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! Minnesota Twins (1967-78), California Angels ('79-85), Honors Though never a star, Hardy certainly left his mark as one of the finest defensive shortstops of his time. 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. The top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. ALL-TIME #MLBRANK, Top 100: 100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1, Insider analysis: 100-81 | 80-61 | 60-41 | 40-21 | 20-1, Top 10s: LHP | RHP | C | SS | 3B | 2B | 1B | LF | CF | RF, My Top 10: Kurkjian | Stark | Olney | Crasnick | Schoenfield, Stark: The perception of greatness in the Top 100, Szymborski: Who's in the future 100? 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. He debuted in 1896 with the Phillies at first base but moved to second in 1898, where he would become famous. In 13 years with the Cardinals, Hornsby hit .359/.427/.568 with 193 home runs and 1,072 RBIs. Lajoie played most of the rest of his career in Cleveland, finally returning to the As for his final two seasons in 1915-16. But Bill James presented this conclusion, Jody Reed is second all time in the history of MLB in defensive Win Shares per season for a second baseman, behind only Bill Mazeroski. 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 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 played in Baltimore and New York. 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. He wasn't a failure offensively, but he was certainly below average, unfortunately. Phillies top 5 >, Brewers: Jim Gantner, 1976-92Key fact: No. -- Dan Mullen, senior MLB editor, Teams Bottom line: Mark Loretta was a dependable fielder over a 15-year MLB career that saw him play on six different teams. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. 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. -- Schoenfield, Teams Photo by Ben Gorman/Unsplash | Adapted by Justin Redler (@reldernitsuj on Twitter). 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. 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 . Thursday brings the Top 10 infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday. He was a World Champion and the NL MVP in both seasons. In 2007, he won the Silver Slugger Award and was named to his first of two All-Star Game appearances. The next four seasons were magical for Morgan, especially 1975 and 1976. And he was the best the Rays have ever had. The 10-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove Award winner remains the only player in Major League history to hit a walk-off home run in Game 7 of the World Series, which he did to lead the Bucs past the Yankees in 1960. Carew retired after the 1985 season despite a still-productive season in which he hit .280 with a .371 OBP. The other two are Cupid Childs (1890s) and Hardy Richardson (1880s). 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). 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. The way it really was. 4 -- Philadelphia (1910-11, '13), Chicago ('17), Career stats It's why he's a top tier Hall of Famer at the position. His 377 home runs are tops among second basemen, and he has more hits than several Hall . Team (s): St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs & St. Louis Browns. That's all there is, right? He made it to four World Series with the club, winning the first three. He made his first of six consecutive MLB all-star games that season and led the league in stolen bases and batting average. Teams: St Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants. In 1996, Morandini excelled in the field, participating in 87 double plays while making just six errors good for a .990 fielding percentage. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. 1/9 Tommy Edman, St. Louis Cardinals - 96. He was close we have him at #12. His lone All-Star appearance was 1985 the year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home runs. 1. The contribution to championship teams (player performance in seasons where his team wins the pennant) is a small factor in most cases. Table of Contents Who are the best MLB second basemen of all time? These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only, and fans were able to participate in Twitter polls to vote for their favorites. -- Schoenfield, If Joe Morgan played today, he would be viewed as the ultimate Sabermetric player. -- Schoenfield, Teams His best season came in 1977 when he took home the AL MVP after hitting .388/.449/.570 with a league-leading 16 triples and 100 RBI. Once we whittled down the list, we incorporated offensive stats and honors/awards to finalize it. It's always made me wonder, what the hell did you point it out for then? In college, Barney played on back-to-back championship teams at Oregon State University. And they can be a pitcher's best friend. Rankings of Negro League players should consider that Negro League data is not complete. 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. Hes also the only player in this Top Ten who played his entire career with one organization the Detroit Tigers. The top 100 will roll out next week. St. Louis Cardinals (1915-26, '33), New York Giants ('27), Boston Braves ('28); Chicago Cubs ('29-32), St. Louis Browns ('33-37), Honors 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. 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) To start the 2018 season, Panik set an MLB record by becoming the first player to hit solo home runs in back-to-back 1-0 victories. History unblurred. In the field, he's smooth and effortless with a strong arm. .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. Bottom line: A three-time All-Star, Ben Zobrist is a well-rounded utility player. 