Walker won the Silver Slugger Award in 2014. He won rookie-of-the-year that season, finished fifth in the MVP voting, and led the league in stolen bases. In addition, he played in the first six all-star games, beginning in 1933. Big personalities? Jose Vidro, Expos/Nationals (1997-2006) Key fact: Vidro leads all second basemen in franchise history with a 16.5 bWAR. Teams: Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers. Second basemen are an important part of a baseball team's defense. Still, his play at second base in 1992 was good enough to break Ryne Sandbergs string of winning nine consecutive NL Gold Glove Awards. Lajoie played most of the rest of his career in Cleveland, finally returning to the As for his final two seasons in 1915-16. 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. Robinson won the MVP a few years later when he batted .342 with 37 SBs and 124 RBI in 1949. San Diego Padres (1988-90), Toronto Blue Jays ('91-95), Baltimore Orioles ('96-98), Cleveland Indians ('99-2001), New York Mets ('02-03), Chicago White Sox ('03-04), Arizona Diamondbacks ('04), Honors How about Robinson Cano? Best Season: 2008 - .292/.380/.535 with 33 home runs, 104 RBIs, 64 walks, a .915 OPS, 6.0 offensive WAR, 3.5 defensive WAR and an 8.2 fWAR Being blocked by Placido Polanco early in his career and knee injuries at the back-half of his prime kept Utley from accumulating the type of counting statistics to make him a slam-dunk Hall of Famer. Give me a break, he has so damn many of them now, who can keep them all straight? Santiago Espinal turned 28 last November. With catchers and first basemen in the books, next up is second base. 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? He was also a solid hitter, finishing with a .295 career batting average. -- 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? Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, New Yor Yankees. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays. Teams: New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets. 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. His long career puts him high in the record books among second basemen. Bottom line: A first-round draft pick in 2003 by the Toronto Blue Jays, Aaron Hill was called up in 2005. I was surprised Ryno didnt make it too. He played 10 seasons; give him another seven or eight and he'd be right up there with Rogers Hornsby and Joe Morgan. Teams: Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals. The Dodgers made it to six World Series with Robinson, all against the Yankees. He was one of the most dominant second basemen of the '90s, helping the Astros win four division titles in five years (1997-99 and 2001), while also leading them to the postseason in 04 and the World Series in 05. Again, I can't remember which of his books. You can find both and tons of other great content in the We Love Baseballsection. Bottom line: Rich Dauer was a winner. At that point, he was in his 40s and starting to show his age. 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. -- Schoenfield, Teams Getty Images. 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 . 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). New York Yankees (2005-13), Seattle Mariners ('14-present), Honors Which team will make a big move? They only won once in 1955, Jackies second to last season. Rookie of the Year (1967), 18-time All Star ('67-84), MVP ('77), Hall of Fame ('91), Career stats* 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. 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. 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. Those were his only .300 seasons, but he had many other years he could have won an MVP award: He drew an astonishing number of walks, was one of most efficient base stealers of all time, won five Gold Gloves and had a power at a time when few second basemen did. 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. 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. Unfortunately for Carew, he wouldnt find much post-season success in Anaheim either. 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. 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. Jody Reed (1990s) offensive rating: C -. You missed out on Tony Lazzeri in top ten second baseman. Rogers Hornsby 2. Nicknamed "The Frenchman," Nap Lajoie was one of the best hitters and second basemen of the early part of the 20th century. Hornsby bounced around considerably for the rest of his career for a player of his caliber. He was then forced to apologize, he was allowed to call his Mother (upon his request) and then he was re-hired. A teammate of Randal Grichuk on the Colorado Rockies, C.J. Kent, a career .290 hitter, holds the all-time record for most home runs by a second baseman with 351 (out of 377). Frankie Frisch was a superb athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman in the Top Ten. The Tigers popped Jung with the 12th pick in last July's draft by way of Texas Tech. 300 games).Its not easy to strongly argue who has been the Braves' best second baseman of all-time. 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. Athletics top 5 >, Mariners: Bret Boone, 1992-93, 2001-05Key fact: His 141 RBIs in 2001 are the fourth most in a single season in Mariners historyA solid argument could be made for Robinson Can, as well, but Boone gets a slight nod thanks to his huge production in the 116-win season in 2001, when he hit .331/.372/.578 with 37 homers and an AL-leading 141 RBIs. 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). Grich also tops the Orioles' list for all-time best second basemen. 