He played 10 seasons; give him another seven or eight and he'd be right up there with Rogers Hornsby and Joe Morgan. 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). That score is 114th all-time entering the 2020 season and puts him narrowly above the likes of Sal Bando (61.5), Willie Davis (60.8), and Gary Sheffield (60.5). 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. 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. 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. No player in history has a higher single-season batting average with as many plate appearances as Hornsby had in 1924. Because we adjust for timeline and era, our rankings have fewer players from before 1941 than many other baseball player lists. 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. Bottom line: A first-round draft pick in 2003 by the Toronto Blue Jays, Aaron Hill was called up in 2005. Walker won the Silver Slugger Award in 2014. 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. 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. 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 loss in 1919 became known as the Black Sox Scandal when it was later revealed that several players conspired to throw the World Series. I would have Morgan at number two, right behind Hornsby. 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. Herr played on three World Series teams and won with the Cardinals in 1982. Philadelphia A's (1906-14, '27-30), Chicago White Sox ('15-26), Championships .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. In 1929 he won his second MVP as a member of the Cubs and also made it to the World Series again that year (which, of course, they lost). He was also a solid hitter, finishing with a .295 career batting average. To start the 2018 season, Panik set an MLB record by becoming the first player to hit solo home runs in back-to-back 1-0 victories. A teammate of Randal Grichuk on the Colorado Rockies, C.J. Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins. His 136 wRC+ last year would have placed him first out of all second basemen in 2021. Bottom line: Remember when Tom Herr hit a walk-off grand slam in 1987 that led St. Louis past the New York Mets? There's a reason no one in baseball can wear No. Scott is a SoCal native who, after two decades of fighting L.A. traffic, decided to turn his passion for fantasy sports into a blog - the now-defunct Fantasy Mutant. Teams: San Francisco Giants, New York Mets. Welcome to All-Time #MLBRank, our ranking of the top 100 players in baseball history. Frankie Frisch was a superb athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman in the Top Ten. Yet he remained an offensive force. Carew was an all-star for an incredible 18 consecutive years, starting with his rookie year in 1967. Fox, who was the 1959 AL MVP, had his No. In 2007, he won the Silver Slugger Award and was named to his first of two All-Star Game appearances. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Pitcher GIFS Inc. All Rights Reserved. AL Triple Crown (1901), Hall of Fame ('37), Career stats He was about as good as any second baseman that has ever taken the field. I hate to bring up Bill James again (actually, I love it), but he came to an amazing conclusion on Bill Mazeroski, too. This didnt slow him down, though. He went to four consecutive World Series with the club from 1921 through 1924, coming out a winner in the first two. 1 second baseman for every club, as chosen by MLB.com's beat reporters. 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. I remember reading something that Bill James had written about Jody Reed. -- Tristan Cockcroft, ESPN.com senior writer, Honors St. Louis Cardinals (1915-26, '33), New York Giants ('27), Boston Braves ('28); Chicago Cubs ('29-32), St. Louis Browns ('33-37), Honors Second basemen are an important part of a baseball teams defense. He took home five gold gloves in Cincinnati and led the league in OBP four times. Bottom line: Jose Lind was an exceptional defensive player who won the Gold Glove Award in 1992. .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. 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. He also won an MVP with the Cards in 1931 and made it to three all-star games after the inaugural game in 1933. Unfortunately for Carew, he wouldnt find much post-season success in Anaheim either. Hornsby bounced around considerably for the rest of his career for a player of his caliber. Alomar won back-to-back World Series titles with Toronto in 1992 and 1993 but never made it back to the Fall Classic with the Orioles or Indians despite four playoff appearances. In 1937, when he won the batting title, Gehringer was also the AL MVP after hitting .371/.458/.520. .300/.371/.443, OPS -- .814, Hits -- 2,724, HRs -- 210, RBIs -- 1,134, It took Pat Gillick about only three hours -- not even enough time to write up a press release -- to trade for Alomar, who became the cornerstone of the Blue Jays' back-to-back World Series champs in 1992-93. I just love that old quote from Hano. In 1920, he won his first of six consecutive (and seven total) batting titles when he hit .370. 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. 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* On top of his defense, Frisch was fast as lightning, leading the league in SBs three times. 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 was only 19, though, and didnt stick with the team until 1908. 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. Yankees top 5 >. Getty Images. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Thursday brings the Top 10 infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday. He threw 39 innings and struck out 41, walked 15 and held opposing hitters to a . Frankie Frisch was a superb athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman in the Top Ten. Why? He ranks ninth on Fangraphs WAR for all offensive players and 12th on Baseball-Reference. There it is. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. And he was the best the Rays have ever had. 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. 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 . Kent, a career .290 hitter, holds the all-time record for most home runs by a second baseman with 351 (out of 377). In 2004, he scored the last-ever run for the Montreal Expos, before they relocated to Washington, D.C. In 2007, Phillips joined the 30-30 club 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in one season. Hell, Matt Chapman. Hornsby got a taste of the show in 1915 and was a regular with the Cardinals the following season. 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. Hornsby retired from playing in 1937 and was elected to the Hall of Fame five years later in 1942. 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. 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. Defensively, Lajoie was also a standout player, leading the league in assists three times and putouts five times. 300 games).Its not easy to strongly argue who has been the Braves' best second baseman of all-time. He was ever so slightly below average. The position is home to those who couldn't hack it at shortstop or slug enough to earn a corner-infield job. Rod Carew was one of the greatest hitters of his generation. -- Scott Lauber, ESPN.com Red Sox reporter, Second basemen aren't supposed to be great. Carew retired after the 1985 season despite a still-productive season in which he hit .280 with a .371 OBP. It might be the only number as big as the game itself. 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