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. 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. 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. However, we also adjust for era, integration and level of competition, and missed playing time due to factors beyond the control of the player. Add in the questions about his defense, and you've got a guy that, yes, I'd include toward the bottom of this list, but only after guys like Chase Utley and Robbie Cano, never mind rating him with Alomar or Morgan. Rookie of the Year (1947), MVP ('49), six-time All Star ('49-54), Hall of Fame ('62), Career stats .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. 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. I think his system is flawless, except he puts too much weight on Length of Career, but that's another article. Roberto Alomar FAQ Who are the best MLB second basemen of all time? In 2007, he tied the As team record for consecutive errorless games at second base (70). 1. 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. 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. Only Ty Cobb has a higher lifetime batting average than Hornsbys .358. 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. Anthony Rendon /.9715/, 6.Brooks Robinson+ . AL Triple Crown (1901), Hall of Fame ('37), Career stats Neither of them had short careers, but they didn't have long ones either. Frankie Frisch (1920s) offensive Rating: A +. In 1937, when he won the batting title, Gehringer was also the AL MVP after hitting .371/.458/.520. 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. That's a heck of a fact that Bill James presents. Orioles top 5 >, Rays: Ben Zobrist, 2006-14Key fact: Two-time All-StarZobrist played all over the field during his time with the Rays, but the position he played the most was second base, so well label him as a second baseman. Cron somehow survived last year's trade deadline and remained in Denver. 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. Teams: Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers. Also, took HOF too long to put Lazzeri into HOF, 1991 by vets committee. Still, compare their three-year tenures specifically in San Diego, and its Loretta who comes out on top. 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. He took home five gold gloves in Cincinnati and led the league in OBP four times. That's all there is, right? Teams: Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees. -- Schoenfield, Rogers Hornsby batted .424 in 1924. Frankie Frisch was a superb athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman in the Top Ten. .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. .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. Bold indicates active player. 2 jersey retired in '76 and has a sculpture with shortstop Luis Aparicio on the Guaranteed Rate Field concourse. These are the second basemen with the best fielding percentages in major league history. Fox, who was the 1959 AL MVP, had his No. During 1921-25, a five-year period, he hit .402. I was surprised Ryne Sandberg wasnt on the list in place of Alomar or Cano. 8. Mazeroski remains the only player in Major League history to hit a walk-off homer in Game 7 of the World Series, which he did to lead the Bucs . 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. 1/9 Tommy Edman, St. Louis Cardinals - 96. 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. And hes been to the All-Star Game four times. And he did most of it under the most trying of circumstances. 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. He had an incredible knack for getting on base and has the second-most home runs for someone his size (5-7) or shorter. Still, he'll be totally fine and a top-three second baseman in . Teams: Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers. Collins career would last another 23 seasons before he eventually retired in 1930. 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. 42. Cano has always been an exceptional hitter, as evidenced by his career slash line of .301/.351/.489. 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. I just love that old quote from Hano. He won the College World Series twice at USC. Oh, and he could hit, too, as his .316/.369/.432 slash line illustrates. Teams: Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox. All-Star game appearances, MVP awards, and seasons where the player finished in the Top Ten in MVP voting covered the honors. 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. The Sox made it to two World Series during that time in 1917 and 1919 winning the first one. 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. Hughie Critz (1930s) offensive rating: D -, "The New York Giant infield of Hughie Critz, Bill Terry, Travis Jackson and Freddie Lindstrom, the million dollar infield as it was called, and it used to perform up to its namethey were so deft, so quick, so breathtaking that the fans would sit, first in stunned silence, and then in gathered bedlam"-Arnold Hano, respected baseball historian. That said: I don't buy the consensus that he's the best second baseman ever. He currently writes for FantasyPros and Pitcher List and will vehemently defend the validity of the Dodgers' 60-game season championship. Frisch had 641 assists during the 1927 season and it still stands as the MLB record for a Second Baseman. Gantner was famously feisty, often tangling with opponents on the field and sometimes in the bar. Welcome to All-Time #MLBRank, our ranking of the top 100 players in baseball history. Blue Jays: Roberto Alomar, 1991-95Key fact: Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011Over Alomars five seasons in Toronto, he led his team to two World Series championships while earning an All-Star nod and Gold Glove Award every single year. The 26-year-old is coming off his first career Gold Glove award, making him one of the top defensive players in the league. When the Hall of Famer retired in 1997, his .989 fielding percentage was a major league record. Bottom line: Jamey Carroll played second base, shortstop and third base during a dozen years in the bigs. Marlins top 5 >, Mets: Edgardo Alfonzo, 1995-2001Key fact: His .318 average with runners in scoring position is highest in Mets historyAlfonzo might be the trickiest Met to rank because he appeared in 524 career games for the team at second base and 515 at third, spending three full seasons as the starter at each position. 