However, his biggest fight came when he jumped his contract with the Phillies to join the insurgent American League Athletics in 1901. How We Ranked Baseballs Greatest Players. He should certainly be in the conversation, as Utleys 64.4 career bWAR and 62.9 fWAR rank 14th and 12th, respectively, among second basemen all-time. Because we adjust for timeline and era, our rankings have fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists. .328/.393/.429, OPS -- .822, Hits -- 3,053, HRs -- 92, RBIs -- 1,015, The Tony Gwynn or Ichiro Suzuki of his era, Carew was a master of bat control and one of the great bunters in the game's history. Collins was a member of the legendary Connie Macks Athletics until 1915. Yes, he broke in as a first baseman and rarely played second base over the final four seasons of his 10-year career, but Robinson was a second baseman in four of his six All-Star seasons, including his NL MVP-winning year of 1949. 20 is one of three retired numbers in Royals history. Why Jeff Kent belongs in the Hall. Rookie of the Year (1947), MVP ('49), six-time All Star ('49-54), Hall of Fame ('62), Career stats Nap Lajoie 6. .338/.380/.466, OPS -- .847, Hits -- 3,243, HRs -- 82, RBIs -- 1,599, The first big star of the new American League in 1901, he ranks 23rd all time in Baseball-Reference WAR. Second basemen are an important part of a baseball teams defense. Pedroias Baseball Reference War is 51.6 compared to 51.1 for Doerr. 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. History unblurred. -- Schoenfield, If Joe Morgan played today, he would be viewed as the ultimate Sabermetric player. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Second Base JAWS Leaders. Hornsby led the pack in nearly every category and dominated in WAR. 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. Bottm line: Freddy Sanchez overcame physical adversity to become a professional athlete, having been born with a pigeon-toed left foot and a club right foot. Playing for the Colorado Rockies two years later in the best season of his career, Carroll committed just three errors at second base, and led all NL second basemen in fielding percentage. Kent, a career .290 hitter, holds the all-time record for most home runs by a second baseman with 351 (out of 377). 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 . 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. He'll be . Sandberg went on to manage Philadelphia from 2013 to 2015. Giants top 5 >, Padres: Mark Loretta, 2003-05Key fact: Loretta, who hit .314 in three seasons with San Diego, and Tony Gwynn are the only qualifying Padres with a batting average above .300Overall, Loretta vs. Roberto Alomar isnt much of a debate. Hubbard played much of his career for those Atlanta Braves teams that had an overabundant amount of ground ball pitchers on their team. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Dozier started his career with the Twins in 2012, was an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award in 2017. Bottom line: Jose Oquendo primarily played second base and shortstop, but made at least one appearance at every position during his major league career. 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. In a few weeks, well keep moving around the diamond and rank the Top Ten Shortstops. Angels top 5 >, Astros: Craig Biggio, 1988-2007Key fact: Franchises all-time leader in games, hits, runs, total bases, doubles, extra-base hitsDrafted as a catcher, Biggio made the move to second base in 1992 and went on to win four Gold Glove Awards and four Silver Sluggers at the position. Until Ryne Sandberg retired in 1997, the Chicago Cubs two-bagger was considered the gold standard at the position, winning the top fielding award nine seasons in a row. 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 . A teammate of Randal Grichuk on the Colorado Rockies, C.J. What to watch the rest of this MLB offseason, The biggest winners and losers of this MLB offseason. Hughie Critz (1930s) offensive rating: D -, "The New York Giant infield of Hughie Critz, Bill Terry, Travis Jackson and Freddie Lindstrom, the million dollar infield as it was called, and it used to perform up to its namethey were so deft, so quick, so breathtaking that the fans would sit, first in stunned silence, and then in gathered bedlam"-Arnold Hano, respected baseball historian. The next four seasons were magical for Morgan, especially 1975 and 1976. His long career puts him high in the record books among second basemen. 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? On NBC that day, broadcaster Bob Costas proclaimed: "Roy Hobbs, The Natural, would be pleased. Cubs top 5 >, Pirates: Bill Mazeroski, 1956-72Key fact: The Hall of Famer hit the first and only walk-off home run in World Series Game 7 historyThe greatest defensive second baseman of his time, and perhaps of all-time, Mazeroski is ironically best remembered for an unmatched accomplishment at the plate. He moved to first base halfway through his career, but would rate higher as a second baseman. In 1929 he won his second MVP as a member of the Cubs and also made it to the World Series again that year (which, of course, they lost). In 2008, he was the AL MVP and won the Silver Slugger Award. In his first season with Cincinnati, Morgan led the league in runs, walks, and OBP; and finished fourth in the MVP voting. He won the Triple Crown in 1922 and 25, won six of his seven batting titles with the Cardinals and won the first of his two MVP Awards in St. Louis. 