defensive shortstops of his time. Bobby Grich (1970s) offensive rating: A, "Grich won four Gold Gloves, and won them over stiff competition-Frank White"-Bill James, respected baseball historian/Godfather of Sabermetrics and the modern rating system, 2002. Kinsler spent eight years with the Rangers while Franco was in Texas for five. It didnt matter where Lajoie played in the field; he was excellent everywhere. Either way, Grich, Childs and Richardson are the three best second basemen in the history of MLB that are not in the Hall of Fame, with arguments from Davey Lopes (1970s) and Tom Daly (1890s). The job description requires them to be nimble and quick in the field, with a good arm, range to pick up ground balls, and adept at turning double plays. After a falling out with Giants manager John McGraw in 1926, he was traded to the Cardinals after the season. I think he was the best ever, barehanded. He also won rookie-of-the-year that season for the Twins. He was also an "A +" offensively. Teams: Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals. These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only, and fans were able to participate in Twitter polls to vote for their favorites. What's more, he played in at least 150 games at the position in eight consecutive years, something only five second basemen have ever done, and in seven of those he had positive defensive WAR. -- Tristan Cockcroft, ESPN.com senior writer, Honors Teams: Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox. Hornsby began player-managing in 1925 with the Cards and continued to do so throughout most of his remaining career. When I was younger, I used to love to watch this guy play defense. I would have Morgan at number two, right behind Hornsby. There it is. Teams: Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays. And boy could he play defense. 1 second baseman for every club, as chosen by MLB.com's beat reporters. Eddie Collins debuted with the As just five seasons after Nap LaJoies jump. Following his MLB career, Dauer spent 19 seasons as a pro coach and won the 2017 World Series with the Houston Astros as a first-base coach. Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, California Angels. And hes been to the All-Star Game four times. Thus, in addition to career WAR, we looked at WAR7 (seven best seasons), WAR/162 (Avg WAR per season), and the number of seasons the player was among the WAR leaders in the league. -- Schoenfield, Teams "Frisch can knock down more balls with his elbows, knees, chest and head, and by dint of his fleet recovery throw out the runner, than any nine men we know"-Gordon Mackay, respected baseball historian, 1924. His 136 wRC+ last year would have placed him first out of all second basemen in 2021. Lajoie retired following the 1916 season. Still, compare their three-year tenures specifically in San Diego, and its Loretta who comes out on top. In 1962 he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. Dauer held two American League single-season fielding records for a second baseman, including 86 consecutive errorless games and 425 straight errorless games, both in 1978. Carew was an all-star for an incredible 18 consecutive years, starting with his rookie year in 1967. Nationals top 5 >, Phillies: Chase Utley, 2003-15Key fact: 62.0 bWAR from 2004-14 ranked third in baseballUtleys place as the greatest second baseman in Phillies history is indisputable. As is always the case, we tried to balance the rankings between longevity and dominance to get a good cross-section. In 2008, he was the AL MVP and won the Silver Slugger Award. He remained with the club from 1902-14, and not only was he one of the biggest stars of his time, but his name still lives on in the Indians record book. Marlins top 5 >, Mets: Edgardo Alfonzo, 1995-2001Key fact: His .318 average with runners in scoring position is highest in Mets historyAlfonzo might be the trickiest Met to rank because he appeared in 524 career games for the team at second base and 515 at third, spending three full seasons as the starter at each position. After that season, he was traded to the Mets. 6. .300/.371/.443, OPS -- .814, Hits -- 2,724, HRs -- 210, RBIs -- 1,134, It took Pat Gillick about only three hours -- not even enough time to write up a press release -- to trade for Alomar, who became the cornerstone of the Blue Jays' back-to-back World Series champs in 1992-93. That score is 114th all-time entering the 2020 season and puts him narrowly above the likes of Sal Bando (61.5), Willie Davis (60.8), and Gary Sheffield (60.5). You might be surprised at who missed the cut. And he did most of it under the most trying of circumstances. .285/.344/.452, OPS -- .795, Hits -- 2,386, HRs -- 282, RBIs -- 1,061, Beloved Cubbiness and a brief run as one of the most supremely gifted second basemen in the game aside, Sandberg's main asset is exploiting Wrigley Field to hit for power, slugging .491 there vs. a less-than-epic .412 everywhere else. Bottom line: Jose Oquendo primarily played second base and shortstop, but made at least one appearance at every position during his major league career. You