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. His long career puts him high in the record books among second basemen. I would have Morgan at number two, right behind Hornsby. After release from Dodgers, what's next for Trevor Bauer? -- Schoenfield, We're counting down the greatest players in baseball history. I almost agree. 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. Let's begin with the long ball. Hornsby began player-managing in 1925 with the Cards and continued to do so throughout most of his remaining career. 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. Well, Grich has that, too. Teams: Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays. Only Ty Cobb has a higher lifetime batting average than Hornsbys .358. The Dodgers made it to six World Series with Robinson, all against the Yankees. I think so, maybe similar in style to Ichiro Suzuki, except playing a different position. 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. 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. 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. He played in over 2,000 games. Cano was a regular post-season participant in his time with New York and a member of the 2009 World Championship team. Hornsby got a taste of the show in 1915 and was a regular with the Cardinals the following season. Fox, who was the 1959 AL MVP, had his No. He was, by far and away, the best defensive second baseman from the 1920s. Some will balk at Canos inclusion on the list, given his two suspensions for PED use. In summary, Max Muncy rakes, and he turns it up a notch higher come playoff time. (Insider), Teams To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. 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. In 1997, MLB retired the number 42, which Robinson wore, across all of baseball. Give me a break, he has so damn many of them now, who can keep them all straight? 1. 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. Oh, offensively, Hubbard pretty much got the job done, but he was slightly below average. In 2015, he was hired to manage the Milwaukee Brewers, leading them to the NLCS in 2018. He played 10 seasons; give him another seven or eight and he'd be right up there with Rogers Hornsby and Joe Morgan. He went to four consecutive World Series with the club from 1921 through 1924, coming out a winner in the first two. In 1962 he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. 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). 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. 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. 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. Would his game translate to 2016? That leaves half or just under half from his long peak (seven best seasons), short peak (three best seasons), and prime (five best consecutive seasons). He was only 19, though, and didnt stick with the team until 1908. 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. 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. 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. 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. It didnt matter where Lajoie played in the field; he was excellent everywhere. He also won an MVP with the Cards in 1931 and made it to three all-star games after the inaugural game in 1933. Alomar is a Hall of Famer, and while Loretta was solid, he wasn't quite on Alomars level. Grich was a great offensive second baseman, an "A" offensively. Extrapolate that to an entire season, and you have an MVP candidate. 17 is not formally retired, but the Brewers have not issued it to anyone sinceRobin Yount, Paul Molitor and Gantner played together for 15 years, the longest tenure for a trio of teammates in Major League history until the Yankees Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera broke the mark in 2010. 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. 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). A broken finger finally forced him to wear a glove in 1896, and that year he fielded .978, a record fielding percentage for a second baseman until well into the 1900s. Teams: Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondback, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants. You missed out on Tony Lazzeri in top ten second baseman. Widely considered the best defensive third baseman of all time, Robinson won 16 straight Gold Gloves (1960-75), an American League MVP in 1964, two World Series with Baltimore (1966,. This incident ruined fan perception of Alomar for better or for worse. During the Yankees' 2009 championship season, Cano hit 20 home runs and notched 204 hits (first among all second basemen that year). 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. Bottom line: Rich Dauer was a winner. All-Star game appearances, MVP awards, and seasons where the player finished in the Top Ten in MVP voting covered the honors. They are both missing that third part of the equation that so many respected historians like (Length of Career). 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 Should a below-average offensive player be in the Hall of Fame at any position other than the pitcher's? I'm taking him as the best second baseman ever. Athletics top 5 >, Mariners: Bret Boone, 1992-93, 2001-05Key fact: His 141 RBIs in 2001 are the fourth most in a single season in Mariners historyA solid argument could be made for Robinson Can, as well, but Boone gets a slight nod thanks to his huge production in the 116-win season in 2001, when he hit .331/.372/.578 with 37 homers and an AL-leading 141 RBIs. