Glenn Hubbard played the position more frequently than anybody else and Mark Lemke will always be linked to the greatness of the 1990s. 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. Longtime St. Louis Cardinals standout Rogers Hornsby is the greatest second baseman of all-time, per Baseball-Reference's system. 4. Collins career would last another 23 seasons before he eventually retired in 1930. Hell, Matt Chapman. I would have Morgan at number two, right behind Hornsby. His lone All-Star appearance was 1985 the year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home runs. As is always the case, we tried to balance the rankings between longevity and dominance to get a good cross-section. By that time, Carew had shifted to first base, where he would remain for the second half of his career. All-Star game appearances, MVP awards, and seasons where the player finished in the Top Ten in MVP voting covered the honors. A player with no weakness in his game. Should a below-average offensive player be in the Hall of Fame at any position other than the pitcher's? Collins was a member of the legendary Connie Macks Athletics until 1915. Who is the best defensive catcher of all time? 6. Pedroias Baseball Reference War is 51.6 compared to 51.1 for Doerr. 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. In only his fourth season, Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals has secured the top spot among second basemen. 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. I'm glad he's in, but what took you so long, Veteran's Committee? Second Base JAWS Leaders. 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. Bottom line: Mark Loretta was a dependable fielder over a 15-year MLB career that saw him play on six different teams. .333/.424/.429, OPS -- .853, Hits -- 3,315, HRs -- 47, RBIs -- 1,300, Sacrifice Hits -- 512 (all-time leader), A great player in the first two decades of the 20th century, Collins hit for a high average, stole bases, drew walks and would have won Gold Gloves if they'd had them back then. 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. But he cemented his spot on the roster by participating in the Giants' World Series win in 2014, was named an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award in 2016. Rockies top 5 >. .320/.404/.480, OPS -- .884, Hits -- 2,839, HRs -- 184, RBIs -- 1,427, They called him The Mechanical Man, a tribute to his consistency. Bottom line: Jamey Carroll played second base, shortstop and third base during a dozen years in the bigs. Those who saw him described him as one of the best defensive players of that era. Big personalities? He's top 10 at the position, headed to top five, and leaving the Yankees shouldn't affect his ultimate legacy as one of the best at the position. This week, we bring you the Top 10 at each position. Bottom line: In 2012, Darwin Barney won the Gold Glove Award the first by a Chicago Cubs second baseman since Ryne Sandberg won nine in a row (1983-91). Playing for the Rockies from 2012 to 2018, he was a three-time Gold Glove winner (2014, 2017 and 2018), and was an All-Star pick in 2015 and 2017 but not in 2016, when he wound up as the NL batting champion. Frisch broke in with the New York Giants in 1919 and played for 19 seasons. .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. More important than his stellar defense, though, was his ability at the plate. There it is. -- Schoenfield, Teams Some well-known second basemen have career fielding percentages that are just a bit outside the top 25 in baseball history. 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. Gehringer made it to the World Series three times, winning a World Championship in 1935. He also won an MVP with the Cards in 1931 and made it to three all-star games after the inaugural game in 1933. Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook. 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. That said: I don't buy the consensus that he's the best second baseman ever. The only question these days is will he make the National Baseball Hall of Fame? Braves top 5 >, Marlins: Luis Castillo, 1996-2005Key fact: Three-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner with MarlinsOne of the best players in Marlins history, Castillo led the league in stolen bases in 2000 (62) and '03 (48). How We Ranked Baseballs Greatest Players. What MLB insiders are saying about Shohei Ohtani, Sources: Mets, OF Pham agree to 1-yr, $6M deal, Reports: Brewers ink ex-Marlins IF/OF Anderson, Deal merges Ripken, Cooperstown youth baseball, Sources: Red Sox, Duvall agree to 1-yr., $7M deal, A's formally welcome ex-Japanese star Fujinami, Mets GM: Lineup deep even after losing Correa, Thomas, Pirates star and original Met, dies at 93, Who will get traded? 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. 2. They are both missing that third part of the equation that so many respected historians like (Length of Career). Oh, and he could hit, too, as his .316/.369/.432 slash line illustrates. On top of his defense, Frisch was fast as lightning, leading the league in SBs three times. 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. Buddy Bell and Adrian Beltre. 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. I got sidetracked there. It's why almost every historian ever calls him an "A +" defensively. He was also a solid hitter, finishing with a .295 career batting average. Still, compare their three-year tenures specifically in San Diego, and its Loretta who comes out on top. 1 -- St. Louis Cardinals (1926), Career stats 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. Cano has always been an exceptional hitter, as evidenced by his career slash line of .301/.351/.489. Teams: Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants. 1. 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. Bottom line: Jose Oquendo primarily played second base and shortstop, but made at least one appearance at every position during his major league career. 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. In total, he won seven batting titles and owns the third-highest lifetime batting average of any player who debuted after 1965, behind Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs. 