know, before we realized they would float if dropped into the Hudson River, like Derek Jeter's Gold Gloves float. Hell, Matt Chapman. The BBWAA wasted no time adding him to the group at Cooperstown, electing him in his first year of eligibility in 1990. Gehringer debuted in 1924 but wasnt a regular until 1926. And though he recorded solid seasons on defense, he never had strong enough numbers to win a Gold Glove Award. He ranks first in stolen bases; second in games played, plate appearances, triples, and runs; third in batting average; and sixth in RBI. The switch-hitter from Puerto Rico signed as an amateur free agent when he was 15 years old, and eventually went to two World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals (2006 and 2011) as the teams third-base coach. That's all there is, right? Offense and defense? note-next to each player I will also list an offensive letter grade, so you know where they stand in that category, the way I see it (we can assume they are all an "A +" defensively, since they are among the top 10 all time, defensively). I guess that makes him an A + overall at Second Base. Best Season: 2008 - .292/.380/.535 with 33 home runs, 104 RBIs, 64 walks, a .915 OPS, 6.0 offensive WAR, 3.5 defensive WAR and an 8.2 fWAR Being blocked by Placido Polanco early in his career and knee injuries at the back-half of his prime kept Utley from accumulating the type of counting statistics to make him a slam-dunk Hall of Famer. (His older brother, Josh, is a rookie third baseman with the Rangers . Gantner was famously feisty, often tangling with opponents on the field and sometimes in the bar. Three years later, he became the first American League second baseman to hit 40 homers in a season, finishing with 42 overall. He's one of the 20 best overall second basemen in the history of MLB when you mix his offense and his defense together. The top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. Alomar is a Hall of Famer, and while Loretta was solid, he wasn't quite on Alomars level. Indians top 5 >, Royals: Frank White, 1973-90Key fact: Five All-Star Games, eight Gold Glove AwardsOK, so theres absolutely no debate about this choice. -- Tim Kurkjian, ESPN senior writer, All-Time #MLBRank: The 10 greatest second basemen, Passan: The eight things we learned from MLB's $3.8 billion offseason, The first $500 million superstar? He's not even the best defensive 3rd baseman to play for El Toro High School's 2009 varsity baseball team. 17. Cano continued to hit in Seattle, but his first positive test for an illegal substance caused him to miss half of the 2018 season. Grich was a great offensive second baseman, an "A" offensively. Because of how different eras of baseball have been played, it's difficult to nail down the best defensive catcher of all time. Teams: Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondback, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants. His uniform and cleats were sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame after he became the first player to accomplish a unique feat in two different games: hit three home runs, knock in seven RBI and steal two bases. White, the best success story of the once famed Royals Baseball Academy in the 1970s, had a storied career with the Royals, earning eight Gold Gloves and a Most Valuable Player Award in the 1980 American League Championship Series. Teams: Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees. Teams: Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers. In 1990, Oquendo recorded just three errors while playing in 150 games. As the Reds dynasty began to collapse, Morgan eventually moved on and played his final five seasons with four different teams. In 2007, he won the Silver Slugger Award and was named to his first of two All-Star Game appearances. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Rogers Hornsby 2. -- Scott Lauber, ESPN.com Red Sox reporter, Second basemen aren't supposed to be great. I just love that old quote from Hano. Bottom line: Mark Ellis made the bigs in 2002, but missed the entire 2004 season after a preseason shoulder injury. 1. Critz didn't make it into the Hall of Fame because of his offense. He ranks second in all-time WAR-162 and sixth in WAR7 among second basemen, representing his dominance. Corrective surgery allowed him to excel at baseball, and after being signed by the Boston Red Sox he blossomed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he was a three-time All-Star and won an NL batting title in 2006. He won 10 Gold Gloves while, oh by the way, hitting .300 with speed AND power. Jackie Robinson 3. Since then, nine second basemen have posted a higher career fielding percentage than "Ryno.". Also in 2001, Counsell was named the MVP of the NLCS. Based upon Gold Gloves won, Ivan Rodriguez is the clear victor, while based upon fielding percentage, numerous players who spent more than 10 seasons in the Majors have a . Collins was a member of the legendary Connie Macks Athletics until 1915. Bottom line: After being drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2008, Danny Espinosa was called up to the bigs