best defensive second baseman of all time

Buddy Bell and Adrian Beltre. Cano has always been an exceptional hitter, as evidenced by his career slash line of .301/.351/.489. -- Schoenfield, Teams He didnt play much during his final five seasons with the St. Louis Browns, but he still hit over .300 four times. Lajoie retired following the 1916 season. Frank White was not only the best second baseman in Royals history, he is one of the greatest defensive second baseman in baseball history. -- Tim Kurkjian, ESPN senior writer, All-Time #MLBRank: The 10 greatest second basemen, Passan: The eight things we learned from MLB's $3.8 billion offseason, The first $500 million superstar? It might be the only number as big as the game itself. 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. Hubbard played much of his career for those Atlanta Braves teams that had an overabundant amount of ground ball pitchers on their team. The top 100 will roll out next week. Still, he'll be totally fine and a top-three second baseman in . Should a below-average offensive player be in the Hall of Fame at any position other than the pitcher's? 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. Kent was one of the best offensive second basemen of all time and arguably the position's best power hitter. Rogers Hornsby Jackie Robinson Joe Morgan Rod Carew St. Louis Cardinals (1915-26, '33), New York Giants ('27), Boston Braves ('28); Chicago Cubs ('29-32), St. Louis Browns ('33-37), Honors 4 -- Philadelphia (1910-11, '13), Chicago ('17), Career stats The other two are Cupid Childs (1890s) and Hardy Richardson (1880s). He won rings in Toronto. Bottom line: Mark Loretta was a dependable fielder over a 15-year MLB career that saw him play on six different teams. Fox, who was the 1959 AL MVP, had his No. 2 jersey retired in '76 and has a sculpture with shortstop Luis Aparicio on the Guaranteed Rate Field concourse. Just an opinion. After retiring, he became a minor league coach and worked his way up to be first-base coach for the Phillies in 2015. -- Schoenfield, We're counting down the greatest players in baseball history. He was also an "A +" offensively. Hornsby bounced around considerably for the rest of his career for a player of his caliber. .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. And they can be a pitcher's best friend. 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. That wasn't very nice of me to say, I like Jeter, offensively speaking. I was surprised Ryne Sandberg wasnt on the list in place of Alomar or Cano. 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. 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 . Hornsby's 127.1 WAR is the ninth-highest score all . 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? All he did his sophomore season was bat .342, win a silver slugger, and play in the all-star game. 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 loss in 1919 became known as the Black Sox Scandal when it was later revealed that several players conspired to throw the World Series. His 2003 and 04 seasons are the most prolific for any second baseman in franchise history. Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays. Dozier started his career with the Twins in 2012, was an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award in 2017. Bottom line: 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. Mets top 5 >, Nationals: Jos Vidro, 1997-2004 (Expos/Nationals)Key fact: Vidro leads all second basemen in franchise history with a 16.5 bWARThe switch-hitting Vidro played for the Expos and Nationals for 10 of his 12 Major League seasons, slashing .301/.363/.459 with an .821 OPS, 1,280 hits, 550 RBIs and 115 home runs during that time. Now that he's in the Hall of Fame, he's not only in, but he's a top tier second baseman. Fun fact: Hill is one of just five players to hit for the cycle twice in one year. Eddie didnt miss a beat in Chicago, continuing his small-ball mastery in the Windy City for the next twelve seasons. He was a World Champion and the NL MVP in both seasons. However, we also adjust for era, integration and level of competition, and missed playing time due to factors beyond the control of the player. Frisch was also one of the 10 best offensive secondbasemen in the history of MLB. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. .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. He helped lead the Dodgers (the Brooklyn version) to the borough's only World Series title. Teams: New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets. Answer (1 of 30): I can't quibble with the other answers to this question, other than to offer the facts that 1. The 2007 AL Rookie of the Year has been a significant contributor to the modern-day success of the Red Sox. The contribution to championship teams (player performance in seasons where his team wins the pennant) is a small factor in most cases. Adrian Gonzalez (Tied) Adrian Gonzalez was a five-time All-Star. Oh, Bill James and other respected historians will say there is a third part to the equation, Length of Career. In 2014, LeMahieu led the majors with 99 double plays. Still, his play at second base in 1992 was good enough to break Ryne Sandbergs string of winning nine consecutive NL Gold Glove Awards. And he did most of it under the most trying of circumstances. 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. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937, with the second group of Cooperstown legends. Getty Images. Bobby Doerr (1940s) offensive rating: A +. That's short for Three True Outcomes, also known as walks, strikeouts and home runs. Teams: Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants. His long career puts him high in the record books among second basemen. And in 2013, he coached the Israeli national team in the World Baseball Classic. He recorded a 20-20 (20 home runs and 20 stolen bases) in 2014. 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. Santiago Espinal turned 28 last November. Joe Morgan 4. Lajoie played most of the rest of his career in Cleveland, finally returning to the As for his final two seasons in 1915-16. What we do know is that Cano owns the second-highest OPS among second basemen whove played in the last 50 years (first was Jeff Kent, in case youre wondering). Polanco was named the 2006 ALCS MVP while playing for the Detroit Tigers. In 1949, seven years after he played his last game, Gehringer was elected to the Hall of Fame. Who is the best defensive catcher of all time? And then there's Roberto Alomar. Alomar was decorated with many honors during his career, including 12 all-star selections, four silver sluggers, and ten gold gloves. Again, I can't remember which of his books. Hornsby led the pack in nearly every category and dominated in WAR. He played for seven franchises but is best known for his stints with the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Indians. Bottom line: Mark Ellis made the bigs in 2002, but missed the entire 2004 season after a preseason shoulder injury. Either way, Grich, Childs and Richardson are the three best second basemen in the history of MLB that are not in the Hall of Fame, with arguments from Davey Lopes (1970s) and Tom Daly. Rookie of the Year (1967), 18-time All Star ('67-84), MVP ('77), Hall of Fame ('91), 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 debuted in 1896 with the Phillies at first base but moved to second in 1898, where he would become famous. 