best defensive second baseman of all time
Rod Carew was one of the greatest hitters of his generation. 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. Also, took HOF too long to put Lazzeri into HOF, 1991 by vets committee. But, for now, the distinction belongs to Giles, who is the only second baseman in franchise history to produce a 110 OPS+ in at least three seasons. He finished second in rookie-of-the-year voting that season and led the league in walks. However it turns out, he should be remembered as a great hitter albeit one who may have had help along the way. Sandberg went on to manage Philadelphia from 2013 to 2015. He's played half his innings at second base, and the rest at shortstop and various outfield positions. 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 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. Bottom line: A first-round draft pick in 2003 by the Toronto Blue Jays, Aaron Hill was called up in 2005. How We Ranked Baseballs Greatest Players. He wasn't a failure offensively, but he was certainly below average, unfortunately. Frisch broke in with the New York Giants in 1919 and played for 19 seasons. 2. Morgan was an on-base machine who could run, hit for power, and play excellent defense. In 2007, Phillips joined the 30-30 club 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in one season. 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. -- Rob Peterson, ESPN.com senior MLB editor, Teams Of course, Grich won Gold Gloves back when they meant a bit more than they do today. 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. 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). Kinsler spent eight years with the Rangers while Franco was in Texas for five. 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. The Tigers popped Jung with the 12th pick in last July's draft by way of Texas Tech. Also in 2001, Counsell was named the MVP of the NLCS. Here's what happened with Hubbard, he DID play on ground ball teams (generally speaking). Pedroias Baseball Reference War is 51.6 compared to 51.1 for Doerr. He hit .400 three times, including .424 in 1924, and .358 lifetime. Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins. 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. On top of his defense, Frisch was fast as lightning, leading the league in SBs three times. 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. The great Rogers Hornsby was the clear choice for the best second baseman of all time. 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. Getty Images. He was close we have him at #12. "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. Hes also the only player in this Top Ten who played his entire career with one organization the Detroit Tigers. 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 pretty much got the job done offensively, too. -- Schoenfield, We're counting down the greatest players in baseball history. The 2007 AL Rookie of the Year has been a significant contributor to the modern-day success of the Red Sox. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Despite his success in St. Louis, Hornsby was traded to the Giants after the Cardinals won the World Series in 1926. 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 led the league in WAR three times as a second baseman. Teams: Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox. 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. Dauer held two American League single-season fielding records for a second baseman, including 86 consecutive errorless games and 425 straight errorless games, both in 1978. I think he was the best ever, barehanded. After release from Dodgers, what's next for Trevor Bauer? Hubbard played much of his career for those Atlanta Braves teams that had an overabundant amount of ground ball pitchers on their team. 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. They only made the playoffs twice in his tenure and never went to a World Series. In only his fourth season, Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals has secured the top spot among second basemen. During the 2012 season, Barney committed just two errors, and tied the major league record for consecutive errorless games at second base with 141. With catchers and first basemen in the books, next up is second base. Only Ty Cobb has a higher lifetime batting average than Hornsbys .358. And he was the best the Rays have ever had. Well, Grich has that, too. .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. Bid McPhee (1890s) offensive rating: A +, "McPhee never wore a glove until his last three seasons: he was one of the last players to play barehanded. Bottom line: A three-time All-Star, Ben Zobrist is a well-rounded utility player. Still, compare their three-year tenures specifically in San Diego, and its Loretta who comes out on top. The top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. Bottom line: "Ryno" was the gold standard for second basemen during his 16-year career. The 26-year-old is coming off his first career Gold Glove award, making him one of the top defensive players in the league. 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. 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. There are three second basemen that often present themselves before me as should-be Hall-of-Fame second basemen. Herr played on three World Series teams and won with the Cardinals in 1982. Rookie of the Year (1967), 18-time All Star ('67-84), MVP ('77), Hall of Fame ('91), Career stats* LONG PEAK = WAR in best seven seasons. 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. Not if you ask me. 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. 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. By that time, Carew had shifted to first base, where he would remain for the second half of his career. Anyway, most of you know that Bill James pretty much invented the Win Shares system, which so many take as gospel. Hell likely face heavy opposition when he eventually becomes eligible for Cooperstown. The Cardinals, Giants and Braves all got rid of him in a three-year span. Gehringer did everything well. 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. .320/.404/.480, OPS -- .884, Hits -- 2,839, HRs -- 184, RBIs -- 1,427, They called him The Mechanical Man, a tribute to his consistency. Team (s): St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs & St. Louis Browns. He was about as good as any second baseman that has ever taken the field. The econd base position is one of the most important defensive positions on the field. I was surprised Ryno didnt make it too. He owns a 79.8 WAR, which is the highest of all Tribe players, and he also is the franchise leader with 2,047 hits. -- Schoenfield, Teams They only won once in 1955, Jackies second to last season. He's not even the best defensive 3rd baseman to play for El Toro High School's 2009 varsity baseball team. Would his game translate to 2016? One of those players is Hall of Famer Roger Hornsby who was one of the best hitters of his generation and . 1 second baseman for every club, as chosen by MLB.com's beat reporters. There's a reason no one in baseball can wear No. He batted .274 in his career, and while he didnt hit for much power -- Gantners homer off Oaklands Dave Stewart on Sept. 3, 1991, was his first in 1,762 at-bats spanning 544 games -- Gantner became a steady hand at second base, thanks in part to a strong throwing arm hed honed as a boy playing catcher. So he's got that going for him, which is nice. He had an incredible knack for getting on base and has the second-most home runs for someone his size (5-7) or shorter. Jackie only played 11 professional seasons, including one with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League, where he didnt debut until he was 26. 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. Carew retired after the 1985 season despite a still-productive season in which he hit .280 with a .371 OBP. Let's begin with the long ball. Neither of them had short careers, but they didn't have long ones either. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Info, Honors .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. Jackie Robinson 3. A player with no weakness in his game. 300 games).Its not easy to strongly argue who has been the Braves' best second baseman of all-time. Teams: San Francisco Giants, New York Mets. The position is home to those who couldn't hack it at shortstop or slug enough to earn a corner-infield job. He was the AL second baseman in the first six All-Star Games, when he was already in his 30s. Teams: Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals. Teams: Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays. Nicknamed "The Frenchman," Nap Lajoie was one of the best hitters and second basemen of the early part of the 20th century. 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