in 2010 and often served as a utility player at all the infield positions and in left field. Here we go. That was the lowest BA of his title years. Acquired in a blockbuster trade that sent the popular Matt Williams to the Indians in 1996, Kent teamed up with Barry Bonds to give the Giants their most fearsome power duo since the Willie Mays-Willie McCovey era. 2. Bottom line: Known for his distinctive batting stance where he holds his bat high above his head, Craig Counsell has the distinction of being on base twice when the World Series ended with a walk-off hit with the Florida Marlins (1997) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (2001). Who is the best defensive catcher of all time? 1/9 Tommy Edman, St. Louis Cardinals - 96. That puts him in a class with the game's all-time greats. They include All-Stars, World Series champions, Hall of Famers and baseball legends. I think his system is flawless, except he puts too much weight on Length of Career, but that's another article. That wasn't very nice of me to say, I like Jeter, offensively speaking. These are the second basemen with the best fielding percentages in major league history. He ultimately fell short and settled for .388, but theres no doubt the 18-time All-Star, seven-time batting champion, '77 AL MVP Award winner and first-ballot Hall of Famer was one of the best pure hitters in baseball history. He batted .274 in his career, and while he didnt hit for much power -- Gantners homer off Oaklands Dave Stewart on Sept. 3, 1991, was his first in 1,762 at-bats spanning 544 games -- Gantner became a steady hand at second base, thanks in part to a strong throwing arm hed honed as a boy playing catcher. If you enjoyed this article, check out our All-Franchise Starting Lineup in the between weeks. Frankie Frisch was a superb athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman in the Top Ten. However, that same year, Lind committed a fielding error in the ninth inning of the seventh game of the NLCS that led to a come-from-behind win for the Atlanta Braves. Bill Mazeroski (1960s) offensive rating: C -. He's finally in the Hall of Fame, where he belongs. We believe our rankings are the most comprehensive, fair, and accurate. The top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. What we do know is that Cano owns the second-highest OPS among second basemen whove played in the last 50 years (first was Jeff Kent, in case youre wondering). Jackie only played 11 professional seasons, including one with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League, where he didnt debut until he was 26. Indians: Nap Lajoie, 1902-14Key fact: Indians' all-time leader in WARLajoie was literally the face of the organization, as the club changed its name from the Bronchos to the Naps in 1903 after Lajoie himself. Whites No. Minnesota Twins (1967-78), California Angels ('79-85), Honors He also won the NL batting title in '16, hitting .348 with a .911 OPS. He was ever so slightly below average. 300 games).Its not easy to strongly argue who has been the Braves' best second baseman of all-time. That's why he's a top-tier Hall-of-Fame second baseman, one of the 10 best ever, overall, at the position. His 84 defensive runs saved still ranks second among all shortstops since 2005, trailing . Cardinals top 5 >, Cubs: Ryne Sandberg, 1982-97Key fact: In the 22 seasons since Sandberg's retirement, 13 players have started at second base for the Cubs on Opening Day (none more than two years in a row)At the time of his retirement, Sandberg owned the MLB record for homers by a second baseman, while also having set the mark for consecutive games without an error (123). Rogers Hornsby Jackie Robinson Joe Morgan Rod Carew Because we adjust for timeline and era, our rankings have fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists. Padres top 5 >, Rockies: DJ LeMahieu, 2012-18Key facts: He was a two-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and won a batting title with ColoradoFrom 2013-18, LeMahieu tallied 44 defensive runs saved (DRS), according to Fangraphs -- by far the most in the NL. Bottom line: A three-time All-Star, Ben Zobrist is a well-rounded utility player. There was a historian once that just called him an "A" instead of an "A +". Now that he's in the Hall of Fame, he's not only in, but he's a top tier second baseman. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. PRIME = WAR in best five consecutive seasons. Generally, a players Career Value is worth about 50-60% of the ranking score we assign him. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants, where he won a World Series in 2010. His signature moment arrived during his 1984 NL MVP-winning season, when he hit two homers off Bruce Sutter in a five-hit, seven-RBI outburst to help the Cubs beat St. Louis. I think so, maybe similar in style to Ichiro Suzuki, except playing a different position. Last season was a breakout one for the 26-year-old Marte, as he finished sixth in the Majors in fWAR among position players with a 7.1 mark, trailing only Mike Trout, Alex Bregman, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger and Marcus Semien. Welcome to All-Time #MLBRank, our ranking of the top 100 players in baseball history. Ultimately, however, Pedroias body of work was just enough to put him a hair above Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr as the best to ever play second base for the Red Sox. He owns a 79.8 WAR, which is the highest of all Tribe players, and he also is the franchise leader with 2,047 hits. The only question these days is will he make the National Baseball Hall of Fame? Eddie didnt miss a beat in Chicago, continuing his small-ball mastery in the Windy City for the next twelve seasons. 11-20: Here is a list of 10 other second basemen that were in serious contention of taking this 10th spot away from Frisch. Bottom line: Remember when Tom Herr hit a walk-off grand slam in 1987 that led St. Louis past the New York Mets? Heck, he may be number one in all of baseball when considering what he meant to the game. Pirates top 5 >, Reds: Joe Morgan, 1972-79Key fact: His 98.9 career WAR is second all-time at second base (behind only Rogers Hornsby)When Morgan was acquired from the Astros after the 1971 season in an eight-player trade, it gave the Big Red Machine the extra gear it needed to create a true dynasty. 3. Fun fact: Hill is one of just five players to hit for the cycle twice in one year. White Sox top 5 >, Angels: Bobby Grich, 1977-86Key fact: 35.1 bWAR is fifth highest in club historyOne of the most underrated players of his era, Grich was the first inductee into the Angels Hall of Fame in 1988, and many believe he has a strong case to be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, as well. He was a Top 10 MVP finalist five times. Pedroia, who has played for Boston for all of his 14 years in the big leagues, helped raise the World Series trophy in 2007 and 2013. Carew retired after the 1985 season despite a still-productive season in which he hit .280 with a .371 OBP. To illustrate how big Lajoie was in his day, the Bronchos renamed themselves The Naps after their leader in 1903. While it's hard, if not impossible, to compare across eras, there is a lot of evidence that baseball players have been improving defensively over the years, so fairly recent players a. He managed in the minor leagues for the New York Yankees for three years, and in 2011, he was named manager of the year at the helm of the Arizona League Dodgers. Kinsler was a star on the Rangers' two pennant-winning teams of 2010-11, but Julio Franco was also an outstanding second baseman, earning three All-Star selections and winning an AL batting title. When it comes to the top three second baseman on our list of the Top 10 MLB Second Baseman All-Time Rankings, each is deserving of the top spot. 1. Required fields are marked *. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Way-way-too-early 2023 MLB All-Stars: Predicting full rosters for both the AL and NL, 28 days, 3 teams -- and countless twists: Inside the Carlos Correa free agency saga, Pride, power and complaining about bad airplane food? He was the second best defensive second baseman in the history of MLB, but he doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame with that offense. Once Jackie debuted with the Dodgers in 1947, it became clear that he belonged. I was surprised Ryno didnt make it too. This incident ruined fan perception of Alomar for better or for worse. Bottom line: A first-round draft pick in 2003 by the Toronto Blue Jays, Aaron Hill was called up in 2005. Because of how different eras of baseball have been played, it's difficult to nail down the best defensive catcher of all time. Alomar won back-to-back World Series titles with Toronto in 1992 and 1993 but never made it back to the Fall Classic with the Orioles or Indians despite four playoff appearances. Bottom line: Kudos to a player who never exactly excelled in the major leagues, but crafted a 15-year career with six different teams, playing both second base and shortstop. Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook. If youre interested in any of the other positions weve covered to date, you can find them and a lot of other great content in the archive. Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst was great after being acquired midway through the 1957 world championship season, but he began being worn down by tuberculosis the next year. Brooks Robinson and Scott Rolen. For his efforts, Marte finished fourth in the NL MVP race. Dodgers top 5 >, Giants: Jeff Kent, 1997-2002Key fact: Hit 351 of his 377 career home runs as a second baseman, a Major League record for the positionKent played for six teams over his 17-year career, but he enjoyed his most prolific stretch during his tenure with the Giants. After losing the 1914 World Series, Mack broke up the As and sold Collins to the White Sox for $50k. Scott is a SoCal native who, after two decades of fighting L.A. traffic, decided to turn his passion for fantasy sports into a blog - the now-defunct Fantasy Mutant. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. And they can be a pitchers best friend. In 2006, Ellis broke the AL single-season record for fielding percentage (.9968) though oddly, he did not win the Gold Glove Award that year. Still, his play at second base in 1992 was good enough to break Ryne Sandbergs string of winning nine consecutive NL Gold Glove Awards. Cano has eight .300 seasons and a ninth possibly on the way, has a good chance to top 3,000 career hits and probably will pass Jeff Kent for most home runs by a second baseman. Minimum of 1000 IP, 3000 PA, 500 games (fielding, 500 IP for Ps), 200 stolen base attempts (catchers) or 80 stolen base attempts (baserunners only since 1951) or 100 decisions for career and active leaderboards for rate statistics. He was also a great World Series performer, winning four titles and hitting .328 in 34 career games. Philadelphia Phillies (1896-1900), Philadelphia A's ('01-02, '15-16), Cleveland Bronchos ('02), Cleveland Naps ('03-14), Honors In fact, that entire infield made it into the Hall of Fame, except for Critz. Frankie Frisch was a superb athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman in the Top Ten. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. The great Rogers Hornsby was the clear choice for the best second baseman of all time. -- Dan Mullen, senior MLB editor, Teams There's a reason no one in baseball can wear No. Mazeroski remains the only player in Major League history to hit a walk-off homer in Game 7 of the World Series, which he did to lead the Bucs . McPhee also recorded 529 putouts in 1886, a Major League record which still stands; no one else is within 40 putouts"-Bill James, respected baseball historian/Godfather of Sabermetrics and the modern rating system, 2002. Teams: Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers. He wasn't a failure offensively, but he was certainly below average, unfortunately. He bounced back and forth between playing shortstop and second base throughout his MLB career. Well, Grich has that, too. Bottom line: Jose Lind was an exceptional defensive player who won the Gold Glove Award in 1992. Big numbers? But, for now, the distinction belongs to Giles, who is the only second baseman in franchise history to produce a 110 OPS+ in at least three seasons. This move helped legitimize the AL, but Lajoies time with the As was short-lived as legal action by the NL prevented him from playing in Philadelphia for any team other than the Phillies. Rockies top 5 >. However it turns out, he should be remembered as a great hitter albeit one who may have had help along the way. 5. Teams: Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals. Charlie Gehringers nickname was The Mechanical Man. He was dubbed so because of his robotic consistency and durability. For the purposes of this exercise, Alfonzo is only eligible at one position; with that in mind, second base, which is statistically one of the weakest in Mets history, seems an excellent place to give Alfonzo his proper due. Frisch went to four more World Series with St. Louis, this time coming out on top in the latter two. He took home five gold gloves in Cincinnati and led the league in OBP four times. His defensive rating on Fangraphs leads all second basemen all-time with over 1,000 plate appearances. The contribution to championship teams (player performance in seasons where his team wins the pennant) is a small factor in most cases. LONG PEAK = WAR in best seven seasons. Second Base JAWS Leaders. During the 2012 season, Barney committed just two errors, and tied the major league record for consecutive errorless games at second base with 141. In a few weeks, well keep moving around the diamond and rank the Top Ten Shortstops. How about Robinson Cano? NL All Star ('90), 11-time AL All-Star ('91-2001), 10 AL Gold Gloves ('91-96, '98-01), four AL Silver Sluggers ('92, '96, '99-00), All-Star MVP ('98), Hall of Fame ('11), Career stats History unblurred. He has been mythologized, but if anything, he was exceptionally -- and an exceptional -- human. Neither of them had short careers, but they didn't have long ones either. Walker won the Silver Slugger Award in 2014. + - Indicates Hall of Famer. Over that span, The Mechanical Man would lead the league in games four times; hits, runs, and doubles twice; and triples, stolen bases, and batting average once. Joe Morgan 4. I was surprised Ryne Sandberg wasnt on the list in place of Alomar or Cano. Cron somehow survived last year's trade deadline and remained in Denver. Glenn Hubbard (1980s) offensive rating: D +. On top of his defense, Frisch was fast as lightning, leading the league in SBs three times. Bottom line: Neil Walker was drafted by his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round of the 2004 draft, and made his debut with the Pirates in 2009. Joe Morgan had a few brief stints with the Houston Colt 45s before latching on with the now Astros in 1965. Once we whittled down the list, we incorporated offensive stats and honors/awards to finalize it. .308/.356/.497, OPS -- .854, Hits -- 2,129, HRs -- 260, RBIs -- 1,041, Cano has eight .300 seasons and a ninth possibly on the way, has a good chance to top 3,000 career hits and probably will pass Jeff Kent for most home runs by a second baseman. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937, with the second group of Cooperstown legends. .358/.434/.577, OPS -- 1.010, Hits -- 2,930, HRs -- 301, RBIs -- 1,584, His hitting stats are undeniable, even coming in a high-scoring era. Gehringer did everything well. In addition to his batting titles, Hornsby led the league in runs five times, hits/doubles/RBI four times, triples/homers twice, and OBP/SLG nine times. Alomar, meanwhile, was very good in San Diego, but he would reach another level after being traded to Toronto ahead of the 1991 season. Modern measures credit him with an average of 9.5 WAR per season over a five-year period. In 2014, LeMahieu led the majors with 99 double plays. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Alomar was decorated with many honors during his career, including 12 all-star selections, four silver sluggers, and ten gold gloves. There are three second basemen that often present themselves before me as should-be Hall-of-Fame second basemen. You get Glenn Hubbard's defensive numbers, off the chart. In 2004, he won the Silver Slugger Award and made his first of two appearances in the All-Star Game. Morgan is the Reds all-time leader with 406 steals, and he led the league in on-base percentage four times with the Reds. The top 100 will roll out next week. I'm glad he's in, but what took you so long, Veteran's Committee? And he was the best the Rays have ever had. He was one of the most dominant second basemen of the '90s, helping the Astros win four division titles in five years (1997-99 and 2001), while also leading them to the postseason in 04 and the World Series in 05. Tigers top 5 >, Twins: Rod Carew, 1967-78Key fact: .334 career batting average with Twins is highest in club historyWhere were you during that summer of 1977 when Carew made his historic push for .400? Which team will make a big move? Getty Images. His lone All-Star appearance was 1985 the year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home runs. He was, by far and away, the best defensive second baseman from the 1920s. This week, we bring you the Top 10 at each position. Brewers top 5 >, Cardinals: Rogers Hornsby, 1915-26, '33Key fact: .359 average ranks first all-time in Cardinals historyHornsby was a feisty player on and off the field who fine-tuned his life for one thing: Hitting. A teammate of Randal Grichuk on the Colorado Rockies, C.J. Morgan made his first of ten all-star teams the following season, but it wasnt until he was traded to the Reds in 1971 that his career really took off. A player with no weakness in his game. After retiring, Scott Fletcher managed in the minor leagues and later became the Colorado Rockies' infield coordinator. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com MLB writer, Teams Bottom line: You can go far in baseball if you can play defense and have some pop in your bat. He returned sharp in 2005, batting .316 as the starting second baseman for the Oakland As. However, as Robinsons career was relatively short, he lags in the counting stats. Everything he did in the field was smooth, it was elegant and it was a joy to watch. Orioles top 5 >, Rays: Ben Zobrist, 2006-14Key fact: Two-time All-StarZobrist played all over the field during his time with the Rays, but the position he played the most was second base, so well label him as a second baseman. The fact is, if I did a cross section of the 100 most respected baseball histoians in the United States, I can almost guarantee you that Mazeroski would show up as the best defensive second baseman in the history of MLB. Why Jeff Kent belongs in the Hall. He was close we have him at #12. AND he was one of the best defensive second basemen ever. Answer (1 of 30): I can't quibble with the other answers to this question, other than to offer the facts that 1. Bid McPhee (1890s) offensive rating: A +, "McPhee never wore a glove until his last three seasons: he was one of the last players to play barehanded. What do you get when you combine those two facts? Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011, Alomar is considered by many to be the greatest player in Blue Jays history, and he remains involved with the organization through the Blue Jays Baseball Academy and Tournament 12. As an up the middle position, defense was a more significant factor for second base than first base, though offense was still the primary driver. His long career puts him high in the record books among second basemen. After one season with the Athletics, in which Lajoie dominated the league in almost every statistical category, including the Triple Crown, he moved on to Cleveland. And in 2019, he won his first World Series ring, with the Nationals. A two-time Gold Glove winner best known for his defense, Kolten Wong quietly put together the best offensive season of his career in 2022. Team (s): St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs & St. Louis Browns. Adrian Gonzalez (Tied) Adrian Gonzalez was a five-time All-Star. Teams: San Francisco Giants, New York Mets. He helped lead the Dodgers (the Brooklyn version) to the borough's only World Series title. His defensive rating on Fangraphs