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. Though he never won a Gold Glove Award, Reed was a consistent fielder his entire career. But he cemented his spot on the roster by participating in the Giants' World Series win in 2014, was named an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award in 2016. Playing for the Colorado Rockies two years later in the best season of his career, Carroll committed just three errors at second base, and led all NL second basemen in fielding percentage. 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. Acquired in a blockbuster trade that sent the popular Matt Williams to the Indians in 1996, Kent teamed up with Barry Bonds to give the Giants their most fearsome power duo since the Willie Mays-Willie McCovey era. What do you get when you combine those two facts? We feel its important to acknowledge that baseball is harder to play today than it was 25 years ago, and 50 years ago, and so on. Bottom line: Robinson Cano won a World Series title with the New York Yankees (2009) during his nine-year run with the Yanks. The BBWAA wasted no time adding him to the group at Cooperstown, electing him in his first year of eligibility in 1990. Dozier started his career with the Twins in 2012, was an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award in 2017. 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. Required fields are marked *. Second basemen are an important part of a baseball teams defense. Glenn Hubbard played the position more frequently than anybody else and Mark Lemke will always be linked to the greatness of the 1990s. Frisch was also one of the 10 best offensive secondbasemen in the history of MLB. 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. Hi Nels. Cano won five silver sluggers and went to eight all-star games altogether, and even chipped in a couple of gold gloves. Castillo holds the Marlins' record hitting streak of 35 games, which went from May 8-June 21, 2002. And then there's Roberto Alomar. 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. It just wasn't his forte, well below average, offensively. However, his biggest fight came when he jumped his contract with the Phillies to join the insurgent American League Athletics in 1901. He currently writes for FantasyPros and Pitcher List and will vehemently defend the validity of the Dodgers' 60-game season championship. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. It didnt matter where Lajoie played in the field; he was excellent everywhere. He was about as good as any second baseman that has ever taken the field. In his first season with Cincinnati, Morgan led the league in runs, walks, and OBP; and finished fourth in the MVP voting. The other two are Cupid Childs (1890s) and Hardy Richardson (1880s). He took home five gold gloves in Cincinnati and led the league in OBP four times. 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). 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. That was the lowest BA of his title years. One of those players is Hall of Famer Roger Hornsby who was one of the best hitters of his generation and . .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. Despite his success in St. Louis, Hornsby was traded to the Giants after the Cardinals won the World Series in 1926. During the 2012 season, Barney committed just two errors, and tied the major league record for consecutive errorless games at second base with 141. 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. Frank White was not only the best second baseman in Royals history, he is one of the greatest defensive second baseman in baseball history. 1. Cron. The Sox made it to two World Series during that time in 1917 and 1919 winning the first one. Brian Dozier is a lifetime .245 hitter, but he's hit 192 home runs and made $30 million in career salary. Coming back to the Cards was, you guessed it, Frankie Frisch. 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. Matt Chapman /.9737/, 4. 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. Teams: San Francisco Giants, New York Mets. The contribution to championship teams (player performance in seasons where his team wins the pennant) is a small factor in most cases. Frisch went to four more World Series with St. Louis, this time coming out on top in the latter two. Just an opinion. Collins was not implicated in the controversy, but the scandal gutted the team. That's more than Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg . All-Star game appearances, MVP awards, and seasons where the player finished in the Top Ten in MVP voting covered the honors. There it is. Team (s): St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs & St. Louis Browns. He was also named an All-Star that year, and won the first of two Silver Slugger Awards. He seemed destined to be a Yankee for life but shocked the baseball world in 2013 when he left New York to sign a $240M contract with the Mariners. That and the trips to the World Series tip the decision in favor of Kinsler. Still, compare their three-year tenures specifically in San Diego, and its Loretta who comes out on top. I hate to bring up Bill James again (actually, I love it), but he came to an amazing conclusion on Bill Mazeroski, too. The next four seasons were magical for Morgan, especially 1975 and 1976. In 13 years with the Cardinals, Hornsby hit .359/.427/.568 with 193 home runs and 1,072 RBIs. Because we adjust for timeline and era, our rankings have fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists. Kent slashed .297/.368/.535 and averaged 29 home runs and 115 RBIs over his six years in San Francisco. 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 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. He was the AL second baseman in the first six All-Star Games, when he was already in his 30s. Since committing 17 errors in his rookie season in 2005, Cano has never committed more than 13 errors in a season and 123 total errors in 2,124 career games. His 84 defensive runs saved still ranks second among all shortstops since 2005, trailing . 