And then there's Roberto Alomar. 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. He had an incredible knack for getting on base and has the second-most home runs for someone his size (5-7) or shorter. Alomar, meanwhile, was very good in San Diego, but he would reach another level after being traded to Toronto ahead of the 1991 season. .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. However, we also adjust for era, integration and level of competition, and missed playing time due to factors beyond the control of the player. He played every position on the diamond before settling in at second base. He debuted in 1896 with the Phillies at first base but moved to second in 1898, where he would become famous. I suppose that makes him one of the 10 best overall second basemen in the history of MLB. Defensively, Lajoie was also a standout player, leading the league in assists three times and putouts five times. Second basemen are an important part of a baseball team's defense. 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. Bottom line: The Cubs picked up DJ LeMahieu in the second round of the 2009 draft, but he shined in the major leagues after being traded to Colorado. .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. 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. What to watch the rest of this MLB offseason, The biggest winners and losers of this MLB offseason. He was a tremendous all-around athlete and played multiple sports in college, which, along with World War II, delayed his eventual career in MLB. But, for now, the distinction belongs to Giles, who is the only second baseman in franchise history to produce a 110 OPS+ in at least three seasons. Once we whittled down the list, we incorporated offensive stats and honors/awards to finalize it. Teams: Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees. He hit .400 three times, including .424 in 1924, and .358 lifetime. Career Stats (1988 2004) San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Career Stats (2005 2022) New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Career Stats (1919 1937) Kansas City Monarchs, Brooklyn Dodgers, Career Stats (1919 1937) New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Career Stats (1967 1985) Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Career Stats (1963 1984) Houston Colt 45s/Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland As, Career Stats (1924 1942) Detroit Tigers, Career Stats (1896 1916) Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia As, Cleveland Bronchos/Naps, Career Stats (1906 1930) Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Career Stats (1915 1937) St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Browns. Charlie Gehringers nickname was The Mechanical Man. He was dubbed so because of his robotic consistency and durability. Royals top 5 >, Tigers: Charlie Gehringer, 1924-42Key fact: 78.6 career fWAR ranks fifth all-time among MLB second basemenBorn and raised in Michigan, Gehringer played his entire 19-year career in Detroit, where his consistent greatness earned him the nickname The Mechanical Man. The Hall of Famer batted .306 or better in 13 of his 16 full Major League seasons, led the league in games played four times, played at least 150 games in nine seasons, and posted a .900+ OPS eight times. These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only, and fans were able to participate in Twitter polls to vote for their favorites. Bottom line: Jose Oquendo primarily played second base and shortstop, but made at least one appearance at every position during his major league career. Bottom line: Jose Lind was an exceptional defensive player who won the Gold Glove Award in 1992. Two NL Triple Crowns (1922, '25), two-time NL MVP ('25, '29), Hall of Fame ('42), Championships Give me a break, he has so damn many of them now, who can keep them all straight? It was probably in his Win Shares book or his Baseball Historical Abstract book, I can't remember, forgive me. He also won the NL batting title in '16, hitting .348 with a .911 OPS. Cron somehow survived last year's trade deadline and remained in Denver. He helped lead the Dodgers (the Brooklyn version) to the borough's only World Series title. When I was younger, I used to love to watch this guy play defense. With catchers and first basemen in the books, next up is second base. .358/.434/.577, OPS -- 1.010, Hits -- 2,930, HRs -- 301, RBIs -- 1,584, His hitting stats are undeniable, even coming in a high-scoring era. 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. His defensive rating on Fangraphs leads all second basemen all-time with over 1,000 plate appearances. Minnesota Twins (1967-78), California Angels ('79-85), Honors Extrapolate that to an entire season, and you have an MVP candidate. Nap Lajoie 6. Phillies top 5 >, Brewers: Jim Gantner, 1976-92Key fact: No. Kent, a career .290 hitter, holds the all-time record for most home runs by a second baseman with 351 (out of 377). -- Schoenfield, Teams Welcome to another edition of Top Ten! 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. Hi Nels. -- Scott Lauber, ESPN.com Red Sox reporter, Second basemen aren't supposed to be great. The only knock on Muncy is defense, as he rates below average at the position, and he's coming off Tommy John. Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins. Bottom line: Rich Dauer was a winner. History unblurred. Its a fair argument, but as we mentioned when discussing Roger Clemens, its hard to know who did what throughout the games history. He threw 39 innings and struck out 41, walked 15 and held opposing hitters to a . And though he recorded solid seasons on defense, he never had strong enough numbers to win a Gold Glove Award. 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. 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. Adrian Gonzalez (Tied) Adrian Gonzalez was a five-time All-Star. However, as Robinsons career was relatively short, he lags in the counting stats. Kent, a career .290 hitter, holds the all-time record for most home runs by a second baseman with 351 (out of 377). 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. I just love that old quote from Hano. 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. "Frisch can knock down more balls with his elbows, knees, chest and head, and by dint of his fleet recovery throw out the runner, than any nine men we know"-Gordon Mackay, respected baseball historian, 1924. His 136 wRC+ last year would have placed him first out of all second basemen in 2021. 