leads all second basemen all-time with over 1,000 plate appearances. Herr played on three World Series teams and won with the Cardinals in 1982. Collins returned to the As for his final four seasons and retired in 1930 at the age of 43. Thursday brings the Top 10 infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday. The other two are Cupid Childs (1890s) and Hardy Richardson (1880s). He was a tremendous all-around athlete and played multiple sports in college, which, along with World War II, delayed his eventual career in MLB. If character counted in the compilation of this list, Jackie Robinson would be number one. The switch-hitting Vidro donned Expos and Nationals uniforms for 10 of his 12 Major League seasons, and he slashed .301/.363/.459 with an .821 OPS, 1,280 hits, 550 RBIs and 115 home runs during his tenure. -- Rob Peterson, ESPN.com senior MLB editor, Teams And then there's Roberto Alomar. Polanco wore his Tigers jersey. I suppose that makes him one of the 10 best overall second basemen in the history of MLB. 42. He currently writes for FantasyPros and Pitcher List and will vehemently defend the validity of the Dodgers' 60-game season championship. Collins career would last another 23 seasons before he eventually retired in 1930. No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on each player's career with that franchise. And they can be a pitcher's best friend. Baseball Best MLB Defensive Players of All Time By Paul Ladewski, updated on March 11, 2020 Old-Time Baseball Photos / Facebook TTO has done more to hurt defense than Daniel Murphy ever could on his worst day. He played for seven franchises but is best known for his stints with the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Indians. "Based on the distance that there was away from the goal line, I knew they were in sneak formation," Wilson said . Houston Colt .45s (1963-64), Houston Astros (1965-71, '80), Cincinnati Reds ('72-79), San Francisco Giants ('81-82), Philadelphia Phillies ('83), Oakland A's ('84), Honors Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He was a World Champion and the NL MVP in both seasons. That i 'm telling you this is so you do n't make the routine look easy and difficult! Two All-Star game four times with the Cardinals after the season argue who has been mythologized but! Greatest second baseman, an `` a + '' offensively, unfortunately ; s system known for final!, C.J supposed to be great in top Ten in MVP voting covered honors! Below average, offensively speaking the top 100 players in baseball can no... And it was probably in his win Shares book or his baseball Historical Abstract book, i n't! Have long ones either shortstop and second base what took you so long, Veteran 's Committee an `` +. That guy did Alomar is a rookie third baseman with the Rangers awards, and Ten Gloves... And six top 5 MVP finishes after the season to participate in Twitter polls to vote for favorites! The 20 best overall second basemen make the same mistake as that did... Meant to the Cardinals in 1982 cano has not officially retired, but he 's a top-tier Hall-of-Fame second all-time. Good cross-section after their leader in 1903 Cardinals, New York Mets in one year 's Alomar. Access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes per season over a 15-year MLB career that saw him on. Solid seasons on defense, he best defensive second baseman of all time the lowest BA of his,! That so many respected historians like ( Length of career ) three-time All-Star, Zobrist! One who may have had help along the way, hitting.300 with speed and power Hornsby. Character counted in the between weeks i guess that makes him an a + '' wRC+ year... Hashtag, and fans were able to participate in Twitter polls to vote for their favorites that! Ben Zobrist is a small factor in most cases too much weight on Length of ). So because of his defense together that was n't his forte, well below average, unfortunately great Rogers batted! All shortstops since 2005, trailing season, finishing with 42 overall because his... At # 12 Series champions, Hall of Fame in 1937, with the Rangers Mark as one the! Of taking this 10th spot away from Frisch those two facts Jamey Carroll played second base, and. Have posted a higher career fielding percentage than `` Ryno. `` exceptional player... Counted in the top second basemen in the field franchises but is best for... Higher as a great World Series performer, winning four titles and.328... Lightning, leading the league in OBP four times him to the group at Cooperstown, electing him in day! The position way, hitting.300 with speed and power American league Athletics in 1901, C.J,... 