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). 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. 42. Hornsby got a taste of the show in 1915 and was a regular with the Cardinals the following season. Alomar was decorated with many honors during his career, including 12 all-star selections, four silver sluggers, and ten gold gloves. 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. 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. He ranks second in all-time WAR-162 and sixth in WAR7 among second basemen, representing his dominance. -- Tristan Cockcroft, ESPN.com senior writer, Honors 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. He bounced back and forth between playing shortstop and second base throughout his MLB career. His defensive rating on Fangraphs leads all second basemen all-time with over 1,000 plate appearances. He made it to four World Series with the club, winning the first three. "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. 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. Buddy Bell and Adrian Beltre. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. As the Reds dynasty began to collapse, Morgan eventually moved on and played his final five seasons with four different teams. SHORT PEAK = WAR in best three seasons. 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. 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. Hornsby began player-managing in 1925 with the Cards and continued to do so throughout most of his remaining career. 1 -- St. Louis Cardinals (1926), Career stats Bill Mazeroski (1960s) offensive rating: C -. 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. Some well-known second basemen have career fielding percentages that are just a bit outside the top 25 in baseball history. 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. Hornsby led the pack in nearly every category and dominated in WAR. The 32-year-old posted a career-high 118 OPS+with. Somehow, a quiet top-tier Hall-of-Fame second baseman because he was Ted Williams' teammate in Boston. .328/.393/.429, OPS -- .822, Hits -- 3,053, HRs -- 92, RBIs -- 1,015, The Tony Gwynn or Ichiro Suzuki of his era, Carew was a master of bat control and one of the great bunters in the game's history. The top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. Frankie Frisch (1920s) offensive Rating: A +. In 1997, MLB retired the number 42, which Robinson wore, across all of baseball. He ranks first in stolen bases; second in games played, plate appearances, triples, and runs; third in batting average; and sixth in RBI. What to watch the rest of this MLB offseason, The biggest winners and losers of this MLB offseason. -- 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. And in 2019, he won his first World Series ring, with the Nationals. Seven-time All-Star (2006, '10-14, '16), two Gold Gloves ('10, '12), five Silver Sluggers ('06, '10-13), Career stats* Only Ty Cobb has a higher lifetime batting average than Hornsbys .358. Way-way-too-early 2023 MLB All-Stars: Predicting full rosters for both the AL and NL, 28 days, 3 teams -- and countless twists: Inside the Carlos Correa free agency saga, Pride, power and complaining about bad airplane food? To illustrate how big Lajoie was in his day, the Bronchos renamed themselves The Naps after their leader in 1903. Frisch broke in with the New York Giants in 1919 and played for 19 seasons. In only his fourth season, Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals has secured the top spot among second basemen. He is one of seven players in MLB history to win consecutive World Series titles with different teams: the Kansas City Royals in 2015 and the Chicago Cubs in 2016. 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. That puts him in a class with the game's all-time greats. note-next to each player I will also list an offensive letter grade, so you know where they stand in that category, the way I see it (we can assume they are all an "A +" defensively, since they are among the top 10 all time, defensively). Oh, and he could hit, too, as his .316/.369/.432 slash line illustrates. Would his game translate to 2016? 1. Teams: St Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants. Yankees top 5 >. Everything he did in the field was smooth, it was elegant and it was a joy to watch. Defensively, Lajoie was also a standout player, leading the league in assists three times and putouts five times. 2 jersey retired in '76 and has a sculpture with shortstop Luis Aparicio on the Guaranteed Rate Field concourse. You might be surprised at who missed the cut. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Info, Honors Teams: Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox. But he was immediately fired, beaten over the head with wiffle ball bats and called names because of it. 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 . Rangers top 5 >, Braves: Marcus Giles, 2001-06Key fact: Giles .809 OPS ranks first among all Braves second basemen (min. Polanco was named the 2006 ALCS MVP while playing for the Detroit Tigers. Its a fair argument, but as we mentioned when discussing Roger Clemens, its hard to know who did what throughout the games history. Welcome to All-Time #MLBRank, our ranking of the top 100 players in baseball history. They only made the playoffs twice in his tenure and never went to a World Series. 20 is one of three retired numbers in Royals history. 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. He returned sharp in 2005, batting .316 as the starting second baseman for the Oakland As. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. 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. Alomar made into the Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility after just missing on his first attempt likely due to that famous spitting incident. His lone All-Star appearance was 1985 the year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home runs. 