No player in history has a higher single-season batting average with as many plate appearances as Hornsby had in 1924. 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. 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 . He returned sharp in 2005, batting .316 as the starting second baseman for the Oakland As. .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. 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. And boy could he play defense. This week, we bring you the Top 10 at each position. They only won once in 1955, Jackies second to last season. 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. Some well-known second basemen have career fielding percentages that are just a bit outside the top 25 in baseball history. He ranks first in stolen bases; second in games played, plate appearances, triples, and runs; third in batting average; and sixth in RBI. 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. They only made the playoffs twice in his tenure and never went to a World Series. Photo by Ben Gorman/Unsplash | Adapted by Justin Redler (@reldernitsuj on Twitter). Not all historians will call him the best defensive second baseman in history, but they will almost all call him one of the 10 best ever. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. He ranks ninth on Fangraphs WAR for all offensive players and 12th on Baseball-Reference. 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. Teams: Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondback, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants. Hornsby bounced around considerably for the rest of his career for a player of his caliber. Teams: Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays. He won rings in Toronto. He currently writes for FantasyPros and Pitcher List and will vehemently defend the validity of the Dodgers' 60-game season championship. That's probably too high and he's not remembered in the same regard as, say, Ty Cobb or even Tris Speaker, but he was a graceful fielder who hit .338 lifetime. In 1920, he won his first of six consecutive (and seven total) batting titles when he hit .370. Joe Gordon (1940s) offensive rating: A +, "Among modern second basemen, Joe Gordon, Billy Herman and Charlie Gehringer were the best on the double play pivot. 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. Alomar is a Hall of Famer, and while Loretta was solid, he wasn't quite on Alomars level. Rod Carew was one of the greatest hitters of his generation. Offense and defense? Get Jay Jaffe's book The Cooperstown Casebook where he outlines who should and shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame based on his JAWS metric used here.. He is on the short list of the greatest right-handed hitters ever. 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. In 2004, he won the Silver Slugger Award and made his first of two appearances in the All-Star Game. His best season came in 1977 when he took home the AL MVP after hitting .388/.449/.570 with a league-leading 16 triples and 100 RBI. 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. That's all there is, right? 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's why he's a top tier Hall of Famer at the position. .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. Cron somehow survived last year's trade deadline and remained in Denver. Kent was one of the best offensive second basemen of all time and arguably the position's best power hitter. Gehringer debuted in 1924 but wasnt a regular until 1926. Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook. The way it really was. Hell, Matt Chapman. In addition, he played in the first six all-star games, beginning in 1933. Childs played in just over 1,450 games and Richardson played in just over 1,300 games. History unblurred. He won 10 Gold Gloves while, oh by the way, hitting .300 with speed AND power. Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs. There it is. The greatest defensive second baseman of his time, and perhaps of all-time, Mazeroski is ironically best remembered for an unmatched accomplishment at the plate. Santiago Espinal turned 28 last November. Many historians point this out because it makes Hubbard's defensive numbers better than they should be. 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. Who is the best defensive catcher of all time? Because of how different eras of baseball have been played, it's difficult to nail down the best defensive catcher of all time. It didnt matter where Lajoie played in the field; he was excellent everywhere. And then there's Roberto Alomar. After retiring, he became a minor league coach and worked his way up to be first-base coach for the Phillies in 2015. In 2007, he tied the As team record for consecutive errorless games at second base (70). 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). The Sox made it to two World Series during that time in 1917 and 1919 winning the first one. That said: I don't buy the consensus that he's the best second baseman ever. Hornsby retired from playing in 1937 and was elected to the Hall of Fame five years later in 1942. They are both missing that third part of the equation that so many respected historians like (Length of Career). Yet he remained an offensive force. 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. Once we whittled down the list, we incorporated offensive stats and honors/awards to finalize it. I guess that's why many historians say that Reed was among the best defensive second basemen that have ever graced the field, I agree with them on Reed. The 2007 AL Rookie of the Year has been a significant contributor to the modern-day success of the Red Sox. D-backs top 5 >, Dodgers: Jackie Robinson, 1947-56Key fact: Only player whose uniform number is retired across MLBA true hero, legend, trailblazer and leader -- and thats before we even get into Robinsons stats. 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. In college, Barney played on back-to-back championship teams at Oregon State University. 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. 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. Castillo holds the Marlins' record hitting streak of 35 games, which went from May 8-June 21, 2002. Which team will make a big move? He went to four consecutive World Series with the club from 1921 through 1924, coming out a winner in the first two. We have gone to great lengths to make our All-Time Baseball Player Rankings as thorough as possible. 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. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. 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. 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. Walker won the Silver Slugger Award in 2014. Six-time All-Star (1933-38), MVP ('37), Hall of Fame ('49), Career stats Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, New Yor Yankees. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. Big personalities? The Cardinals, Giants and Braves all got rid of him in a three-year span. He hit north of .300 in five times while winning seven Silver Sluggers. .311/.409/.474, OPS -- .883, Hits - 1,518, HRs -- 137, RBIs - 734, Here's the thing about Robinson: His legacy as one of the most important individuals in U.S. cultural history has obscured that he was an amazing player. 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. -- Dan Mullen, senior MLB editor, Teams Collins returned to the As for his final four seasons and retired in 1930 at the age of 43. 6. Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins. It's why almost every historian ever calls him an "A +" defensively. Why? When Fletcher was playing for the Texas Rangers, and former President George W. Bush was the owner, Bush named his dog Spot Fetcher, in recognition of Fletcher. Second Base JAWS Leaders. 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. 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. A broken finger finally forced him to wear a glove in 1896, and that year he fielded .978, a record fielding percentage for a second baseman until well into the 1900s. Grich was a great offensive second baseman, an "A" offensively. He made his first of six consecutive MLB all-star games that season and led the league in stolen bases and batting average. Team (s): St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs & St. Louis Browns. 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. You missed out on Tony Lazzeri in top ten second baseman. Philadelphia Phillies (1896-1900), Philadelphia A's ('01-02, '15-16), Cleveland Bronchos ('02), Cleveland Naps ('03-14), Honors If you enjoyed this article, check out our All-Franchise Starting Lineup in the between weeks. He was also named an All-Star that year, and won the first of two Silver Slugger Awards. Three years later, he became the first American League second baseman to hit 40 homers in a season, finishing with 42 overall. Roberto Alomar FAQ Who are the best MLB second basemen of all time? He hit .400 three times, including .424 in 1924, and .358 lifetime. 8. Still, his play at second base in 1992 was good enough to break Ryne Sandbergs string of winning nine consecutive NL Gold Glove Awards. Yankees top 5 >. 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. Bottom line: A three-time All-Star, Ben Zobrist is a well-rounded utility player. Rankings of Negro League players should consider that Negro League data is not complete. Before we get to the players, below is some background on how the list was compiled. Ranks ninth on Fangraphs WAR for all offensive players and 12th on Baseball-Reference seven total ) batting when! Silver Slugger Awards and won the Silver Slugger Award and made his first of six (... Beginning in 1933 & amp ; St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays best defensive second baseman of all time! Cron somehow survived last year & # x27 ; s best power hitter vehemently defend validity... 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Bbtn and on Facebook Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondback, best defensive second baseman of all time Brewers, Red... And Braves all got rid of him in a season, finishing 42... Season and led the League in stolen bases and batting average and.358 lifetime said: do! Hit.370 almost every historian ever calls him an `` a + '' defensively validity of the right-handed! An All-Star that year, and while Loretta was solid, he won the Silver Slugger Award and made first... Him in a three-year span 8-June 21, 2002 was one of the greatest hitters of career...
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