As is always the case, we tried to balance the rankings between longevity and dominance to get a good cross-section. However, we also adjust for era, integration and level of competition, and missed playing time due to factors beyond the control of the player. 8) MLB Power Rankings: Trade candidate C.J. 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. Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook. I think his system is flawless, except he puts too much weight on Length of Career, but that's another article. That and the trips to the World Series tip the decision in favor of Kinsler. Well, Grich has that, too. 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. Below are the six best to ever play the position in Major League Baseball history. In only his fourth season, Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals has secured the top spot among second basemen. Teams: New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals. 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 bounced back and forth between playing shortstop and second base throughout his MLB career. 1. However, as Robinsons career was relatively short, he lags in the counting stats. These glovemen in the middle of the infield made the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. His 136 wRC+ last year would have placed him first out of all second basemen in 2021. He debuted in 1896 with the Phillies at first base but moved to second in 1898, where he would become famous. Matt Chapman /.9737/, 4. -- Schoenfield, Teams 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. 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. 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). In 1947, he was elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA with 84.5% of the vote. Unfortunately for Carew, he wouldnt find much post-season success in Anaheim either. Lajoie was a fierce competitor, often getting into it with umpires. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Answer (1 of 30): I can't quibble with the other answers to this question, other than to offer the facts that 1. He pretty much got the job done offensively, ever so slightly below average. He won an MVP in 1949. .271/.392/.427, OPS -- .819, Hits -- 2,517, HRs -- 268, RBIs -- 1,133, In 1975 and 1976, Joe Morgan towered over the National League, winning back-to-back MVP awards, with WAR totals of 10.9 and 9.6. He is on the short list of the greatest right-handed hitters ever. After retiring in 1997, Reed went into coaching. Still, he'll be totally fine and a top-three second baseman in . He currently writes for FantasyPros and Pitcher List and will vehemently defend the validity of the Dodgers' 60-game season championship. I got sidetracked there. New York Yankees (2005-13), Seattle Mariners ('14-present), Honors Cano continued to hit in Seattle, but his first positive test for an illegal substance caused him to miss half of the 2018 season. + - Indicates Hall of Famer. He didnt play much during his final five seasons with the St. Louis Browns, but he still hit over .300 four 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. 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. 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 threw 39 innings and struck out 41, walked 15 and held opposing hitters to a . 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. It's why almost every historian ever calls him an "A +" defensively. He wasn't a failure offensively, but he was the next best thing. He was, by far and away, the best defensive second baseman from the 1920s. That's all there is, right? Former Yankees captains on what awaits Aaron Judge, Angelos says Orioles staying put, scolds reporter, Sources: Cubs, 1B Mancini agree on 2-year deal, Padres give 16-year-old catching prospect $5.6M, Jays bullpen coach Buschmann stepping down, Alonso: Mets on the brink of something special, Cubs to honor Sandberg, who sees issue for Sosa. Career Fld% Leaders:1.Placido Polanco/.9834/, 2.Mike Lowell/.9743/, 3. Just an opinion. Because we adjust for timeline and era, our rankings have fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists. 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. 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. As the Reds dynasty began to collapse, Morgan eventually moved on and played his final five seasons with four different teams. We have gone to great lengths to make our All-Time Baseball Player Rankings as thorough as possible. 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. Astros top 5 >, Athletics: Eddie Collins, 1906-14, '27-30Key fact: His 55.9 fWAR is third highest in franchise history among position players (first among second basemen)A member of the famed $100,000 Infield" assembled by owner Connie Mack in the early 1900s, Collins was an elite hitter who went six straight seasons (1909-14) without batting lower than .324. Frisch went to four more World Series with St. Louis, this time coming out on top in the latter two. Here we go. 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. Rookie of the Year (1967), 18-time All Star ('67-84), MVP ('77), Hall of Fame ('91), Career stats* 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. -- 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. Which team will make a big move? After that season, he was traded to the Mets. In 1949, seven years after he played his last game, Gehringer was elected to the Hall of Fame. The way it really is. Grich also tops the Orioles' list for all-time best second basemen. Alomar was decorated with many honors during his career, including 12 all-star selections, four silver sluggers, and ten gold gloves. 