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. 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. The contribution to championship teams (player performance in seasons where his team wins the pennant) is a small factor in most cases. Only Ty Cobb has a higher lifetime batting average than Hornsbys .358. Jose Vidro, Expos/Nationals (1997-2006) Key fact: Vidro leads all second basemen in franchise history with a 16.5 bWAR. Let's begin with the long ball. Carew was an all-star for an incredible 18 consecutive years, starting with his rookie year in 1967. Vidro ranks among the top 10 in franchise history in doubles (third), hits (sixth), runs (seventh), RBIs (seventh), homers (ninth) and walks (ninth). 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. Hometown fans wildly threw their giveaway seat cushions on the field in celebration. However, we also adjust for era, integration and level of competition, and missed playing time due to factors beyond the control of the player. 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. Teams: Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers. 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. This week, we bring you the Top 10 at each position. Kent was one of the best offensive second basemen of all time and arguably the position's best power hitter. Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, California Angels. You get Glenn Hubbard's defensive numbers, off the chart. Gehringer made it to the World Series three times, winning a World Championship in 1935. He recorded a 20-20 (20 home runs and 20 stolen bases) in 2014. So he's got that going for him, which is nice. Teams: Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers. 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. Defensively, Lajoie was also a standout player, leading the league in assists three times and putouts five times. Who is the best defensive catcher of all time? It was probably in his Win Shares book or his Baseball Historical Abstract book, I can't remember, forgive me. 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. Everything he did in the field was smooth, it was elegant and it was a joy to watch. The great Rogers Hornsby was the clear choice for the best second baseman of all time. Critz didn't make it into the Hall of Fame because of his offense. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. In 13 years with the Cardinals, Hornsby hit .359/.427/.568 with 193 home runs and 1,072 RBIs. How about Robinson Cano? 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. Alomar, meanwhile, was very good in San Diego, but he would reach another level after being traded to Toronto ahead of the 1991 season. He moved to first base halfway through his career, but would rate higher as a second baseman. Grich also tops the Orioles' list for all-time best second basemen. In 2004, he won the Silver Slugger Award and made his first of two appearances in the All-Star Game. Give me a break, he has so damn many of them now, who can keep them all straight? 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. Minnesota Twins (1967-78), California Angels ('79-85), Honors 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). Matt Chapman /.9737/, 4. And in 2015, he participated in MLBs first second-baseman-to-third-baseman-back-to-second-baseman triple play. He had an incredible knack for getting on base and has the second-most home runs for someone his size (5-7) or shorter. 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. 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. Hornsby retired from playing in 1937 and was elected to the Hall of Fame five years later in 1942. 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. 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. 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. In his first season with Cincinnati, Morgan led the league in runs, walks, and OBP; and finished fourth in the MVP voting. Rod Carew was one of the greatest hitters of his generation. Kent, a career .290 hitter, holds the all-time record for most home runs by a second baseman with 351 (out of 377). -- Schoenfield, If Joe Morgan played today, he would be viewed as the ultimate Sabermetric player. .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. 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. He also won the NL batting title in '16, hitting .348 with a .911 OPS. That's all there is, right? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Pitcher GIFS Inc. All Rights Reserved. Bobby Doerr (1940s) offensive rating: A +. I'm taking him as the best second baseman ever. 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. That puts him in a class with the game's all-time greats. 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. That score is 114th all-time entering the 2020 season and puts him narrowly above the likes of Sal Bando (61.5), Willie Davis (60.8), and Gary Sheffield (60.5). The fact is, if I did a cross section of the 100 most respected baseball histoians in the United States, I can almost guarantee you that Mazeroski would show up as the best defensive second baseman in the history of MLB. Between the lines, Alomar was about as good as it gets. Frankie Frisch (1920s) offensive Rating: A +. 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. Before we get to the players, below is some background on how the list was compiled. Whites No. Welcome to another edition of Top Ten! Teams: Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays. 5. 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. You might be surprised at who missed the cut. Once we whittled down the list, we incorporated offensive stats and honors/awards to finalize it. His defensive rating on Fangraphs leads all second basemen all-time with over 1,000 plate appearances. 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. Extrapolate that to an entire season, and you have an MVP candidate. Required fields are marked *. Bill Mazeroski (1960s) offensive rating: C -. He finished second in rookie-of-the-year voting that season and led the league in walks. If character counted in the compilation of this list, Jackie Robinson would be number one. History unblurred. Doerr is an "A +" offensively and he's one of the five best defensive second basemen in the history of MLB. 6. 8. Teams: Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees. His 136 wRC+ last year would have placed him first out of all second basemen in 2021. Nicknamed "The Frenchman," Nap Lajoie was one of the best hitters and second basemen of the early part of the 20th century. He pretty much got the job done offensively, too. The switch-hitter from Puerto Rico signed as an amateur free agent when he was 15 years old, and eventually went to two World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals (2006 and 2011) as the teams third-base coach. Charlie Gehringers nickname was The Mechanical Man. He was dubbed so because of his robotic consistency and durability. 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! On top of his defense, Frisch was fast as lightning, leading the league in SBs three times. Cron. He had a resurgent 2020 back in New York before missing all of 2021 due to his second positive test. Brooks Robinson is generally regarded as the GOAT defensively at third. At that point, he was in his 40s and starting to show his age. 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. 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. Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Diego! Batting average than Hornsbys.358 in assists three times it gets book or his Baseball Abstract. 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San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, hit. Fact: Vidro leads all second basemen in 2021 Hornsby retired from playing 1937... Orioles ' list for all-time best second baseman of all time, which is nice and it was probably his. You the Top 10 at each position 136 wRC+ last year would have him!
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