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. Based on Baseball Info Solutions defensive runs saved from 2003 on and total zone rating developed by Sean Smith of BaseballProjection.com previously Note that seasons prior to 1876 are not included in single-season marks, but are included in career marks. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. 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. The best defensive second baseman of his time, and perhaps of all time, "Maz" is ironically best remembered -- and memorialized outside of PNC Park -- for his unmatched accomplishment at the plate. 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. He wasn't a failure offensively, but he was the next best thing. 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. Lajoie was a fierce competitor, often getting into it with umpires. He's an A + offensive second baseman, too. All he did his sophomore season was bat .342, win a silver slugger, and play in the all-star game. Teams: New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals. Bottom line: Robinson Cano won a World Series title with the New York Yankees (2009) during his nine-year run with the Yanks. Nap Lajoie 6. Hi Nels. Sandberg went on to manage Philadelphia from 2013 to 2015. JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score system) was developed by sabermetrician Jay Jaffe as a means to measure a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. Teams: Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays. I guess that's why many historians say that Reed was among the best defensive second basemen that have ever graced the field, I agree with them on Reed. Once we whittled down the list, we incorporated offensive stats and honors/awards to finalize it. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. 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. That's why he's a top-tier Hall-of-Fame second baseman, one of the 10 best ever, overall, at the position. Doerr is an "A +" offensively and he's one of the five best defensive second basemen in the history of MLB. That's a heck of a fact that Bill James presents. 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. 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. Dozier started his career with the Twins in 2012, was an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award in 2017. 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. After release from Dodgers, what's next for Trevor Bauer? Pratt set up Wilson, and Wilson forced the biggest fumble of his career. He threw 39 innings and struck out 41, walked 15 and held opposing hitters to a . We feel its important to acknowledge that baseball is harder to play today than it was 25 years ago, and 50 years ago, and so on. That's probably too high and he's not remembered in the same regard as, say, Ty Cobb or even Tris Speaker, but he was a graceful fielder who hit .338 lifetime. 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. Reds top 5 >, D-backs: Ketel Marte, 2017-presentKey fact: Selected as the 2019 NL All-Star starter at second baseIn a close race with Jay Bell, Marte gets the nod here. His defensive rating on Fangraphs leads all second basemen all-time with over 1,000 plate appearances. Oh, Bill James and other respected historians will say there is a third part to the equation, Length of Career. He is on the short list of the greatest right-handed hitters ever. He'll be . Hornsby bounced around considerably for the rest of his career for a player of his caliber. The Little General retired in 1984 with a career OBP of .392. In 2007, he tied the As team record for consecutive errorless games at second base (70). -- Schoenfield, If Joe Morgan played today, he would be viewed as the ultimate Sabermetric player. Hubbard played much of his career for those Atlanta Braves teams that had an overabundant amount of ground ball pitchers on their team. Getty Images. Hill excelled in 2009, when he rebounded from a concussion that ended his previous season and was named the AL Comeback Player of the Year after slugging 36 home runs and notching 108 RBI. -- Schoenfield, Rogers Hornsby batted .424 in 1924. Yet he remained an offensive force. The top 100 will roll out next week. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. 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. He played for seven franchises but is best known for his stints with the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Indians. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Below are the six best to ever play the position in Major League Baseball history. However, we also adjust for era, integration and level of competition, and missed playing time due to factors beyond the control of the player. Fun fact: Hill is one of just five players to hit for the cycle twice in one year. Then, he played his entire 10-year major league career with the Baltimore Orioles and won a World Series in 1983. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. It's always made me wonder, what the hell did you point it out for then? That and the trips to the World Series tip the decision in favor of Kinsler. He was ever so slightly below average. He bounced back and forth between playing shortstop and second base throughout his MLB career. Bold indicates active player. Joe Morgan had a few brief stints with the Houston Colt 45s before latching on with the now Astros in 1965. Career Stats (1988 2004) San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Career Stats (2005 2022) New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Career Stats (1919 1937) Kansas City Monarchs, Brooklyn Dodgers, Career Stats (1919 1937) New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Career Stats (1967 1985) Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Career Stats (1963 1984) Houston Colt 45s/Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland As, Career Stats (1924 1942) Detroit Tigers, Career Stats (1896 1916) Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia As, Cleveland Bronchos/Naps, Career Stats (1906 1930) Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Career Stats (1915 1937) St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Browns. Also in 2001, Counsell was named the MVP of the NLCS. He played every position on the diamond before settling in at second base. 