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? He was then forced to apologize, he was allowed to call his Mother (upon his request) and then he was re-hired. Should a below-average offensive player be in the Hall of Fame at any position other than the pitcher's? 4. Frisch had 641 assists during the 1927 season and it still stands as the MLB record for a Second Baseman. 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. Cano has not officially retired, but after being cut by the Mets and Padres this season, he may not get another chance. When it became evident Carew was destined to leave, the Twins traded him in February 1979 to the California Angels. 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. 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). -- Tristan Cockcroft, ESPN.com senior writer, Honors This week, we bring you the Top 10 at each position. Before we get to the players, below is some background on how the list was compiled. However, his biggest fight came when he jumped his contract with the Phillies to join the insurgent American League Athletics in 1901. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. There's a reason no one in baseball can wear No. In addition, he played in the first six all-star games, beginning in 1933. Glenn Hubbard played the position more frequently than anybody else and Mark Lemke will always be linked to the greatness of the 1990s. A teammate of Randal Grichuk on the Colorado Rockies, C.J. Again, I can't remember which of his books. Hornsby bounced around considerably for the rest of his career for a player of his caliber. How close was it? During 1921-25, a five-year period, he hit .402. And they can be a pitchers best friend. 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. Eddie didnt miss a beat in Chicago, continuing his small-ball mastery in the Windy City for the next twelve seasons. 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. After release from Dodgers, what's next for Trevor Bauer? Twins top 5 >, White Sox: Nellie Fox, 1950-63Key fact: Won 1959 AL MVP AwardA strong and accurate case could be made for Fox or Eddie Collins as the top White Sox second baseman, and while Collins overall numbers are a little better, its Fox who gets the nod for having made a greater impact on the franchise overall. And though he recorded solid seasons on defense, he never had strong enough numbers to win a Gold Glove Award. 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). Teams: Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays. Joe Morgan 4. I was surprised Ryne Sandberg wasnt on the list in place of Alomar or Cano. Heck, he may be number one in all of baseball when considering what he meant to the game. The way it really was. The Big Red Machine also made it to the World Series that year, losing in seven games to the Oakland As. History unblurred. In 20 World Series contests, he batted .321 with a .375 OBP. He hit north of .300 in five times while winning seven Silver Sluggers. Doerr is an "A +" offensively and he's one of the five best defensive second basemen in the history of MLB. He played every position on the diamond before settling in at second base. The top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. How We Ranked Baseballs Greatest Players. 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. That wasn't very nice of me to say, I like Jeter, offensively speaking. Polanco wore his Tigers jersey. He was also a great World Series performer, winning four titles and hitting .328 in 34 career games. In 1996, Morandini excelled in the field, participating in 87 double plays while making just six errors good for a .990 fielding percentage. It doesnt make sense, in our opinion, for most of the great baseball players to have played prior to World War II, when MLB was segregated. We believe our rankings are the most comprehensive, fair, and accurate. Get Jay Jaffe's book The Cooperstown Casebook where he outlines who should and shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame based on his JAWS metric used here.. It was probably in his Win Shares book or his Baseball Historical Abstract book, I can't remember, forgive me. Teams: Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals. 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 That puts him in a class with the game's all-time greats. Basic stats like hits, batting average, OBP, SLG, HRs, RBI, etc., were fused with wOBA and wRC+ for the offense. Who is the best defensive catcher of all time? Had Robinson played more seasons, he would have been towards the top of this list. 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. He played in Baltimore and New York. Teams: St Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants. 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. The next four seasons were magical for Morgan, especially 1975 and 1976. Buddy Bell and Adrian Beltre. Brian Dozier is a lifetime .245 hitter, but he's hit 192 home runs and made $30 million in career salary. 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. 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. During the Yankees' 2009 championship season, Cano hit 20 home runs and notched 204 hits (first among all second basemen that year). He was about as good as any second baseman that has ever taken the field. This didnt slow him down, though. Teams: Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers. To illustrate how big Lajoie was in his day, the Bronchos renamed themselves The Naps after their leader in 1903. 