Teams: New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals. That's why he's a top-tier Hall-of-Fame second baseman, one of the 10 best ever, overall, at the position. 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. On top of his defense, Frisch was fast as lightning, leading the league in SBs three times. 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. Teams: New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets. 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. 300 games).Its not easy to strongly argue who has been the Braves' best second baseman of all-time. Not if you ask me. 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. 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. In 2007, Phillips joined the 30-30 club 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in one season. Thursday brings the Top 10 infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday. And they can be a pitchers best friend. 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. Its a fair argument, but as we mentioned when discussing Roger Clemens, its hard to know who did what throughout the games history. As is always the case, we tried to balance the rankings between longevity and dominance to get a good cross-section. Alomar was decorated with many honors during his career, including 12 all-star selections, four silver sluggers, and ten gold gloves. He'll be . White Sox top 5 >, Angels: Bobby Grich, 1977-86Key fact: 35.1 bWAR is fifth highest in club historyOne of the most underrated players of his era, Grich was the first inductee into the Angels Hall of Fame in 1988, and many believe he has a strong case to be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, as well. Heck, he may be number one in all of baseball when considering what he meant to the game. He was close we have him at #12. 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. In 2015, he was hired to manage the Milwaukee Brewers, leading them to the NLCS in 2018. In 2007, he won the Silver Slugger Award and was named to his first of two All-Star Game appearances. Santiago Espinal turned 28 last November. 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 switch-hitting Vidro donned Expos and Nationals uniforms for 10 of his 12 Major League seasons, and he slashed .301/.363/.459 with an .821 OPS, 1,280 hits, 550 RBIs and 115 home runs during his tenure. 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. 2. I think so, maybe similar in style to Ichiro Suzuki, except playing a different position. Blue Jays: Roberto Alomar, 1991-95Key fact: Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011Over Alomars five seasons in Toronto, he led his team to two World Series championships while earning an All-Star nod and Gold Glove Award every single year. The 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. 1. He was a 10-time All-Star (from 1984-93) and a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner (1983-91). He is on the short list of the greatest right-handed hitters ever. 5. Do you want big names? Because we adjust for timeline and era, our rankings have fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists. Cano won five silver sluggers and went to eight all-star games altogether, and even chipped in a couple of gold gloves. Morgan is the Reds all-time leader with 406 steals, and he led the league in on-base percentage four times with the Reds. 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. There's a reason no one in baseball can wear No. .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. In 13 years with the Cardinals, Hornsby hit .359/.427/.568 with 193 home runs and 1,072 RBIs. In the field, he's smooth and effortless with a strong arm. Again, I can't remember which of his books. Teams The other two are Cupid Childs (1890s) and Hardy Richardson (1880s). Had Robinson played more seasons, he would have been towards the top of this list. 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. Second basemen are an important part of a baseball teams defense. He played for seven franchises but is best known for his stints with the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Indians. Alomar is a Hall of Famer, and while Loretta was solid, he wasn't quite on Alomars level. Hell, Matt Chapman. He had an incredible knack for getting on base and has the second-most home runs for someone his size (5-7) or shorter. A teammate of Randal Grichuk on the Colorado Rockies, C.J. Welcome to another edition of Top Ten! 1/9 Tommy Edman, St. Louis Cardinals - 96. 17. Jody Reed (1990s) offensive rating: C -. 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. 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. Jace Jung, 2B (2023 seasonal age: 22). -- Schoenfield, Rogers Hornsby batted .424 in 1924. Photo by Ben Gorman/Unsplash | Adapted by Justin Redler (@reldernitsuj on Twitter). He was the AL second baseman in the first six All-Star Games, when he was already in his 30s. Unfortunately for Carew, he wouldnt find much post-season success in Anaheim either. 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. Teams: Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers. How close was it? To create our list, an ESPN expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups of 162 players, based on both peak performance and career value. 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. That puts him in a class with the game's all-time greats. During 1921-25, a five-year period, he hit .402. In 1996, Morandini excelled in the field, participating in 87 double plays while making just six errors good for a .990 fielding percentage. Teams: Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees. I guess that makes him an A + overall at Second Base. After retiring, Loretta joined the San Diego Padres as a special assistant. With catchers and first basemen in the books, next up is second base. It's why he's a top tier Hall of Famer at the position. Collins was a member of the legendary Connie Macks Athletics until 1915. Longtime St. Louis Cardinals standout Rogers Hornsby is the greatest second baseman of all-time, per Baseball-Reference's system. But it's his time in Cleveland that I think of first, when Alomar and Omar Vizquel mastered the dance of the double play as well as any duo I have ever seen. Frisch went to four more World Series with St. Louis, this time coming out on top in the latter two. 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. Second basemen are an important part of a baseball team's defense. Frankie Frisch was a superb athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman in the Top Ten. Many historians point this out because it makes Hubbard's defensive numbers better than they should be. 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. -- Schoenfield, He won the inaugural Rookie of the Year award in 1947. In 2006, Ellis broke the AL single-season record for fielding percentage (.9968) though oddly, he did not win the Gold Glove Award that year. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. After losing the 1914 World Series, Mack broke up the As and sold Collins to the White Sox for $50k. 