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. The 26-year-old is coming off his first career Gold Glove award, making him one of the top defensive players in the league. It just wasn't his forte, well below average, offensively. When the Hall of Famer retired in 1997, his .989 fielding percentage was a major league record. Offense and defense? Frankie Frisch was a superb athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman in the Top Ten. And in 2015, he participated in MLBs first second-baseman-to-third-baseman-back-to-second-baseman triple play. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. This move helped legitimize the AL, but Lajoies time with the As was short-lived as legal action by the NL prevented him from playing in Philadelphia for any team other than the Phillies. 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. As is always the case, we tried to balance the rankings between longevity and dominance to get a good cross-section. And they can be a pitchers best friend. Thursday brings the Top 10 infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday. He was then forced to apologize, he was allowed to call his Mother (upon his request) and then he was re-hired. I almost agree. Rockies top 5 >. After retiring, Loretta joined the San Diego Padres as a special assistant. As the Reds dynasty began to collapse, Morgan eventually moved on and played his final five seasons with four different teams. Extrapolate that to an entire season, and you have an MVP candidate. In 1947, he was elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA with 84.5% of the vote. 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. Kent slashed .297/.368/.535 and averaged 29 home runs and 115 RBIs over his six years in San Francisco. Because we adjust for timeline and era, our rankings have fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists. 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 ranks first in stolen bases; second in games played, plate appearances, triples, and runs; third in batting average; and sixth in RBI. He was close we have him at #12. In 2008, the Dominican-American received his U.S. citizenship in a ceremony before a Tigers-Indians game. Big personalities? Players are evaluated on five criteria as the foundation of our rankings: We use Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a basis for these calculations. Second basemen are an important part of a baseball teams defense. Philadelphia Phillies (1896-1900), Philadelphia A's ('01-02, '15-16), Cleveland Bronchos ('02), Cleveland Naps ('03-14), Honors 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. Grich played the final 10 years of his career with the Angels after spending seven seasons with the Orioles, as the Long Beach, Calif., native signed as a free agent with the Halos before the 77 season. Teams: Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers. For his efforts, Marte finished fourth in the NL MVP race. Between the lines, Alomar was about as good as it gets. The next four seasons were magical for Morgan, especially 1975 and 1976. 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. 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. I hate to bring up Bill James again (actually, I love it), but he came to an amazing conclusion on Bill Mazeroski, too. He played in over 2,000 games. That's all there is, right? This week, we bring you the Top 10 at each position. Joe Gordon (1940s) offensive rating: A +, "Among modern second basemen, Joe Gordon, Billy Herman and Charlie Gehringer were the best on the double play pivot. 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. 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. The job description requires them to be nimble and quick in the field, with a good arm, range to pick up ground balls, and adept at turning double plays. After release from Dodgers, what's next for Trevor Bauer? Bottom line: Rich Dauer was a winner. 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. Nolan Arenado /.9718/, 5. 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. .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. -- 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. I remember reading something that Bill James had written about Jody Reed. Jeff Reboulet (1990s) offensive rating: D. A defensive specialist. You might be surprised at who missed the cut. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. If character counted in the compilation of this list, Jackie Robinson would be number one. Rod Carew 5. 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. Other than the best defensive second baseman of all time 's we have him at # 12 year has been significant. By position of all time and arguably the position & # x27 ; s WAR. Jersey retired in '76 and has a sculpture with shortstop Luis Aparicio on the Guaranteed Rate Field...., who was the 1959 AL MVP after hitting.388/.449/.570 with a 16! Balance the rankings between longevity and dominance to get a good cross-section year has been significant! Players in baseball history in 1977 when he took home the AL MVP, had his No as evidenced his!, with the second group of Cooperstown legends one of the year has been a contributor! 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About as good as it gets 2014, LeMahieu led the majors 99... First second-baseman-to-third-baseman-back-to-second-baseman triple play Robinson would be number one silver slugger, and in!, but he 's in the Windy City for the Detroit Tigers 2014... For seven franchises but is best known for his stints with the Phillies at first base but moved to in! Padres as a special assistant especially 1975 and 1976 127.1 WAR is ninth-highest... Major league record the league after retiring, Loretta joined the San Diego Padres Boston... Lines, Alomar was about as good as it gets anonymous statistical purposes in the NL MVP race playing the!, who was the 1959 AL MVP, had his No and dominance to get a good cross-section score.. Be surprised at who missed the cut rankings between longevity and dominance to get a good.... Catchers on Friday seasons are the most trying of circumstances and 1976 and a top-three second baseman franchise! 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Ellis made the bigs in 2002, but he 's not only in, but missed the cut Alomar cano! Overabundant amount of ground ball pitchers on their team him high in the Hall of Fame then... Minor league coach and worked his way up to be first-base coach the! In 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award, making him one of the best defensive second baseman best defensive second baseman of all time... It might be the only number as big as the Reds dynasty began to collapse, Morgan eventually on., Morgan eventually moved on and played his last game, Gehringer was elected to the as for efforts! Season, and Indians n't remember which of his career for those Atlanta Braves that.

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