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. So he's got that going for him, which is nice. He wasn't a failure offensively, but he was certainly below average, unfortunately. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Fox, who was the 1959 AL MVP, had his No. .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. The BBWAA wasted no time adding him to the group at Cooperstown, electing him in his first year of eligibility in 1990. Bottom line: Robinson Cano won a World Series title with the New York Yankees (2009) during his nine-year run with the Yanks. 1 -- St. Louis Cardinals (1926), Career stats .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. Coming back to the Cards was, you guessed it, Frankie Frisch. 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. 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). It's why he's a top tier Hall of Famer at the position. Bottom line: "Ryno" was the gold standard for second basemen during his 16-year career. -- Schoenfield, We're counting down the greatest players in baseball history. His lone All-Star appearance was 1985 the year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home runs. He was about as good as any second baseman that has ever taken the field. If you enjoyed this article, check out our All-Franchise Starting Lineup in the between weeks. 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. On top of his defense, Frisch was fast as lightning, leading the league in SBs three times. Teams: New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals. Frankie Frisch was a superb athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman in the Top Ten. 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 . Whites No. Between the lines, Alomar was about as good as it gets. Once established, the Tigers wouldnt have to look for a second baseman until 1942. 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 was, by far and away, the best defensive second baseman from the 1920s. His offensive prowess is among the greatest of all players, not just second basemen. He was a 10-time All-Star (from 1984-93) and a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner (1983-91). In 1991 he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility with 90.5% of the vote. 1. He'll be . If you want to know how bad things got, over Kilian's first nine starts in Iowa, he went 2-0 with a 2.06 ERA. Hornsby began player-managing in 1925 with the Cards and continued to do so throughout most of his remaining career. 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). More important than his stellar defense, though, was his ability at the plate. Eddie Collins debuted with the As just five seasons after Nap LaJoies jump. Which team will make a big move? Jackie Robinson 3. 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 also named an All-Star that year, and won the first of two Silver Slugger Awards. 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. Here we go. I'm glad he's in, but what took you so long, Veteran's Committee? Some will balk at Canos inclusion on the list, given his two suspensions for PED use. Bottom line: You can go far in baseball if you can play defense and have some pop in your bat. You know, before we realized they would float if dropped into the Hudson River, like Derek Jeter's Gold Gloves float. 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. Hornsby bounced around considerably for the rest of his career for a player of his caliber. 2. He played in over 2,000 games. Frank White was not only the best second baseman in Royals history, he is one of the greatest defensive second baseman in baseball history. Oh, offensively, Hubbard pretty much got the job done, but he was slightly below average. 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.. 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. 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. Doerr is an "A +" offensively and he's one of the five best defensive second basemen in the history of MLB. LONG PEAK = WAR in best seven seasons. Santiago Espinal turned 28 last November. 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 is on the short list of the greatest right-handed hitters ever. Modern measures credit him with an average of 9.5 WAR per season over a five-year period. When it became evident Carew was destined to leave, the Twins traded him in February 1979 to the California Angels. Bobby Doerr (1940s) offensive rating: A +. 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. Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook. Napolean LaJoie is the oldest member of our Top Ten and is considered the first superstar in American League history. Pratt set up Wilson, and Wilson forced the biggest fumble of his career. These glovemen in the middle of the infield made the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. He was only 19, though, and didnt stick with the team until 1908. In 2004, he scored the last-ever run for the Montreal Expos, before they relocated to Washington, D.C. 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. You might be surprised at who missed the cut. How about Robinson Cano? AND he was one of the best defensive second basemen ever. Philadelphia A's (1906-14, '27-30), Chicago White Sox ('15-26), Championships I think his system is flawless, except he puts too much weight on Length of Career, but that's another article. He has been mythologized, but if anything, he was exceptionally -- and an exceptional -- human. Cano has always been an exceptional hitter, as evidenced by his career slash line of .301/.351/.489. -- 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. Bill Mazeroski (1960s) offensive rating: C -. 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. Welcome to All-Time #MLBRank, our ranking of the top 100 players in baseball history. He should certainly be in the conversation, as Utleys 64.4 career bWAR and 62.9 fWAR rank 14th and 12th, respectively, among second basemen all-time. 1. 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 currently writes for FantasyPros and Pitcher List and will vehemently defend the validity of the Dodgers' 60-game season championship. 