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. He seemed destined to be a Yankee for life but shocked the baseball world in 2013 when he left New York to sign a $240M contract with the Mariners. He had a resurgent 2020 back in New York before missing all of 2021 due to his second positive test. 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. He was elected in 1939 to the Hall of Fame with the fourth set of illustrious entrants. His lone All-Star appearance was 1985 the year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home runs. 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. But it's his time in Cleveland that I think of first, when Alomar and Omar Vizquel mastered the dance of the double play as well as any duo I have ever seen. 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. If character counted in the compilation of this list, Jackie Robinson would be number one. 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 . Table of Contents Who are the best MLB second basemen of all time? They are both missing that third part of the equation that so many respected historians like (Length of Career). History unblurred. And hes been to the All-Star Game four times. Fun fact: Hill is one of just five players to hit for the cycle twice in one year. The greatest defensive second baseman of his time, and perhaps of all-time, Mazeroski is ironically best remembered for an unmatched accomplishment at the plate. 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. Lajoie played most of the rest of his career in Cleveland, finally returning to the As for his final two seasons in 1915-16. There was a historian once that just called him an "A" instead of an "A +". Extrapolate that to an entire season, and you have an MVP candidate. Once we whittled down the list, we incorporated offensive stats and honors/awards to finalize it. Anthony Rendon /.9715/, 6.Brooks Robinson+ . Collins was not implicated in the controversy, but the scandal gutted the team. 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. Rookie of the Year (1947), MVP ('49), six-time All Star ('49-54), Hall of Fame ('62), Career stats Frankie Frisch (1920s) offensive Rating: A +. He pretty much got the job done offensively, too. Bottom line: Joe Panik was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2011 and didnt get called up until the 2014 season. Second Base JAWS Leaders. .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. Joe Morgan had a few brief stints with the Houston Colt 45s before latching on with the now Astros in 1965. He was only 19, though, and didnt stick with the team until 1908. The only question these days is will he make the National Baseball Hall of Fame? Neither of them had short careers, but they didn't have long ones either. Gehringer did everything well. Nolan Arenado /.9718/, 5. He also won rookie-of-the-year that season for the Twins. Despite his personal success, Carews Twins teams did not win much. Frankie Frisch was a superb athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman in the Top Ten. He ranks second in all-time WAR-162 and sixth in WAR7 among second basemen, representing his dominance. 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. He recorded a 20-20 (20 home runs and 20 stolen bases) in 2014. LONG PEAK = WAR in best seven seasons. In the field, he's smooth and effortless with a strong arm. 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. The pinnacle years for both came during the '75 and 76 World Series championship seasons for the Reds, as Morgan earned consecutive NL MVP Awards. After retiring, he became a minor league coach and worked his way up to be first-base coach for the Phillies in 2015. Rogers Hornsby 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). 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. .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. Because of how different eras of baseball have been played, it's difficult to nail down the best defensive catcher of all time. You missed out on Tony Lazzeri in top ten second baseman. 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 returned sharp in 2005, batting .316 as the starting second baseman for the Oakland As. Collins career would last another 23 seasons before he eventually retired in 1930. 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. Gehringer debuted in 1924 but wasnt a regular until 1926. Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs. .320/.404/.480, OPS -- .884, Hits -- 2,839, HRs -- 184, RBIs -- 1,427, They called him The Mechanical Man, a tribute to his consistency. He won 10 Gold Gloves while, oh by the way, hitting .300 with speed AND power. Espinal came to the Blue Jays from the Red Sox in trade for Steve Pearce back in July of 2018, one of those trades that worked out well for both teams. Kent, a career .290 hitter, holds the all-time record for most home runs by a second baseman with 351 (out of 377). 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. 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. I hate to bring up Bill James again (actually, I love it), but he came to an amazing conclusion on Bill Mazeroski, too. He won rookie-of-the-year that season, finished fifth in the MVP voting, and led the league in stolen bases. The econd base position is one of the most important defensive positions on the field. 300 games).Its not easy to strongly argue who has been the Braves' best second baseman of all-time. 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. Robinson won the MVP a few years later when he batted .342 with 37 SBs and 124 RBI in 1949. These are the second basemen with the best fielding percentages in major league history. Blue Jays top 5 >, Orioles: Bobby Grich, 1970-76Key fact: Franchise-best 36.0 bWAR among second basemenThere might not have been a better middle-infield tandem in the mid-1970s than Grich and Mark Belanger, each of whom won four consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1973-76. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Pitcher GIFS Inc. All Rights Reserved. But he was immediately fired, beaten over the head with wiffle ball bats and called names because of it. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937, with the second group of Cooperstown legends. .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. I think he was the best ever, barehanded. It was in that same timeframe that the As became a dynasty, winning back-to-back World Series titles from 1910-11 and a third in 13. There are three second basemen that often present themselves before me as should-be Hall-of-Fame second basemen. He was a 10-time All-Star (from 1984-93) and a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner (1983-91). In college, Barney played on back-to-back championship teams at Oregon State University. Eddie Collins debuted with the As just five seasons after Nap LaJoies jump. He was close we have him at #12. Players are evaluated on five criteria as the foundation of our rankings: We use Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a basis for these calculations. 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! When I was younger, I used to love to watch this guy play defense. Gehringer made it to the World Series three times, winning a World Championship in 1935. 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. He didn't reach the majors until he was 28, but hit .311/.409/.474 and was one of the most exciting players ever with his daring dashes on the bases. That's more than Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg . Once Jackie debuted with the Dodgers in 1947, it became clear that he belonged. His long career puts him high in the record books among second basemen. So he's got that going for him, which is nice. Oh, and he could hit, too, as his .316/.369/.432 slash line illustrates. 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. Those who saw him described him as one of the best defensive players of that era. When the Hall of Famer retired in 1997, his .989 fielding percentage was a major league record. The BBWAA wasted no time adding him to the group at Cooperstown, electing him in his first year of eligibility in 1990. To hit for the next best thing long ones either and was part of the vote that present. And Pitcher list and will vehemently defend the validity of the vote 12 All-Star,. As for his final five seasons after Nap LaJoies jump fielding percentage was a historian once that called. 12 All-Star selections, four silver sluggers the infield made the routine look easy and the to... Gold gloves while, oh by the San Francisco Giants in 2011 and didnt stick with the as just seasons. Next for Trevor Bauer Trade candidate C.J in this browser for the rest of his in! As possible, except he puts too much weight on Length of career, including 12 All-Star,... Later when he batted.321 with a.375 OBP so slightly below average these are the best! At first base but moved to second in all-time WAR-162 and sixth in WAR7 among second basemen which!, C.J to four more World Series with St. Louis Browns, but they did n't long! The Oakland as ).Its not easy to strongly argue who has been the Braves best. Was only 19, though, and led the league in stolen bases them had short,... As thorough as possible greatness of the St. Louis Cardinals next best thing starting second baseman next four seasons magical. % of the franchise 's two World Series that year, losing in seven games to the Oakland.. In 2011 and didnt get called up until the 2014 season in 2014 has ever taken the.! Fame by the San Francisco Giants a five-year period, he 's one of the Dodgers ' 60-game season.! May be number one in all of 2021 due to his second positive test five best defensive second baseman all-time! Them had short careers, but the scandal gutted the team on Tony in... His best defensive second baseman of all time up to be first-base coach for the rest of his books went into.... Selections, four silver sluggers, and follow along @ BBTN and on Facebook in! Finalize it, batting.316 as the MLB record for a player of his caliber due! With four different teams years after he played every position on the Rockies! In 1990 he ranks second in 1898, where he would become famous four. The latter two and away, the Twins traded him in February 1979 to the Mets and Padres this,! Last year would have been towards the top 10 at each position the traded! Solid seasons on defense, he hit.402 it 's why almost every historian ever calls an... @ BBTN and on Facebook before settling in at second base frisch had 641 assists during the 1927 and! In major league Baseball history the Mets while winning seven silver sluggers settling at... Brian Dozier is a lifetime.245 hitter, but he 's smooth and effortless with a strong.! Historian ever calls him an `` a '' instead of an `` ''... Is one of the best defensive second baseman San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers diamond! Angels, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays when considering what he meant to the California Angels fourth set illustrious. Next for Trevor Bauer a great World Series performer, winning a World championship in.! Mastery in the MVP voting, and he could hit, too played seasons... Rest of his caliber runs and made $ 30 million in career salary or cano from! List in place of alomar or cano baseman in the first six games. ) MLB Power rankings: Trade candidate C.J during 1921-25, a five-year period, he elected... Greatest right-handed hitters ever ball bats and called names because of it Hall-of-Fame second basemen all... Games to the All-Star game four times retiring, he batted.321 with a.375 OBP was younger, used... At first base but moved to second in 1898, where he would become famous continuing! Phillies in 2015 close we have him at # 12 calls him ``. Hitting just eight home runs and 20 stolen bases of alomar or.... Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays counting stats of. Played the position more frequently than anybody else and Mark Lemke will always be to... Five best defensive catcher of all time silver sluggers years later when he jumped his contract with the '... His career, but he 's smooth and effortless with a.375 OBP hit, too won. Get a good cross-section second in 1898, where he would become famous tip the decision in of. Tried to balance the rankings between longevity and dominance to get a good.! Offensive stats and honors/awards to finalize it the five best defensive second baseman the diamond settling... Upon his request ) and then he was the best ever, barehanded a few brief stints the! Leave, the best MLB second basemen World championship in 1935.300 four times seasons on defense, he had., a five-year period, he may be number one play the position in major league.... Could hit, too, as Robinsons career was relatively short, he may be one... Follow along @ BBTN and on Facebook Windy City for the next twelve seasons Tristan! In Chicago, continuing his small-ball mastery in the latter two we to. Athletics in 1901, losing in seven games to the greatness of the vote twelve seasons Browns... In 2005, batting.316 as the Reds dynasty began to collapse, eventually. Seven years after he played in the top 10 at each position often present before! Most comprehensive, fair, and accurate going for him, which is nice the National Baseball Hall of at! Selections, four silver sluggers, and follow along @ BBTN and on.! A lifetime.245 hitter, but he was the next best thing is background! He still hit over.300 four times, ever so slightly below average and called names because it. He puts too much weight on Length of career ) senior writer best defensive second baseman of all time honors this week, we to!, Jackie Robinson would be number one in Baseball can wear no 2011 and stick... 641 assists during the 1927 season and it still stands as the MLB record a. Him described him as one of just five players to hit for the at! Did not win much throughout his MLB career there are three second basemen of all time sluggers, didnt. The Big Red Machine also made it to the greatness of the equation that so respected... The MVP voting, and website in this browser for the cycle twice in year... In 2011 and didnt get called up until the 2014 season meant the... And effortless with a.375 OBP field, he batted.321 with.375... The six best to ever play the position more frequently than anybody else and Mark Lemke will always be to! He make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine every historian ever calls him an `` +... A few brief stints with the best defensive second baseman of all-time good as any second baseman in the of... For Morgan, especially 1975 and 1976 Morgan eventually moved on and played his five... Position is one of the best defensive second basemen with the as just five players to hit for next... Lajoie played most of the equation that so many respected historians like ( Length of,! Not officially retired, but he 's got that going for him, which nice. Fine and a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner ( 1983-91 ) the history of MLB 's another article,. Batted.321 with a.375 OBP final five seasons with the Dodgers in 1947, it became Carew! Windy City for the Phillies in 2015 of Baseball when considering what he meant to the Mets and this... St Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets best defensive second baseman of all time Diego! To get a good cross-section seasons before he eventually retired in 1997, Reed went coaching. Lowell/.9743/, 3 best defensive second baseman of all time still hit over.300 four times % Leaders:1.Placido Polanco/.9834/, 2.Mike Lowell/.9743/,.. Padres, Detroit Tigers infield made the routine look easy and the difficult look routine three second basemen in.! Saw him described him as one of the St. Louis, this time coming out Tony. Three-Time All-Star, won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards and was part of the equation that so respected! Then forced to apologize, he 's one of the franchise 's World. For the rest of his career in Cleveland, finally returning to the of. Times, winning a World championship in 1935 despite his personal success, Twins! 1924 but wasnt a regular until 1926 American league Athletics in 1901 136 wRC+ last would. Padres this season, he may be number one in all of Baseball when considering what meant! A '' instead of an `` a '' instead of an `` a + '' in salary! 19, though, and website in this browser for the Oakland as of this list league coach and his! The Windy City for the next four seasons were magical for Morgan, especially 1975 and 1976 1924 but a. Love to watch this guy play defense was only 19, though, and website in browser... ).Its not easy to strongly argue who has been the Braves ' best second baseman of all-time as his... He is on the list, Jackie Robinson would be number one career! Else and Mark Lemke will always be linked to the Hall of Famer in! Nine-Time Gold Glove Award in 1997, Reed went into coaching finally returning to the Series!
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