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. He won 10 Gold Gloves while, oh by the way, hitting .300 with speed AND power. -- Tristan Cockcroft, ESPN.com senior writer, Honors To illustrate how big Lajoie was in his day, the Bronchos renamed themselves The Naps after their leader in 1903. Why? -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Info, Honors The all-time leader at third base in value generated on defense with 38.8 WAR on defense alone, Robinson is sort of like Bill Mazeroski at second base -- a big postseason performance or two plus . AND he was one of the best defensive second basemen ever. 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. He helped lead the Dodgers (the Brooklyn version) to the borough's only World Series title. Gehringer did everything well. Bottom line: The Cubs picked up DJ LeMahieu in the second round of the 2009 draft, but he shined in the major leagues after being traded to Colorado. That's more than Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg . 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. Because of how different eras of baseball have been played, it's difficult to nail down the best defensive catcher of all time. Frankie Frisch was a superb athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman in the Top Ten. And in 2013, he coached the Israeli national team in the World Baseball Classic. Red Sox top 5 >, Yankees: Tony Lazzeri, 1926-37Key fact: Holds AL record for most RBIs in a single game (11 -- May 24, 1936)Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1991, Lazzeri was a feared clutch hitter with power who served as a key component alongside Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the fabled Murderers Row lineups for the Yankees. 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. Top 100 Second Basemen of All-Time - Baseball Egg 100 Greatest Second Basemen of All-Time Explanation of Rankings CAREER = Career Wins Above Replacement (WAR) adjusted for era. .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. In fact, that entire infield made it into the Hall of Fame, except for Critz. -- David Schoenfield, ESPN.com senior writer, Cano can do it all: He hits for both average and power, tied with Rogers Hornsby among second basemen for the most seasons (five) with at least a .300 batting average and 25 home runs. Bottom line: Mark Ellis made the bigs in 2002, but missed the entire 2004 season after a preseason shoulder injury. Teams In 2004, he won the Silver Slugger Award and made his first of two appearances in the All-Star Game. 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 . And then there's Roberto Alomar. 1/9 Tommy Edman, St. Louis Cardinals - 96. PRIME = WAR in best five consecutive seasons. 8. My candidates for the best defensive right fielder of all time are: Roberto Clemente (12 gold gloves) Dwight Evans (8 gold gloves) Al Kaline (10 gold gloves) Ichiro Suzuki (10 gold gloves) Larry Walker (7 gold gloves) Dave Winfield (7 gold gloves) Mookie Betts (5 gold gloves) Jason Heyward (5 gold gloves) Jesse Barfield (2 gold gloves, cannon arm) Mariners top 5 >, Rangers: Ian Kinsler, 2006-13Key fact: Ranks in franchise top 10 in hits (1,145), runs (748), doubles (249), triples (23), home runs (156) and RBIs (539)The choice for the Rangers' best all-time second baseman is closer than most people might realize. Defensively, Lajoie was also a standout player, leading the league in assists three times and putouts five times. Six-time All-Star (1933-38), MVP ('37), Hall of Fame ('49), Career stats 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. He ranks ninth on Fangraphs WAR for all offensive players and 12th on Baseball-Reference. He recorded a 20-20 (20 home runs and 20 stolen bases) in 2014. And in 2019, he won his first World Series ring, with the Nationals. Minnesota Twins (1967-78), California Angels ('79-85), Honors 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. 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. He won rookie-of-the-year that season, finished fifth in the MVP voting, and led the league in stolen bases. He played 10 seasons; give him another seven or eight and he'd be right up there with Rogers Hornsby and Joe Morgan. He was also an "A +" offensively. When it became evident Carew was destined to leave, the Twins traded him in February 1979 to the California Angels. In 1949, seven years after he played his last game, Gehringer was elected to the Hall of Fame. 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! After a falling out with Giants manager John McGraw in 1926, he was traded to the Cardinals after the season. Frisch became a player-manager for St. Louis in 1933 and continued managing after he retired. Welcome to another edition of Top Ten! How about Robinson Cano? Hornsby retired from playing in 1937 and was elected to the Hall of Fame five years later in 1942. Bottom line: "Ryno" was the gold standard for second basemen during his 16-year career. Critz didn't make it into the Hall of Fame because of his offense. Brooks Robinson is generally regarded as the GOAT defensively at third. Kent slashed .297/.368/.535 and averaged 29 home runs and 115 RBIs over his six years in San Francisco. 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. Of course, once they point this out, they then proceed to rate him an "A +" defensively and call him one of the best defensive second basemen of all time. Without further ado, lets get to it with Number Ten: Roberto Alomar may be best remembered for the worst moment of his career when he spit on home plate umpire John Hirschbeck after being thrown out of a game for arguing balls and strikes in late September 1996. Teams: Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondback, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants. Frisch was also one of the 10 best offensive secondbasemen in the history of MLB. Despite his personal success, Carews Twins teams did not win much. 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. Hell likely face heavy opposition when he eventually becomes eligible for Cooperstown. That was the lowest BA of his title years. Anyway, most of you know that Bill James pretty much invented the Win Shares system, which so many take as gospel. 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 . He worked to toughen his hands, and felt that he was more sure handed without the leather.
2022-11-07