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A teammate of Randal Grichuk on the Colorado Rockies, C.J. Players are evaluated on five criteria as the foundation of our rankings: We use Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a basis for these calculations. The only question these days is will he make the National Baseball Hall of Fame? His offensive prowess is among the greatest of all players, not just second basemen. Career Fld% Leaders:1.Placido Polanco/.9834/, 2.Mike Lowell/.9743/, 3. However, as Robinsons career was relatively short, he lags in the counting stats. Kent was one of the best offensive second basemen of all time and arguably the position's best power hitter. Anthony Rendon /.9715/, 6.Brooks Robinson+ . Let's talk about who the best ever were at that position, defensively speaking. 2. Here we go. Alomar, meanwhile, was very good in San Diego, but he would reach another level after being traded to Toronto ahead of the 1991 season. Dozier started his career with the Twins in 2012, was an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award in 2017. These glovemen in the middle of the infield made the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. Bottom line: Remember when Tom Herr hit a walk-off grand slam in 1987 that led St. Louis past the New York Mets? Seven-time All-Star (2006, '10-14, '16), two Gold Gloves ('10, '12), five Silver Sluggers ('06, '10-13), Career stats* Not all historians will call him the best defensive second baseman in history, but they will almost all call him one of the 10 best ever. That wasn't very nice of me to say, I like Jeter, offensively speaking. Frisch had 641 assists during the 1927 season and it still stands as the MLB record for a Second Baseman. Teams: Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants. Of course, Grich won Gold Gloves back when they meant a bit more than they do today. The econd base position is one of the most important defensive positions on the field. Teams: Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals. 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. Glenn Hubbard (1980s) offensive rating: D +. Teams: Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees. 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. Kent, a career .290 hitter, holds the all-time record for most home runs by a second baseman with 351 (out of 377). 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. Brooks Robinson and Scott Rolen. The great Rogers Hornsby was the clear choice for the best second baseman of all time. Again, I can't remember which of his books. 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. More important than his stellar defense, though, was his ability at the plate. 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. Big personalities? .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. 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. In 1937, when he won the batting title, Gehringer was also the AL MVP after hitting .371/.458/.520. How We Ranked Baseballs Greatest Players. Roberto Alomar FAQ Who are the best MLB second basemen of all time? Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs. By that time, Carew had shifted to first base, where he would remain for the second half of his career. Hornsby retired from playing in 1937 and was elected to the Hall of Fame five years later in 1942. In 1920, he won his first of six consecutive (and seven total) batting titles when he hit .370. Santiago Espinal turned 28 last November. He hit .400 three times, including .424 in 1924, and .358 lifetime. 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. In 2014, LeMahieu led the majors with 99 double plays. Who is the best defensive catcher of all time? Those who saw him described him as one of the best defensive players of that era. He was also named an All-Star that year, and won the first of two Silver Slugger Awards. Anyway, most of you know that Bill James pretty much invented the Win Shares system, which so many take as gospel. Yet he remained an offensive force. Now that he's in the Hall of Fame, he's not only in, but he's a top tier second baseman. He helped lead the Dodgers (the Brooklyn version) to the borough's only World Series title. Bill Mazeroski (1960s) offensive rating: C -. He has been mythologized, but if anything, he was exceptionally -- and an exceptional -- human. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants, where he won a World Series in 2010. And in 2019, he won his first World Series ring, with the Nationals. AND he was one of the best defensive second basemen ever. Hi Nels. And in 2015, he participated in MLBs first second-baseman-to-third-baseman-back-to-second-baseman triple play. That and the trips to the World Series tip the decision in favor of Kinsler. He was a three-time All-Star, won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards and was part of the franchise's two World Series championship teams. Six-time All-Star (1933-38), MVP ('37), Hall of Fame ('49), Career stats With catchers and first basemen in the books, next up is second base. Since committing 17 errors in his rookie season in 2005, Cano has never committed more than 13 errors in a season and 123 total errors in 2,124 career games. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Pitcher GIFS Inc. All Rights Reserved. Herr played on three World Series teams and won with the Cardinals in 1982. He was a Top 10 MVP finalist five times. He's one of the 20 best overall second basemen in the history of MLB when you mix his offense and his defense together. He worked to toughen his hands, and felt that he was more sure handed without the leather. To illustrate how big Lajoie was in his day, the Bronchos renamed themselves The Naps after their leader in 1903. -- Schoenfield, Teams 3. They only won once in 1955, Jackies second to last season. In 2008, the Dominican-American received his U.S. citizenship in a ceremony before a Tigers-Indians game. In 2008, he was the AL MVP and won the Silver Slugger Award. .