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. They only made the playoffs twice in his tenure and never went to a World Series. Charlie Gehringers nickname was The Mechanical Man. He was dubbed so because of his robotic consistency and durability. He was then forced to apologize, he was allowed to call his Mother (upon his request) and then he was re-hired. He ranks ninth on Fangraphs WAR for all offensive players and 12th on Baseball-Reference. Pedroia, who has played for Boston for all of his 14 years in the big leagues, helped raise the World Series trophy in 2007 and 2013. 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. 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. Bottom line: Jody Reed made his major league debut in 1987 with the Boston Red Sox as a shortstop, but switched to second base in 1989. He hit .400 three times, including .424 in 1924, and .358 lifetime. He was the AL second baseman in the first six All-Star Games, when he was already in his 30s. The top 100 will roll out next week. 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. I will list them in order, from oldest to newest: Fred Dunlap (1880s), Nap Lajoie (1900s), Lonny Frey (1940s), Eddie Mayo (1940s), Gil McDougald (1950s), Jackie Robinson (1950s), Red Schoendienst (1950s), Fernando Vina (1990s), Craig Counsell (2000s)and Pokey Reese (2000s), 9. He played 10 seasons; give him another seven or eight and he'd be right up there with Rogers Hornsby and Joe Morgan. To illustrate how big Lajoie was in his day, the Bronchos renamed themselves The Naps after their leader in 1903. 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. Hornsby bounced around considerably for the rest of his career for a player of his caliber. More important than his stellar defense, though, was his ability at the plate. Hornsby's 127.1 WAR is the ninth-highest score all . Kinsler was a star on the Rangers' two pennant-winning teams of 2010-11, but Julio Franco was also an outstanding second baseman, earning three All-Star selections and winning an AL batting title. Offense and defense? Jeff Reboulet (1990s) offensive rating: D. A defensive specialist. He pretty much got the job done offensively, too. 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. Kent, a career .290 hitter, holds the all-time record for most home runs by a second baseman with 351 (out of 377). Doerr is an "A +" offensively and he's one of the five best defensive second basemen in the history of MLB. I guess that makes him an A + overall at Second Base. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Pitcher GIFS Inc. All Rights Reserved. D-backs top 5 >, Dodgers: Jackie Robinson, 1947-56Key fact: Only player whose uniform number is retired across MLBA true hero, legend, trailblazer and leader -- and thats before we even get into Robinsons stats. Morgan is the Reds all-time leader with 406 steals, and he led the league in on-base percentage four times with the Reds. Who is the best defensive catcher of all time? That wasn't very nice of me to say, I like Jeter, offensively speaking. Why? He was also an "A +" offensively. Because we adjust for timeline and era, our rankings have fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists. Which team will make a big move? Should a below-average offensive player be in the Hall of Fame at any position other than the pitcher's? Theres also his seven Silver Slugger Awards, the NL MVP season of 1984 and the year he led the NL in home runs (40 in 1990). 10. All he did his sophomore season was bat .342, win a silver slugger, and play in the all-star game. White Sox top 5 >, Angels: Bobby Grich, 1977-86Key fact: 35.1 bWAR is fifth highest in club historyOne of the most underrated players of his era, Grich was the first inductee into the Angels Hall of Fame in 1988, and many believe he has a strong case to be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, as well. The contribution to championship teams (player performance in seasons where his team wins the pennant) is a small factor in most cases. Frisch broke in with the New York Giants in 1919 and played for 19 seasons. 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. In 2008, he was the AL MVP and won the Silver Slugger Award. Sandberg went on to manage Philadelphia from 2013 to 2015. 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. His 2003 and 04 seasons are the most prolific for any second baseman in franchise history. Teams: Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals. Why Jeff Kent belongs in the Hall. That's why he's a top-tier Hall-of-Fame second baseman, one of the 10 best ever, overall, at the position. Rankings of Negro League players should consider that Negro League data is not complete. 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. Grich was a great offensive second baseman, an "A" offensively. Here's what happened with Hubbard, he DID play on ground ball teams (generally speaking). Well, Grich has that, too. We have gone to great lengths to make our All-Time Baseball Player Rankings as thorough as possible. I was surprised Ryno didnt make it too. For his efforts, Marte finished fourth in the NL MVP race. -- Schoenfield, We're counting down the greatest players in baseball history. However, as Robinsons career was relatively short, he lags in the counting stats. 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). He was traded to the San Francisco Giants, where he won a World Series in 2010. Its a fair argument, but as we mentioned when discussing Roger Clemens, its hard to know who did what throughout the games history. 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. Cano won five silver sluggers and went to eight all-star games altogether, and even chipped in a couple of gold gloves. 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. 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). 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. Somehow, a quiet top-tier Hall-of-Fame second baseman because he was Ted Williams' teammate in Boston. In 2014, LeMahieu led the majors with 99 double plays. Teams: St Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants. These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only, and fans were able to participate in Twitter polls to vote for their favorites. 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. 2. Also in 2001, Counsell was named the MVP of the NLCS. 