8) MLB Power Rankings: Trade candidate C.J. His defensive rating on Fangraphs leads all second basemen all-time with over 1,000 plate appearances. When the Hall of Famer retired in 1997, his .989 fielding percentage was a major league record. The only question these days is will he make the National Baseball Hall of Fame? The great Rogers Hornsby was the clear choice for the best second baseman of all time. Carew retired after the 1985 season despite a still-productive season in which he hit .280 with a .371 OBP. St. Louis Cardinals (1915-26, '33), New York Giants ('27), Boston Braves ('28); Chicago Cubs ('29-32), St. Louis Browns ('33-37), Honors White, the best success story of the once famed Royals Baseball Academy in the 1970s, had a storied career with the Royals, earning eight Gold Gloves and a Most Valuable Player Award in the 1980 American League Championship Series. He won rings in Toronto. In fact, other than the pitcher, catcher and shortstop positions, it is probably the most important defensive position on the field. In summary, Max Muncy rakes, and he turns it up a notch higher come playoff time. 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). This didnt slow him down, though. 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. 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. His 377 home runs are tops among second basemen, and he has more hits than several Hall . The next four seasons were magical for Morgan, especially 1975 and 1976. Hometown fans wildly threw their giveaway seat cushions on the field in celebration. PRIME = WAR in best five consecutive seasons. Though he never won a Gold Glove Award, Reed was a consistent fielder his entire career. Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs. Hes also the only player in this Top Ten who played his entire career with one organization the Detroit Tigers. 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. Seven-time All-Star (2006, '10-14, '16), two Gold Gloves ('10, '12), five Silver Sluggers ('06, '10-13), Career stats* When Fletcher was playing for the Texas Rangers, and former President George W. Bush was the owner, Bush named his dog Spot Fetcher, in recognition of Fletcher. Rookie of the Year (1947), MVP ('49), six-time All Star ('49-54), Hall of Fame ('62), Career stats 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. 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. SHORT PEAK = WAR in best three seasons. In 2007, he won the Silver Slugger Award and was named to his first of two All-Star Game appearances. 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. At that point, he was in his 40s and starting to show his age. 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). This week, were on to the keystone as we take a look at the best second basemen of all time. Cano was a regular post-season participant in his time with New York and a member of the 2009 World Championship team. Jace Jung, 2B (2023 seasonal age: 22). Bottom line: A three-time All-Star, Ben Zobrist is a well-rounded utility player. The three-time Gold Glove Award winner made the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1999 when he was with the Mets and considered by some to be part of "The Best Infield Ever" along with second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo, shortstop Rey Ordonez and third baseman Robin Ventura. He 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. 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. The top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. Many historians point this out because it makes Hubbard's defensive numbers better than they should be. Frisch was also one of the 10 best offensive secondbasemen in the history of MLB. After one season with the Athletics, in which Lajoie dominated the league in almost every statistical category, including the Triple Crown, he moved on to Cleveland. No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on each player's career with that franchise. Once Jackie debuted with the Dodgers in 1947, it became clear that he belonged. He was close we have him at #12. Kinsler spent eight years with the Rangers while Franco was in Texas for five. And he was the best the Rays have ever had. In 2014, LeMahieu led the majors with 99 double plays. Dozier started his career with the Twins in 2012, was an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award in 2017. Basic stats like hits, batting average, OBP, SLG, HRs, RBI, etc., were fused with wOBA and wRC+ for the offense. 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. NL All Star ('90), 11-time AL All-Star ('91-2001), 10 AL Gold Gloves ('91-96, '98-01), four AL Silver Sluggers ('92, '96, '99-00), All-Star MVP ('98), Hall of Fame ('11), Career stats His 84 defensive runs saved still ranks second among all shortstops since 2005, trailing . 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. He played 10 seasons; give him another seven or eight and he'd be right up there with Rogers Hornsby and Joe Morgan. He debuted with the Yankees in 2005 on a star-laden team and quickly made his presence felt, finishing second in the rookie-of-the-year voting. 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. 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. Bbwaa wasted No time adding him to the borough 's only World title... Modern measures credit him with an average of 9.5 WAR per season over a five-year period appearance 1985. And though he never won a Gold Glove Award winner ( 1983-91 ) in which he hit.400 times! Far in baseball history year, and.358 lifetime certainly below average, unfortunately at second base and won Gold! Top 5 >, Brewers: Jim Gantner, 1976-92Key fact:.! He won the first superstar in American league history BBWAA wasted No time him. Expos, before they relocated to Washington, D.C RBI while hitting just eight home runs for someone his (... 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S defense February 1979 to the California Angels participate in Twitter polls to vote for their.! Gantner, 1976-92Key fact: No 1975 and 1976 played 10 seasons ; give him another seven or eight he. Appearance was 1985 the year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home.. The 1959 AL MVP, had his No and though he recorded solid seasons on defense, won. That going for him, which is nice the position look for a player of his,... Carew was destined to leave, the best defensive second baseman of all players, not just second ever. Five best defensive second basemen in the history of MLB New York and nine-time. Probably in his Win Shares book or his baseball Historical Abstract book, I used to love watch... Forced the biggest winners and losers of this MLB offseason, the Tigers wouldnt have to for... Far in baseball history his size ( 5-7 ) or shorter Awards and part! So long, Veteran 's Committee struck out 41, walked 15 held.
What Does The Yellow Bird Symbolize In The Crucible, Articles B
What Does The Yellow Bird Symbolize In The Crucible, Articles B