Extrapolate that to an entire season, and you have an MVP candidate. This week, were on to the keystone as we take a look at the best second basemen of all time. Hornsby led the pack in nearly every category and dominated in WAR. 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. Nap Lajoie 6. 1. He threw 39 innings and struck out 41, walked 15 and held opposing hitters to a . Zobrist was named MVP of the 2016 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. By that time, Carew had shifted to first base, where he would remain for the second half of his career. Once Jackie debuted with the Dodgers in 1947, it became clear that he belonged. Second basemen are an important part of a baseball team's defense. Despite his personal success, Carews Twins teams did not win much. Three times Hornsby hit over .400, including his .424 average in 1924. That's all there is, right? His offensive prowess is among the greatest of all players, not just second basemen. 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. -- Dan Mullen, senior MLB editor, Teams Longtime St. Louis Cardinals standout Rogers Hornsby is the greatest second baseman of all-time, per Baseball-Reference's system. .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. 1 -- St. Louis Cardinals (1926), Career stats Nine Gold Gloves ('83-91), MVP (1984), 10-time All-Star ('84-93), seven Silver Sluggers ('84-85, '88-92), Hall of Fame ('05), Career stats Hornsby began player-managing in 1925 with the Cards and continued to do so throughout most of his remaining career. I remember reading something that Bill James had written about Jody Reed. Offense and defense? He was a 10-time All-Star (from 1984-93) and a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner (1983-91). So he's got that going for him, which is nice. 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. His long career puts him high in the record books among second basemen. 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! Glenn Hubbard (1980s) offensive rating: D +. He played 10 seasons; give him another seven or eight and he'd be right up there with Rogers Hornsby and Joe Morgan. Collins was not implicated in the controversy, but the scandal gutted the team. Getty Images. The Little General retired in 1984 with a career OBP of .392. We have gone to great lengths to make our All-Time Baseball Player Rankings as thorough as possible. (Insider), Teams 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. Bottom line: A first-round draft pick in 2003 by the Toronto Blue Jays, Aaron Hill was called up in 2005. Corrective surgery allowed him to excel at baseball, and after being signed by the Boston Red Sox he blossomed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he was a three-time All-Star and won an NL batting title in 2006. Alomar is a Hall of Famer, and while Loretta was solid, he wasn't quite on Alomars level. There are three second basemen that often present themselves before me as should-be Hall-of-Fame second basemen. And he was the best the Rays have ever had. Do you want big names? The next four seasons were magical for Morgan, especially 1975 and 1976. 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. 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). Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. Still, his play at second base in 1992 was good enough to break Ryne Sandbergs string of winning nine consecutive NL Gold Glove Awards. 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 was a tremendous all-around athlete and played multiple sports in college, which, along with World War II, delayed his eventual career in MLB. He was the AL second baseman in the first six All-Star Games, when he was already in his 30s. It just wasn't his forte, well below average, offensively. However, as Robinsons career was relatively short, he lags in the counting stats. "Based on the distance that there was away from the goal line, I knew they were in sneak formation," Wilson said . 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. Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook. He played every position on the diamond before settling in at second base. 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. Teams: Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers. PRIME = WAR in best five consecutive seasons. He went to four consecutive World Series with the club from 1921 through 1924, coming out a winner in the first two. In 13 years with the Cardinals, Hornsby hit .359/.427/.568 with 193 home runs and 1,072 RBIs. In 1920, he won his first of six consecutive (and seven total) batting titles when he hit .370. It's why he's a top tier Hall of Famer at the position. Kent, a career .290 hitter, holds the all-time record for most home runs by a second baseman with 351 (out of 377). Roberto Alomar FAQ Who are the best MLB second basemen of all time? 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. He returned sharp in 2005, batting .316 as the starting second baseman for the Oakland As. He's not even the best defensive 3rd baseman to play for El Toro High School's 2009 varsity baseball team. And though he recorded solid seasons on defense, he never had strong enough numbers to win a Gold Glove Award. That said: I don't buy the consensus that he's the best second baseman ever. He won rookie-of-the-year that season, finished fifth in the MVP voting, and led the league in stolen bases. Philadelphia Phillies (1981), Chicago Cubs ('82-94, '96-97), Honors Teams: San Francisco Giants, New York Mets. 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. Because we adjust for timeline and era, our rankings have fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists. .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. Kent was one of the best offensive second basemen of all time and arguably the position's best power hitter. Big personalities? 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. Bottom line: A three-time All-Star, Ben Zobrist is a well-rounded utility player. He's finally in the Hall of Fame, where he belongs. 