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 . To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Coming back to the Cards was, you guessed it, Frankie Frisch. He went to four consecutive World Series with the club from 1921 through 1924, coming out a winner in the first two. Those who saw him described him as one of the best defensive players of that era. No player in history has a higher single-season batting average with as many plate appearances as Hornsby had in 1924. Some well-known second basemen have career fielding percentages that are just a bit outside the top 25 in baseball history. Collins can also boast an MVP win in 1914 and six top 5 MVP finishes. Hornsby got a taste of the show in 1915 and was a regular with the Cardinals the following season. Cano was a regular post-season participant in his time with New York and a member of the 2009 World Championship team. The 2007 AL Rookie of the Year has been a significant contributor to the modern-day success of the Red Sox. If you enjoyed this article, check out our All-Franchise Starting Lineup in the between weeks. He returned sharp in 2005, batting .316 as the starting second baseman for the Oakland As. In an era before awards, Lajoie led the league in key offensive categories several times during his 21-year career, including hits (4x), doubles (5x), RBI (3x), batting average (5x), SLG (4x), and HRs (1x). Bottom line: Jose Oquendo primarily played second base and shortstop, but made at least one appearance at every position during his major league career. He's played half his innings at second base, and the rest at shortstop and various outfield positions. .320/.404/.480, OPS -- .884, Hits -- 2,839, HRs -- 184, RBIs -- 1,427, They called him The Mechanical Man, a tribute to his consistency. 1. He's not even the best defensive 3rd baseman to play for El Toro High School's 2009 varsity baseball team. He wasn't a failure offensively, but he was the next best thing. 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. At that point, he was in his 40s and starting to show his age. -- Schoenfield, Teams The only knock on Muncy is defense, as he rates below average at the position, and he's coming off Tommy John. And in 2019, he won his first World Series ring, with the Nationals. Extrapolate that to an entire season, and you have an MVP candidate. Kent, a career .290 hitter, holds the all-time record for most home runs by a second baseman with 351 (out of 377). 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. 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. He hit north of .300 in five times while winning seven Silver Sluggers. In 2004, he won the Silver Slugger Award and made his first of two appearances in the All-Star Game. Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook. He was only 19, though, and didnt stick with the team until 1908. Let's talk about who the best ever were at that position, defensively speaking. 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. Bottom line: A three-time All-Star, Ben Zobrist is a well-rounded utility player. He moved to first base halfway through his career, but would rate higher as a second baseman. 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. What to watch the rest of this MLB offseason, The biggest winners and losers of this MLB offseason. In 2008, the Dominican-American received his U.S. citizenship in a ceremony before a Tigers-Indians game. 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. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Longtime St. Louis Cardinals standout Rogers Hornsby is the greatest second baseman of all-time, per Baseball-Reference's system. Critz didn't make it into the Hall of Fame because of his offense. These glovemen in the middle of the infield made the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. St. Louis Cardinals (1915-26, '33), New York Giants ('27), Boston Braves ('28); Chicago Cubs ('29-32), St. Louis Browns ('33-37), Honors Let's begin with the long ball. Teams: Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers. Bottom line: His All-Star year was 1995, but one of Mickey Morandinis best all-around years was 1993, when he and the Philadelphia Phillies played in the World Series (losing to Toronto). The Dodgers made it to six World Series with Robinson, all against the Yankees. 1 second baseman for every club, as chosen by MLB.com's beat reporters. -- 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? Zobrist was named MVP of the 2016 World Series. If character counted in the compilation of this list, Jackie Robinson would be number one. In 1990, Oquendo recorded just three errors while playing in 150 games. Three years later, he became the first American League second baseman to hit 40 homers in a season, finishing with 42 overall. 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). Your email address will not be published. Still, his play at second base in 1992 was good enough to break Ryne Sandbergs string of winning nine consecutive NL Gold Glove Awards. He won rookie-of-the-year that season, finished fifth in the MVP voting, and led the league in stolen bases. His defensive rating on Fangraphs leads all second basemen all-time with over 1,000 plate appearances. Three times Hornsby hit over .400, including his .424 average in 1924. Teams: Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs. In 20 World Series contests, he batted .321 with a .375 OBP. Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins. A player with no weakness in his game. In 2015, he was hired to manage the Milwaukee Brewers, leading them to the NLCS in 2018. 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). Gehringer debuted in 1924 but wasnt a regular until 1926. Big personalities? Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. 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). Indians top 5 >, Royals: Frank White, 1973-90Key fact: Five All-Star Games, eight Gold Glove AwardsOK, so theres absolutely no debate about this choice. 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. I suppose that makes him one of the 10 best overall second basemen in the history of MLB. 11-20: Here is a list of 10 other second basemen that were in serious contention of taking this 10th spot away from Frisch. 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. 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). Unfortunately for Carew, he wouldnt find much post-season success in Anaheim either. His offensive prowess is among the greatest of all players, not just second basemen. 1. 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. Six-time All-Star (1933-38), MVP ('37), Hall of Fame ('49), Career stats 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.

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