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. Philadelphia Phillies (1981), Chicago Cubs ('82-94, '96-97), Honors I'm glad he's in, but what took you so long, Veteran's Committee? Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins. The most decorated second baseman of all-time, Sandberg has won more Silver Slugger Awards (7) than anyone at the position to date, beginning with his 1984 NL MVP-winning campaign in which he hit . In 1991 he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility with 90.5% of the vote. The reason that I'm telling you this is so YOU don't make the same mistake as that guy did. Royals top 5 >, Tigers: Charlie Gehringer, 1924-42Key fact: 78.6 career fWAR ranks fifth all-time among MLB second basemenBorn and raised in Michigan, Gehringer played his entire 19-year career in Detroit, where his consistent greatness earned him the nickname The Mechanical Man. The Hall of Famer batted .306 or better in 13 of his 16 full Major League seasons, led the league in games played four times, played at least 150 games in nine seasons, and posted a .900+ OPS eight times. Eddie didnt miss a beat in Chicago, continuing his small-ball mastery in the Windy City for the next twelve seasons. 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. Anyway, most of you know that Bill James pretty much invented the Win Shares system, which so many take as gospel. Phillies top 5 >, Brewers: Jim Gantner, 1976-92Key fact: No. 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. There are three second basemen that often present themselves before me as should-be Hall-of-Fame second basemen. Three times Hornsby hit over .400, including his .424 average in 1924. Teams: Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondback, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants. When Fletcher was playing for the Texas Rangers, and former President George W. Bush was the owner, Bush named his dog Spot Fetcher, in recognition of Fletcher. 1. Bottom line: A three-time All-Star, Ben Zobrist is a well-rounded utility player. He was the AL second baseman in the first six All-Star Games, when he was already in his 30s. 1. 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. Alomar made into the Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility after just missing on his first attempt likely due to that famous spitting incident. He was also an "A +" offensively. His lone All-Star appearance was 1985 the year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home runs. PRIME = WAR in best five consecutive seasons. 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. He was, by far and away, the best defensive second baseman from the 1920s. In only his fourth season, Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals has secured the top spot among second basemen. 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. Let's begin with the long ball. However, we also adjust for era, integration and level of competition, and missed playing time due to factors beyond the control of the player. The three-time Gold Glove Award winner made the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1999 when he was with the Mets and considered by some to be part of "The Best Infield Ever" along with second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo, shortstop Rey Ordonez and third baseman Robin Ventura. Nine Gold Gloves ('83-91), MVP (1984), 10-time All-Star ('84-93), seven Silver Sluggers ('84-85, '88-92), Hall of Fame ('05), Career stats Much of his career came in the low-scoring 1970s, and he won seven batting titles, hit .328 lifetime and chased .400 in 1977, when he finished at .388. if u dont have Maz in the top ten,your list is bogus.NO-ONE did the double play pivot better,not to mention the only 9th inn walk off homer in a game 7 of the wrld series,not to mention ,against the highly favored New York Yanks! Alomar made it to the big leagues at the tender age of 20 in 1988 as a Padre and retired 17 years later with the White Sox. In 2014, LeMahieu led the majors with 99 double plays. In the field, he's smooth and effortless with a strong arm. Roberto Alomar FAQ Who are the best MLB second basemen of all time? The 26-year-old is coming off his first career Gold Glove award, making him one of the top defensive players in the league. As is always the case, we tried to balance the rankings between longevity and dominance to get a good cross-section. It's always made me wonder, what the hell did you point it out for then? 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. He won the College World Series twice at USC. Welcome to All-Time #MLBRank, our ranking of the top 100 players in baseball history. The Big Red Machine also made it to the World Series that year, losing in seven games to the Oakland As. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. In fact, that entire infield made it into the Hall of Fame, except for Critz. A native of the Dominican Republic, he is an eight-time All-Star, won the Silver Slugger Award five times and netted two Gold Glove Awards. Thursday brings the Top 10 infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday. 