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? Widely considered the best defensive third baseman of all time, Robinson won 16 straight Gold Gloves (1960-75), an American League MVP in 1964, two World Series with Baltimore (1966,. Pratt set up Wilson, and Wilson forced the biggest fumble of his career. 300 games).Its not easy to strongly argue who has been the Braves' best second baseman of all-time. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Alomars post-season totals are impressive: a .313 batting average, four HRs, 33 RBI, 32 runs, and 20 SBs in 58 games. 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. 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. He played in over 2,000 games. Hubbard played much of his career for those Atlanta Braves teams that had an overabundant amount of ground ball pitchers on their team. In a few weeks, well keep moving around the diamond and rank the Top Ten Shortstops. During 1921-25, a five-year period, he hit .402. They include All-Stars, World Series champions, Hall of Famers and baseball legends. And in 2013, he coached the Israeli national team in the World Baseball Classic. 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. 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. 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. 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. He finished second in rookie-of-the-year voting that season and led the league in walks. 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. Now that he's in the Hall of Fame, he's not only in, but he's a top tier second baseman. Hometown fans wildly threw their giveaway seat cushions on the field in celebration. In 2004, he scored the last-ever run for the Montreal Expos, before they relocated to Washington, D.C. And they can be a pitchers best friend. How We Ranked Baseballs Greatest Players. How close was it? Some will balk at Canos inclusion on the list, given his two suspensions for PED use. In 1997, MLB retired the number 42, which Robinson wore, across all of baseball. He also won rookie-of-the-year that season for the Twins. Frank White was not only the best second baseman in Royals history, he is one of the greatest defensive second baseman in baseball history. 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. Teams He won the College World Series twice at USC. On top of his defense, Frisch was fast as lightning, leading the league in SBs three times. 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. I got sidetracked there. Welcome to another edition of Top Ten! Kinsler spent eight years with the Rangers while Franco was in Texas for five. -- Scott Lauber, ESPN.com Red Sox reporter, Second basemen aren't supposed to be great. He's an A + offensive second baseman, too. However it turns out, he should be remembered as a great hitter albeit one who may have had help along the way. I think so, maybe similar in style to Ichiro Suzuki, except playing a different position. Give me a break, he has so damn many of them now, who can keep them all straight? He hit, ran, and played defense with the best of them. How about Robinson Cano? In 2015, he was hired to manage the Milwaukee Brewers, leading them to the NLCS in 2018. 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. Teams: Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays. Phillies top 5 >, Brewers: Jim Gantner, 1976-92Key fact: No. In 1990, Oquendo recorded just three errors while playing in 150 games. He played in Baltimore and New York. During the 2012 season, Barney committed just two errors, and tied the major league record for consecutive errorless games at second base with 141. 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. In 1991 he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility with 90.5% of the vote. .320/.404/.480, OPS -- .884, Hits -- 2,839, HRs -- 184, RBIs -- 1,427, They called him The Mechanical Man, a tribute to his consistency. Here we go. The way it really is. He was also a solid hitter, finishing with a .295 career batting average. In college, Barney played on back-to-back championship teams at Oregon State University. The other two are Cupid Childs (1890s) and Hardy Richardson (1880s). Because of how different eras of baseball have been played, it's difficult to nail down the best defensive catcher of all time. And they can be a pitcher's best friend. -- Schoenfield, We're counting down the greatest players in baseball history. Fun fact: Hill is one of just five players to hit for the cycle twice in one year. 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). In 1962 he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. Rod Carew 5. He wasn't a failure offensively, but he was certainly below average, unfortunately. Why? Why Jeff Kent belongs in the Hall. Cron somehow survived last year's trade deadline and remained in Denver. He won 10 Gold Gloves while, oh by the way, hitting .300 with speed AND power. 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. .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. .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. Though he never won a Gold Glove Award, Reed was a consistent fielder his entire career. 1 second baseman for every club, as chosen by MLB.com's beat reporters. 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). Polanco wore his Tigers jersey. He bounced back and forth between playing shortstop and second base throughout his MLB career. After retiring, Scott Fletcher managed in the minor leagues and later became the Colorado Rockies' infield coordinator. In summary, Max Muncy rakes, and he turns it up a notch higher come playoff time. I'm taking him as the best second baseman ever. It's why almost every historian ever calls him an "A +" defensively. 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. 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). Brian Dozier is a lifetime .245 hitter, but he's hit 192 home runs and made $30 million in career salary. 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). Then, he played his entire 10-year major league career with the Baltimore Orioles and won a World Series in 1983. He pretty much got the job done offensively, too. Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs. Sandberg went on to manage Philadelphia from 2013 to 2015. 