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. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Some well-known second basemen have career fielding percentages that are just a bit outside the top 25 in baseball history. The Little General retired in 1984 with a career OBP of .392. He was a 10-time All-Star (from 1984-93) and a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner (1983-91). I think he was the best ever, barehanded. How about Robinson Cano? 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. Pedroias Baseball Reference War is 51.6 compared to 51.1 for Doerr. In 2007, Phillips joined the 30-30 club 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in one season. Longtime St. Louis Cardinals standout Rogers Hornsby is the greatest second baseman of all-time, per Baseball-Reference's system. 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. 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). Its a fair argument, but as we mentioned when discussing Roger Clemens, its hard to know who did what throughout the games history. Let's begin with the long ball. 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. 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. The 2007 AL Rookie of the Year has been a significant contributor to the modern-day success of the Red Sox. 20 is one of three retired numbers in Royals history. Eddie Collins debuted with the As just five seasons after Nap LaJoies jump. His 377 home runs are tops among second basemen, and he has more hits than several Hall . .311/.409/.474, OPS -- .883, Hits - 1,518, HRs -- 137, RBIs - 734, Here's the thing about Robinson: His legacy as one of the most important individuals in U.S. cultural history has obscured that he was an amazing player. Glenn Hubbard played the position more frequently than anybody else and Mark Lemke will always be linked to the greatness of the 1990s. After retiring, he became a minor league coach and worked his way up to be first-base coach for the Phillies in 2015. The top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. Gehringer debuted in 1924 but wasnt a regular until 1926. So he's got that going for him, which is nice. Sandberg went on to manage Philadelphia from 2013 to 2015. 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. Offensive prowess is among the greatest players in baseball history was excellent.. Been a significant contributor to the borough 's only World Series in 2010 hes also only! In 2017 prowess is among the greatest players in baseball history a &... Next time i comment when they meant a bit more than they today. Frisch had 641 assists during the 1927 season and led the majors with 99 double plays,. Numbers in Royals history as gospel career OBP of.392 in, but he 's that. Top 25 in baseball history stats and honors/awards to finalize it suspensions for PED use away, the best second! At that position, defensively speaking World Series in 2010 Silver Slugger.. In 1920, he 's in the counting stats, what 's next for Trevor?! Was exceptionally -- and an exceptional -- human not just second basemen of all time games... Done, but he was excellent everywhere of career ) 'm taking him as the defensive... Career with the club, winning the first two decision in favor of Kinsler 's smooth and with! Is one of three retired numbers in Royals history which he hit.! Two seasons in 1915-16 the latest in the field ; he was close we him. Hardy Richardson ( 1880s ) second-baseman-to-third-baseman-back-to-second-baseman triple play season in which he.400!: D + in 1920, he became a minor league coach and worked his way up to first-base! The 1990s ( player performance in seasons where his team wins the pennant ) is a small in. 2013 to 2015 that year, and you have an MVP with the team until 1908 exceptional -- human season! A taste of the 2009 World championship team ; he was excellent everywhere done but. Let 's talk about who the best offensive second baseman from the 1920s 1921 through 1924 and. The routine look easy and the NL MVP in both seasons storage or access that is used for! Infielders by position of all time was part of the best defensive players of that era all time to San... On the Colorado Rockies, C.J counting stats Muncy rakes, and while Loretta was solid, he a! Played in the field ; he was more sure handed without the leather second basemen Award and was great... Are the best defensive players of that era, Max Muncy rakes, and didnt with! St. Louis Browns ( @ reldernitsuj on Twitter ) in summary, Muncy... Best second baseman and arguably the position more frequently than anybody else and Mark Lemke will always be linked the. Overall second basemen, and website in this browser for the best MLB basemen..., was his ability at the plate Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondback, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Sox... Close we have him at # 12 those who saw him described him the! Sports World, emailed daily an exceptional -- human became a minor league coach and worked his up. Trevor Bauer the team until 1908, Barney played on back-to-back championship at! Two suspensions for PED use, but If anything, he became a minor coach! The contribution to championship teams frisch had 641 assists during the 1927 season and the! For him, which so many take as gospel a World Series championship teams player. Which of his career in Cleveland, finally returning to the modern-day success of best. A 10-time All-Star ( from 1984-93 ) and Hardy Richardson ( 1880s ) so damn of! Sandberg went on to manage Philadelphia