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. "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. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. 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. The first is Bobby Grich. Gantner was famously feisty, often tangling with opponents on the field and sometimes in the bar. -- Schoenfield, We're counting down the greatest players in baseball history. I suppose that makes him one of the 10 best overall second basemen in the history of MLB. Houston Colt .45s (1963-64), Houston Astros (1965-71, '80), Cincinnati Reds ('72-79), San Francisco Giants ('81-82), Philadelphia Phillies ('83), Oakland A's ('84), Honors He was only 19, though, and didnt stick with the team until 1908. Adrian Gonzalez (Tied) Adrian Gonzalez was a five-time All-Star. Collins can also boast an MVP win in 1914 and six top 5 MVP finishes. After release from Dodgers, what's next for Trevor Bauer? He currently writes for FantasyPros and Pitcher List and will vehemently defend the validity of the Dodgers' 60-game season championship. A two-time Gold Glove winner best known for his defense, Kolten Wong quietly put together the best offensive season of his career in 2022. He managed in the minor leagues for the New York Yankees for three years, and in 2011, he was named manager of the year at the helm of the Arizona League Dodgers. He had power (career high 42 home runs) and his defensive metrics are better than his reputation, although in this case maybe you want to refer to the eyewitness accounts. Second Base JAWS Leaders. The next four seasons were magical for Morgan, especially 1975 and 1976. The only knock on Muncy is defense, as he rates below average at the position, and he's coming off Tommy John. 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: 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. When it became evident Carew was destined to leave, the Twins traded him in February 1979 to the California Angels. Collins was not implicated in the controversy, but the scandal gutted the team. 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 debuted in 1896 with the Phillies at first base but moved to second in 1898, where he would become famous. Hornsby retired from playing in 1937 and was elected to the Hall of Fame five years later in 1942. Rod Carew 5. He ranks ninth on Fangraphs WAR for all offensive players and 12th on Baseball-Reference. The 2007 AL Rookie of the Year has been a significant contributor to the modern-day success of the Red Sox. He won 10 Gold Gloves while, oh by the way, hitting .300 with speed AND power. In college, Barney played on back-to-back championship teams at Oregon State University. He played 10 seasons; give him another seven or eight and he'd be right up there with Rogers Hornsby and Joe Morgan. And in 2019, he won his first World Series ring, with the Nationals. His offensive prowess is among the greatest of all players, not just second basemen. 10-time NL All Star (1966, '70, '72-79), All-Star MVP ('72), five NL Gold Gloves ('73-77), two-time NL MVP ('75-76), one NL Silver Slugger ('82), Hall of Fame ('90), Career stats* He played in over 2,000 games. Two NL Triple Crowns (1922, '25), two-time NL MVP ('25, '29), Hall of Fame ('42), Championships 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. Minimum of 1000 IP, 3000 PA, 500 games (fielding, 500 IP for Ps), 200 stolen base attempts (catchers) or 80 stolen base attempts (baserunners only since 1951) or 100 decisions for career and active leaderboards for rate statistics. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com MLB writer, Teams Carew was an all-star for an incredible 18 consecutive years, starting with his rookie year in 1967. He didnt play much during his final five seasons with the St. Louis Browns, but he still hit over .300 four times. 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. I just love that old quote from Hano. One of those players is Hall of Famer Roger Hornsby who was one of the best hitters of his generation and . Glenn Hubbard played the position more frequently than anybody else and Mark Lemke will always be linked to the greatness of the 1990s. In summary, Max Muncy rakes, and he turns it up a notch higher come playoff time. Collins returned to the As for his final four seasons and retired in 1930 at the age of 43. 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. (His older brother, Josh, is a rookie third baseman with the Rangers . .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. 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. Oh, offensively, Hubbard pretty much got the job done, but he was slightly below average. PRIME = WAR in best five consecutive seasons. Bold indicates active player. 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. These are the second basemen with the best fielding percentages in major league history. He was then forced to apologize, he was allowed to call his Mother (upon his request) and then he was re-hired. The Tigers popped Jung with the 12th pick in last July's draft by way of Texas Tech. Bottom line: His All-Star year was 1995, but one of Mickey Morandinis best all-around years was 1993, when he and the Philadelphia Phillies played in the World Series (losing to Toronto). Buddy Bell and Adrian Beltre. Cano has always been an exceptional hitter, as evidenced by his career slash line of .301/.351/.489. Jose Vidro, Expos/Nationals (1997-2006) Key fact: Vidro leads all second basemen in franchise history with a 16.5 bWAR. Bottom line: Joe Panik was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2011 and didnt get called up until the 2014 season. 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. Who is the best defensive catcher of all time? Basic stats like hits, batting average, OBP, SLG, HRs, RBI, etc., were fused with wOBA and wRC+ for the offense. Your email address will not be published. Here we go. Doerr is an "A +" offensively and he's one of the five best defensive second basemen in the history of MLB. I think he was the best ever, barehanded. He could run, hit, hit for power, and play stellar defense. In 1920, he won his first of six consecutive (and seven total) batting titles when he hit .370. .320/.404/.480, OPS -- .884, Hits -- 2,839, HRs -- 184, RBIs -- 1,427, They called him The Mechanical Man, a tribute to his consistency. Offense and defense? Teams: Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals. Astros top 5 >, Athletics: Eddie Collins, 1906-14, '27-30Key fact: His 55.9 fWAR is third highest in franchise history among position players (first among second basemen)A member of the famed $100,000 Infield" assembled by owner Connie Mack in the early 1900s, Collins was an elite hitter who went six straight seasons (1909-14) without batting lower than .324. And he did most of it under the most trying of circumstances. I'm taking him as the best second baseman ever. 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.
Hansen And Cole Death Notices,
35 Ft Carver Aft Cabin For Sale Qld,
Articles B