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. It might be the only number as big as the game itself. Either way, Bill James comes to this conclusion on Mazeroski: his 113 defensive career Win Shares is 1st all time in the history of MLB for a second baseman. It didnt matter where Lajoie played in the field; he was excellent everywhere. Red Sox top 5 >, Yankees: Tony Lazzeri, 1926-37Key fact: Holds AL record for most RBIs in a single game (11 -- May 24, 1936)Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1991, Lazzeri was a feared clutch hitter with power who served as a key component alongside Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the fabled Murderers Row lineups for the Yankees. He recorded a 20-20 (20 home runs and 20 stolen bases) in 2014. Walker won the Silver Slugger Award in 2014. SHORT PEAK = WAR in best three seasons. Bottom line: After being drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2008, Danny Espinosa was called up to the bigs in 2010 and often served as a utility player at all the infield positions and in left field. Jody Reed (1990s) offensive rating: C -. 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. He moved to first base halfway through his career, but would rate higher as a second baseman. 1/9 Tommy Edman, St. Louis Cardinals - 96. 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. Teams: Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondback, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants. Bold indicates active player. During the Yankees' 2009 championship season, Cano hit 20 home runs and notched 204 hits (first among all second basemen that year). 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). To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Gehringer debuted in 1924 but wasnt a regular until 1926. The great Rogers Hornsby was the clear choice for the best second baseman of all time. Everything he did in the field was smooth, it was elegant and it was a joy to watch. -- Schoenfield, Teams 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. In 2007, he won the Silver Slugger Award and was named to his first of two All-Star Game appearances. Charlie Gehringers nickname was The Mechanical Man. He was dubbed so because of his robotic consistency and durability. As the Reds dynasty began to collapse, Morgan eventually moved on and played his final five seasons with four different teams. These glovemen in the middle of the infield made the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com MLB writer, Teams 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. All he did his sophomore season was bat .342, win a silver slugger, and play in the all-star game. Despite his success in St. Louis, Hornsby was traded to the Giants after the Cardinals won the World Series in 1926. What do you get when you combine those two facts? Who is the best defensive catcher of all time? Jeff Reboulet (1990s) offensive rating: D. A defensive specialist. He has been mythologized, but if anything, he was exceptionally -- and an exceptional -- human. I was surprised Ryne Sandberg wasnt on the list in place of Alomar or Cano. LONG PEAK = WAR in best seven seasons. Bottom line: He played second base, shortstop and third base during a 16-year career that saw him net three Gold Glove Awards (2007, 2009 and 2011). 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. We use bWAR. 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. In 2014, LeMahieu led the majors with 99 double plays. 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. Rod Carew was one of the greatest hitters of his generation. Eddie Collins debuted with the As just five seasons after Nap LaJoies jump. 5. 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. 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. 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. As always, value-based metrics formed the core of the evaluation process, including WAR ratings from both Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs, which calculate it differently. He also won an MVP with the Cards in 1931 and made it to three all-star games after the inaugural game in 1933. You get Glenn Hubbard's defensive numbers, off the chart. There's a reason no one in baseball can wear No. The top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. 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. (His older brother, Josh, is a rookie third baseman with the Rangers . 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. Basic stats like hits, batting average, OBP, SLG, HRs, RBI, etc., were fused with wOBA and wRC+ for the offense. These are the second basemen with the best fielding percentages in major league history. He had a resurgent 2020 back in New York before missing all of 2021 due to his second positive test. Welcome to All-Time #MLBRank, our ranking of the top 100 players in baseball history. In 1937, when he won the batting title, Gehringer was also the AL MVP after hitting .371/.458/.520. Lajoie was a fierce competitor, often getting into it with umpires. 1. -- 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. Glenn Hubbard played the position more frequently than anybody else and Mark Lemke will always be linked to the greatness of the 1990s. 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. In his first season with Cincinnati, Morgan led the league in runs, walks, and OBP; and finished fourth in the MVP voting. 1. Since then, nine second basemen have posted a higher career fielding percentage than "Ryno.". The top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. He was elected in 1939 to the Hall of Fame with the fourth set of illustrious entrants. Second basemen are an important part of a baseball teams defense. Here's what happened with Hubbard, he DID play on ground ball teams (generally speaking). 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. After a falling out with Giants manager John McGraw in 1926, he was traded to the Cardinals after the season. To illustrate how big Lajoie was in his day, the Bronchos renamed themselves The Naps after their leader in 1903.
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