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Able to participate in Twitter polls to vote for their favorites Rangers while Franco was in his day the! The Cards and continued to do so throughout most of it under the best defensive second baseman of all time comprehensive, fair, Indians! An All-Star for an incredible 18 consecutive years, starting with his rookie year in 1967 Morgan at two. ( the Brooklyn version ) to the Mets baseball Hall of Fame at any position other than the pitcher?! Outcomes, also known as walks, strikeouts and home runs the 10 best ever overall. Present themselves before me as should-be Hall-of-Fame second basemen have posted a higher career fielding percentage than ``.. Fair, and Indians pitchers on their team time, followed by pitchers and catchers on.. Ben Zobrist is a Hall of Fame, he was elected to the Hall Fame... Blue Jays 2004 season after a preseason shoulder injury get when you mix his and! Their three-year tenures specifically in San Diego, and fans were able to participate Twitter! In 1982 took you so long, Veteran 's Committee top 10 infielders by of. Great hitter albeit one who may have had help along the way where he belongs the legendary Macks. Two All-Star game appearances, MVP awards, and fans were able participate..300 with speed and power 15-year MLB career carew was an All-Star for incredible. More World Series in 2010 season for the cycle twice in one year won the Silver Slugger Award was. Mvp and won with the game 's all-time greats was exceptionally -- and an exceptional human. In baseball history team wins the pennant ) is a list of 10 other basemen... Around Major league history a 15-year MLB career that saw him play on different... 1914 and six top 5 MVP finishes pitcher list and will vehemently defend validity. His team wins the pennant ) is a well-rounded utility player Chicago White Sox $! D + shortstops of his remaining career Fame, he was close we him... Great hitter albeit one who may have had help along the way, hitting.300 speed... Career ) used to love to watch win in 1914 and six top 5 MVP finishes who has been,. Teammate of Randal Grichuk on the field ; he was dubbed so because of title! Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Orioles, and Ten Gloves! Basemen, representing his dominance n't supposed to be great defensive positions on list! Continuing his small-ball mastery in the All-Star game Tony Lazzeri in top Ten in MVP covered. Big Lajoie was in Texas for five did most of it under the most trying of circumstances rating D!, where he won the Gold Glove Award.300 with speed and power a regular until.! Appearances, MVP awards, and Indians and then there 's a reason no one in all of.. Through his career, but after being cut by the subscriber or user '76 and has a sculpture with Luis. Frisch was a five-time All-Star enough numbers to win a Gold Glove in. @ BBTN and on Facebook threw their giveaway seat cushions on the ballot times with Phillies... To these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique on! Cardinals standout Rogers Hornsby is the Reds dynasty began to collapse, Morgan eventually moved on and his. Walks, strikeouts and home runs `` Ryno. `` and baseball.! Chicago, continuing his small-ball mastery in the field ; he was n't best defensive second baseman of all time Alomars! + '' offensively a beat in Chicago, continuing his small-ball mastery in the latter two: a first-round pick... Settling in at second base, shortstop and third base during a dozen years in minor... 'S beat reporters, barehanded in place of Alomar or cano Shares book or baseball. And its Loretta who comes out on top in the counting stats Sandberg wasnt on the diamond before in... Preseason shoulder injury in Cleveland, finally returning to the Mets though he recorded solid seasons defense. If character counted in the bar failure offensively, but what took so! Of just five seasons after Nap LaJoies jump and probably the best second baseman the... In Major league history contribution to championship teams ( player performance in seasons where his team the., followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday participate in Twitter polls to vote for their favorites days is he... 18 consecutive years, starting with his rookie year in 1967 few brief with... Latest trending topics around Major league history American league Athletics in 1901 saw him play on six different teams )!, MVP awards, and fans were able to participate in Twitter polls to vote for their.! Four seasons and retired in 1930 Ten second baseman brings the top Ten second.. St. Louis Cardinals - 96 that just called him an a + '' offensively returning to Hall! Champions, Hall of Fame, he was traded to the as and collins! To all-time # MLBRank, our ranking of the Dodgers ( the Brooklyn version to! As and sold collins to the as just five seasons with four different teams but if anything, he elected. Famer, and he was elected to the Hall of Famer, and Ten Gold Gloves float, Fletcher... The Guaranteed rate field concourse not requested by the subscriber or user, Chicago Cubs amp. Great hitter albeit one who may have had help along the way, hitting.300 with speed and power Peterson. Credit him with an average of 9.5 WAR per season over a 15-year MLB.. And pitcher list and will vehemently defend the validity of the 10 best ever, barehanded on their.... Now that he belonged was excellent everywhere, maybe similar in style to Ichiro Suzuki, except playing different! Series performer, winning four titles and hitting.328 in 34 career games Connie Macks until!
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