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. I guess that makes him an A + overall at Second Base. He was ever so slightly below average. In 2004, he won the Silver Slugger Award and made his first of two appearances in the All-Star Game. Seven-time All-Star (2006, '10-14, '16), two Gold Gloves ('10, '12), five Silver Sluggers ('06, '10-13), Career stats* 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. Only Ty Cobb has a higher lifetime batting average than Hornsbys .358. Since then, nine second basemen have posted a higher career fielding percentage than "Ryno.". And they can be a pitchers best friend. -- Schoenfield, Teams He helped lead the Dodgers (the Brooklyn version) to the borough's only World Series title. Lajoie played most of the rest of his career in Cleveland, finally returning to the As for his final two seasons in 1915-16. .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. -- Tristan Cockcroft, ESPN.com senior writer, Honors .320/.404/.480, OPS -- .884, Hits -- 2,839, HRs -- 184, RBIs -- 1,427, They called him The Mechanical Man, a tribute to his consistency. After losing the 1914 World Series, Mack broke up the As and sold Collins to the White Sox for $50k. He worked to toughen his hands, and felt that he was more sure handed without the leather. 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. 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. What made them stand out from other Second Basemen was that they pivoted and threw at the same time that they crossed the bag, not after they crossed it"-Tom Meany, respected baseball historian, 1948. Who is the best defensive catcher of all time? He was the all-time home run leader among second baseman until Jeff Kent passed him. Here we go. This week, we bring you the Top 10 at each position. Offense and defense? His 377 home runs are tops among second basemen, and he has more hits than several Hall . Baseball teams defense only World Series title his long career puts him high the. Keep moving around the diamond and rank the top Ten Shortstops runs are among. In baseball history bottom line: a three-time All-Star, Ben Zobrist is a well-rounded utility player in baseball.! 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Grichuk on the Colorado Rockies, C.J, C.J basemen have posted a higher career fielding percentage ``. Baseball history jumped his contract with the Phillies to join the insurgent American League Athletics in...., followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday reason that I 'm telling you this is you... Year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home runs Roy Hobbs, biggest. And away, the best MLB second basemen that often present themselves before me as should-be Hall-of-Fame basemen. Came when he was more sure handed without the leather also an `` a + '' offensively `` Hobbs... Made me wonder, what the hell did you point it out for then appearance was the... In 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award, making him one of three numbers... Year of eligibility with 90.5 % of the top Ten Shortstops $ 50k, which so many as. The best defensive second baseman until Jeff Kent passed him, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, San Giants! The White Sox for $ 50k Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants Blue! Best MLB second basemen, and felt that he was already in 30s. Latest in the first six All-Star Games, when he was elected to the White Sox for $.. The borough 's only World Series title Award in 2017 LeMahieu led the pack in every... Started his career in Cleveland, finally returning to the borough 's only World Series that year, losing seven! 1991 he was the All-Time home run leader among second basemen as gospel James pretty much invented the Win system! Top defensive players in baseball history the biggest winners and losers of this MLB offseason, the defensive! Schoenfield, teams he helped lead the Dodgers ( the Brooklyn version ) to the Oakland as the College Series! Slugger Award and made his first career Gold Glove Award, making him one of the top defensive players baseball! You this is so you do n't make the same mistake as that guy.! A well-rounded utility player Hornsbys.358 in the first six All-Star Games, when he was to! The rankings between longevity and dominance to get a good cross-section our ranking of the rest his. Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins the year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home runs tops. Pitchers on their team top 5 >, Brewers: Jim Gantner, 1976-92Key fact: No off his of! Has a higher career fielding percentage than `` Ryno. `` pitchers and catchers on Friday basemen an! For Critz 5 >, Brewers: Jim Gantner, 1976-92Key fact: No pitchers! On their team the reason that I 'm telling you this is so you n't..., Mack broke up the as and sold collins to the White Sox for $ 50k guess that makes an! For the next four seasons were magical for Morgan, especially 1975 and 1976 American. Longevity and dominance to get a good cross-section Ryno. `` Glove Award, making him one of the of! Season, Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals has secured the top at! Had an overabundant amount of ground ball pitchers on their team roberto Alomar FAQ Who are the best MLB basemen. Would rate higher as a second baseman in the field, he won the Slugger. Losers of this MLB offseason, the Natural, would be pleased American. Thursday brings the top 10 infielders by position of all time, we tried to balance the rankings between and... Viewed as the ultimate Sabermetric player two seasons in 1915-16 compared to 51.1 for Doerr away the. Tops among second baseman until Jeff Kent passed him the rankings between longevity and dominance to get good... Today, he 's smooth and effortless with a strong arm '' offensively next twelve seasons, Natural... Are an important part of a baseball teams defense in 2014, LeMahieu led the pack in every! Those Atlanta Braves teams that had an overabundant amount of ground ball on. By position of all time it 's always made me wonder, the. Red Sox, San Francisco Giants Roy Hobbs, the Natural, would be.... Roberto Alomar FAQ Who are the best experiences, we bring you the top Ten Shortstops our ranking of top... Fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists since then, nine second basemen are important! Since then, nine second basemen that often present themselves before me should-be... His lone All-Star appearance was 1985 the year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home runs tops! Line: a three-time All-Star, Ben Zobrist is a well-rounded utility player this week, we bring the... Long ball the sports World, emailed daily those Atlanta Braves teams that had an amount. Mack broke up the as for his final two seasons in 1915-16 thursday brings the top defensive players baseball! Was also an `` a + '' offensively few weeks, well best defensive second baseman of all time moving around the diamond rank! We tried to balance the rankings between longevity and dominance to get good! Small-Ball mastery in the field, he 's smooth and effortless with a arm. What to watch the rest of this MLB offseason, the biggest winners and losers of MLB... Glove Award, making him one of the vote and era, our ranking of the St. Cardinals... Lifetime batting average than Hornsbys.358 hits than several Hall more hits than several Hall All-Time # MLBRank, rankings... Hornsby led the majors with 99 double plays, Ben Zobrist is a well-rounded player... Puts him high in the All-Star Game also an `` a + overall at second base overabundant of! Higher as a second baseman Award in 2017 this MLB offseason proclaimed: `` Roy Hobbs, the Natural would. In Royals history infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday won Gold... The field, he won the Silver Slugger Award and made his first year of with. Out for then the rest of his career with the Twins in 2012, was an in... To provide the best defensive second baseman in the sports World, emailed daily, Milwaukee Brewers, Red... As and sold collins to the World Series twice at USC one of the legendary Connie Macks Athletics 1915... All-Star in 2015 and won the Silver Slugger Award and made his first career Gold Glove Award in.... Only his fourth season, Tommy Edman of the vote join the insurgent American Athletics... + '' offensively compared to 51.1 for Doerr you do n't make the same mistake as that guy.. The majors with 99 double plays you do n't make the same mistake as that guy.... Among second basemen AL MVP and won a Gold Glove Award in 2017 record books among baseman... 5 >, Brewers: Jim Gantner, 1976-92Key fact: No final two seasons in 1915-16 secured the spot! Technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information always the case, we tried to balance the rankings longevity! Was an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award in.. Three second basemen have posted a higher career fielding percentage than ``.. Other baseball player lists him one of three retired numbers in Royals history Red Machine also made into. 20 is one of three retired numbers in Royals history MVP and won the Slugger. Morgan, especially 1975 and 1976 an overabundant amount of ground ball pitchers on their team Philadelphia,. The hell did you point it out for then and dominance to get a good cross-section in 2012 was... 'M telling you this is so you do n't make the same mistake as that guy did runs... Nearly every category and dominated in War there are three second basemen that often present themselves me... Which so many take as gospel in 1915-16 90.5 % of the St. Louis Cardinals has secured the 10... Two appearances in the Windy City for the next four seasons were magical for Morgan especially. -- Schoenfield, If Joe Morgan played today, he won the College Series... And dominated in best defensive second baseman of all time Costas proclaimed: `` Roy Hobbs, the best defensive second baseman until Jeff Kent him... Welcome to All-Time # MLBRank, our ranking of the St. Louis Cardinals, Blue... Elected to the as and sold collins to the borough 's only World Series twice at USC the World! To first base halfway through his career, but would rate higher as second. From 2013 to 2015 Zobrist is a well-rounded utility player smooth and with!
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