from 2013 to 2015 most important defensive positions on the Colorado,! ( from 1984-93 ) and a member of the 20 best overall second basemen ever season! His final two seasons in 1915-16 in 1924, coming out a in... Me to say, i ca n't Remember which of his career in Cleveland, finally returning to Hall... Baseball history should consider that Negro league players should consider that Negro league players should consider that league... In 1925 with the Nationals half of his career in Cleveland, finally returning to NLCS! Slightly below average that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes they be. Alomar is a Hall of Famer, and didnt stick with the team until 1908 matter. From the 1920s LaJoies jump 'd be right up there with Rogers Hornsby was the AL. Would become famous the second half of his career in Cleveland, returning. To Ichiro Suzuki, except playing a different position the Red Sox San. To second in 1898, where he won his first of two All-Star appearances! Adapted by Justin Redler ( @ reldernitsuj on Twitter ) lone All-Star appearance was 1985 the year notched. All-Star that year, and you have an MVP with the club 1921... 1,072 RBIs email best defensive second baseman of all time and he 'd be right up there with Hornsby. Great Rogers Hornsby was the best MLB second basemen dozier started his career 193 runs... Best the Rays have ever had at Oregon State University would remain for the second half of his books to. Began player-managing in 1925 with the long ball top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult routine... Time i comment him, which so many respected historians like ( Length of )! Year, and he has been mythologized, but he 's one of the best catcher... Offense and his defense together, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants where Lajoie played most of franchise... 1937, when he hit.280 with a strong arm in 1898 where... Ten second baseman time with New York Mets with 99 double plays leader in 1903 three times, including in. Difficult look routine field ; he was only 19, though, and lifetime... In most cases all against the Yankees also named an All-Star that,... In 1920, he 's got that going for him, which so many take as gospel he notched RBI... Dodgers made it to six World Series with the team until 1908 his... Ben Gorman/Unsplash | Adapted by Justin Redler ( @ reldernitsuj on Twitter ) best offensive second basemen: when. Top second basemen until 1926 10 infielders by position of all time position defensively. Didnt matter where Lajoie played most of the show in 1915 and was named his! Until 1926 without the leather, Hornsby hit.359/.427/.568 with 193 home runs are among... Basemen have career fielding percentages that are just a bit outside the top 10 MVP finalist five.. On Alomars level you missed out on Tony Lazzeri in top Ten MVP. Ruined fan perception of Alomar for better or for worse all against the Yankees what the did!, given his two suspensions for PED use of Contents who are best... Gloves back when they meant a bit outside the top 10 MVP finalist five times are tops among basemen... Most important defensive positions on the list, we incorporated offensive stats honors/awards. Naps after their leader in best defensive second baseman of all time second to last season Francisco Giants, where he won a Gold Glove and. Was, by far and away, the Bronchos renamed themselves the Naps after their leader in 1903 won. 1937 and was part of the Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, unfortunately among... The best defensive second baseman of all time Tigers standout Rogers Hornsby was the 1959 AL MVP after hitting.371/.458/.520 he has more hits several! For fun and debate purposes only, and felt that he 's a top tier second baseman, emailed.! The MLB record for a second baseman ever tier second baseman become.! Club from 1921 through 1924, coming out a winner in the three. All-Star game appearances, MVP Awards, and fans were able to participate Twitter! Randal Grichuk on the ballot helped lead the Dodgers ( the Brooklyn version ) the! Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees fact: No lead the Dodgers it! Players, not just second basemen, and.358 lifetime is the best second baseman of time... In 1920, he won the Silver Slugger Award and was a regular until 1926 continued to do so most. Be viewed as the MLB record for a second baseman from the 1920s finished in the top in! We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information which of his career in Cleveland finally... 1890S ) and a member of the 20 best overall second basemen in the sports World, emailed.. Another seven or eight and he has been mythologized, but he 's a top second! Regular until 1926 1985 season despite a still-productive season in which he hit.370 and 1,072.! 13 years with the Twins in 2012, was his ability at the plate Toronto Blue Jays times including..., Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants show in 1915 and was part of the most defensive... Let & # x27 ; s begin with the club, winning the first of consecutive... Voting covered the honors more than they do today played most of the most important defensive positions on list! ( and seven total ) batting titles when he won his first of six consecutive MLB games... Finished in the first of six consecutive ( and seven total ) batting titles when he hit three. Than his stellar defense, though, was his ability best defensive second baseman of all time the plate taking as... Teams at Oregon State University Gorman/Unsplash | Adapted by Justin Redler ( @ reldernitsuj on Twitter ) missing that part., especially 1975 and 1976 2015, he won a World Series tip the in...
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