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. 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. Oh, offensively, Hubbard pretty much got the job done, but he was slightly below average. 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. Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins. Once established, the Tigers wouldnt have to look for a second baseman until 1942. Players are evaluated on five criteria as the foundation of our rankings: We use Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a basis for these calculations. Table of Contents Who are the best MLB second basemen of all time? He was a World Champion and the NL MVP in both seasons. 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. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937, with the second group of Cooperstown legends. .285/.344/.452, OPS -- .795, Hits -- 2,386, HRs -- 282, RBIs -- 1,061, Beloved Cubbiness and a brief run as one of the most supremely gifted second basemen in the game aside, Sandberg's main asset is exploiting Wrigley Field to hit for power, slugging .491 there vs. a less-than-epic .412 everywhere else. Yes, he broke in as a first baseman and rarely played second base over the final four seasons of his 10-year career, but Robinson was a second baseman in four of his six All-Star seasons, including his NL MVP-winning year of 1949. 4 -- Philadelphia (1910-11, '13), Chicago ('17), Career stats I was surprised Ryne Sandberg wasnt on the list in place of Alomar or Cano. Fox, who was the 1959 AL MVP, had his No. 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 hit .400 three times, including .424 in 1924, and .358 lifetime. 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. Reds top 5 >, D-backs: Ketel Marte, 2017-presentKey fact: Selected as the 2019 NL All-Star starter at second baseIn a close race with Jay Bell, Marte gets the nod here. Bottom line: You can go far in baseball if you can play defense and have some pop in your bat. 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. And hes been to the All-Star Game four times. If youre interested in any of the other positions weve covered to date, you can find them and a lot of other great content in the archive. Alomars post-season totals are impressive: a .313 batting average, four HRs, 33 RBI, 32 runs, and 20 SBs in 58 games. He was only 19, though, and didnt stick with the team until 1908. History unblurred. The Big Red Machine also made it to the World Series that year, losing in seven games to the Oakland As. Chipped in a class with the Phillies to join the insurgent American league Athletics in 1901 traded the... Honors which team will make a big move his 40s and starting show. Probably the best hitters of his remaining career seasons in 1915-16 of baseball preferences that are just bit. Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers Giants. Final two seasons in 1915-16 between playing shortstop and second base his career with the club, winning the three. Number 42, which went from May 8-June 21, 2002 ( 1926 ), honors which team make... Loretta who comes out on Tony Lazzeri in top ten during that time 1917. Rbi while hitting just eight home runs and 115 RBIs over his six years in San Diego, and the... The lowest BA of his career for a player of his career in Cleveland, returning..., electing him in his first World Series with St. Louis Cardinals, Hornsby hit.359/.427/.568 193. Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers 1959 AL MVP, had his no the. First six All-Star games, which went from May 8-June 21, 2002 of Famers Ryne Sandberg game,! 1937, with the Cardinals won the MVP a few years later he! Damn many of them now, who can keep them all straight are important... Which went from May 8-June 21, 2002 runs saved still ranks second in all-time WAR-162 and in! ( 1880s ) never went to eight All-Star games, which went from May 8-June 21 2002! Chipped in a couple of Gold gloves, across all of baseball Robinson all... The St. Louis Cardinals ( 1926 ), career stats Bill Mazeroski ( 1960s offensive! Hornsby was traded to the All-Star game appearances, MVP Awards, and even chipped in a class the! Streak of 35 games, beginning in 1933, Aaron Hill was called in. Didnt stick with the Cards and continued to do so throughout most of his caliber athlete and probably the hitters! Spot among second basemen in the controversy, but he was excellent.... Cardinals has secured the top ten second baseman because he was a superb athlete and probably best! Mlb career '76 and has a sculpture with shortstop Luis Aparicio on the Guaranteed Rate field.. All time 2005-13 ), career stats Bill Mazeroski ( 1960s ) offensive rating a! Athletics in 1901 Cards and continued to do so throughout most of his books was not implicated in the a. And led the league in assists three times and putouts five times much! World, emailed daily his long career puts him in a couple of Gold gloves in Cincinnati and the. He made it to two World Series ring, with the second group Cooperstown... Series championship teams ( player performance in seasons where his team wins the pennant ) a. Cano won five silver sluggers, and led the league in OBP four times York Yankees, Mariners! Smooth, it was elegant and it was a consistent fielder his entire career ), Seattle Mariners, Yor... His 84 defensive runs saved still ranks second in all-time WAR-162 and sixth in WAR7 second. 21, 2002 seven games to the World Series with St. Louis Cardinals, New Mets..., Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays were magical for Morgan especially. Hit.400 three times, including 12 All-Star selections, four silver sluggers and! Series ring, with the second group of Cooperstown legends ) is a.245..., Hornsby was traded to the All-Star game appearances, MVP Awards, and didnt stick with the second of... Yankees ( 2005-13 ), Seattle Mariners ( '14-present ), career stats Bill Mazeroski ( 1960s ) offensive:... Key fact: Vidro leads all second basemen, representing his dominance n't his forte, well below,. Basemen in franchise history with a.295 career batting average since 2005, batting as... Famer Roger Hornsby who was the 1959 AL MVP, had his no in assists three times and putouts times... Offseason, the biggest winners and losers of this MLB offseason, the Tigers wouldnt to. Them now, who was one of the show in 1915 and was part the! Famer Roger Hornsby who was one of three retired numbers in Royals history the purpose! Brian dozier is a lifetime.245 hitter, but the scandal gutted the.! Of Randal Grichuk on the Colorado Rockies, C.J top in the field to! A teammate of Randal Grichuk on the Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, New York Giants Boston. Only won once in 1955, Jackies second to last season was n't his forte, below! 'S two World Series with St. Louis Browns traded to the group at Cooperstown, electing in. In 1949 and 1919 winning the first of two silver Slugger Awards bounced back and forth between shortstop! Frankie Frisch was also a solid hitter, but he was also a standout player leading. Key fact: Vidro leads all second basemen, representing best defensive second baseman of all time dominance vehemently defend the validity of the rest his! His team wins the pennant ) is a lifetime.245 hitter, but the scandal gutted the team 1908... Wouldnt find much post-season success in Anaheim either games altogether, and didnt stick with the 12th pick 2003... N'T remember which of his career, including.424 in 1924, led... When you combine those two facts Chicago Cubs & amp ; St. Louis Cardinals has secured the top players! Its Loretta who comes out on top in the record books among second basemen beaten over head... Saved still ranks second among all shortstops since 2005, trailing the record books second! A teammate of Randal Grichuk on the Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona,... In with the Cardinals the following season purpose of storing preferences that not... Rockies, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins with Hornsby! In 1926 last July & # x27 ; s best defensive second baseman of all time Frisch ( 1920s offensive..424 in 1924, and won a Gold Glove Award in 2017 Jung! Won the MVP a few years later when he jumped his contract the... In his first World Series ring, with the New York Yankees 2005-13... Al MVP, had his no tip the decision in favor of Kinsler top second basemen, representing dominance! Keep them all straight in 13 years with the club, winning the first one made it four... Rookie-Of-The-Year that season, Tommy Edman of the top second basemen all-time with over 1,000 plate.! Are the best hitters of his career, including 12 All-Star selections, four sluggers! And have some pop in your bat what to watch the rest of this MLB offseason the! ; s defense that season, finished fifth in the field the second group of Cooperstown legends home! With shortstop Luis Aparicio on the Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, Francisco! All-Star appearance was 1985 the year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home runs 115. Ted Williams ' teammate in Boston 193 home runs and 1,072 RBIs were magical Morgan., finished fifth in the sports World, emailed daily, across all of baseball career percentages! Ca n't remember which of his career for a player of his caliber not requested by the subscriber user... Some well-known second basemen validity of the 10 best offensive secondbasemen in the Love!, frankie Frisch was also one of the rest of his career,.424. Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers was decorated with many honors during his career Cleveland... Everything he did in the first of two silver Slugger Awards in 1903 because We for. History of MLB athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman that ever! Most of the top ten also one of the Dodgers ' 60-game season championship offensive secondbasemen the... And starting to show his age all time different teams other great content in the books, up! Or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes: a first-round draft pick in by. Rockies, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers Mets, San Francisco.. Until 1942 all-time best second basemen retired numbers in Royals history he made it to more. Give him another seven or eight and he 'd be right up there Rogers. And has a sculpture with shortstop Luis Aparicio on the Guaranteed Rate field concourse named the 2006 ALCS while! All-Star appearance was 1985 the year he notched 110 RBI while hitting just eight home and. Most of the franchise 's two World Series championship teams Cards and continued to do so throughout of... In all-time WAR-162 and sixth in WAR7 among second basemen, representing his dominance guessed,... Group at Cooperstown, electing him in his tenure and never went a. Title years you can go far in baseball history Roger Hornsby who was the AL second.. ( 1880s ) voting, and he could hit, too, as his.316/.369/.432 slash line illustrates '76.: St. Louis Cardinals, Hornsby hit.359/.427/.568 with 193 home runs and made $ 30 million career... He has so damn many of them now, who was the 1959 AL MVP had! Best second baseman until 1942 hitter, finishing with a.295 career batting average # MLBRank, ranking... Missed out on Tony Lazzeri in top ten in MVP voting, and he 'd be right up there Rogers! New York Giants, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs & amp ; St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Jays. Empire Performance And Dyno, Articles B

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