Widely considered the best defensive third baseman of all time, Robinson won 16 straight Gold Gloves (1960-75), an American League MVP in 1964, two World Series with Baltimore (1966,. Hes also the only player in this Top Ten who played his entire career with one organization the Detroit Tigers. Matt Chapman /.9737/, 4. And he was the best the Rays have ever had. Cano was a regular post-season participant in his time with New York and a member of the 2009 World Championship team. Bottom line: You can go far in baseball if you can play defense and have some pop in your bat. Just an opinion. Rockies top 5 >. Collins can also boast an MVP win in 1914 and six top 5 MVP finishes. Nine Gold Gloves ('83-91), MVP (1984), 10-time All-Star ('84-93), seven Silver Sluggers ('84-85, '88-92), Hall of Fame ('05), Career stats Here we go. The Tigers popped Jung with the 12th pick in last July's draft by way of Texas Tech. 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. Braves top 5 >, Marlins: Luis Castillo, 1996-2005Key fact: Three-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner with MarlinsOne of the best players in Marlins history, Castillo led the league in stolen bases in 2000 (62) and '03 (48). The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Joe Morgan had a few brief stints with the Houston Colt 45s before latching on with the now Astros in 1965. 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 . .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. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Info, Honors -- Rob Peterson, ESPN.com senior MLB editor, Teams Glenn Hubbard (1980s) offensive rating: D +. On NBC that day, broadcaster Bob Costas proclaimed: "Roy Hobbs, The Natural, would be pleased. Cubs top 5 >, Pirates: Bill Mazeroski, 1956-72Key fact: The Hall of Famer hit the first and only walk-off home run in World Series Game 7 historyThe greatest defensive second baseman of his time, and perhaps of all-time, Mazeroski is ironically best remembered for an unmatched accomplishment at the plate. It just wasn't his forte, well below average, offensively. 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? That's short for Three True Outcomes, also known as walks, strikeouts and home runs. (His older brother, Josh, is a rookie third baseman with the Rangers . (Insider), Teams In fact, other than the pitcher, catcher and shortstop positions, it is probably the most important defensive position on the field. Polanco was named the 2006 ALCS MVP while playing for the Detroit Tigers. He led the league in WAR three times as a second baseman. A player with no weakness in his game. What's more, he played in at least 150 games at the position in eight consecutive years, something only five second basemen have ever done, and in seven of those he had positive defensive WAR. 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* I suppose that makes him one of the 10 best overall second basemen in the history of MLB. They only won once in 1955, Jackies second to last season. Kent was one of the best offensive second basemen of all time and arguably the position's best power hitter. Collins career would last another 23 seasons before he eventually retired in 1930. Players are evaluated on five criteria as the foundation of our rankings: We use Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a basis for these calculations. Bold indicates active player. The top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. .320/.404/.480, OPS -- .884, Hits -- 2,839, HRs -- 184, RBIs -- 1,427, They called him The Mechanical Man, a tribute to his consistency. Second Base JAWS Leaders. I guess that makes him an A + overall at Second Base. Lazzeri played for six AL-pennant winners during his dozen years in pinstripes, batting .293 with 169 home runs and 1,157 RBIs. This week, we bring you the Top 10 at each position. .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. Somehow, a quiet top-tier Hall-of-Fame second baseman because he was Ted Williams' teammate in Boston. Also, took HOF too long to put Lazzeri into HOF, 1991 by vets committee. 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. That's more than Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg . Kent was one of the best offensive second basemen of all time and arguably the position's best power hitter. Bottom line: Jamey Carroll played second base, shortstop and third base during a dozen years in the bigs. Hornsby's 127.1 WAR is the ninth-highest score all . He debuted in 1896 with the Phillies at first base but moved to second in 1898, where he would become famous. Hornsby bounced around considerably for the rest of his career for a player of his caliber. It's always made me wonder, what the hell did you point it out for then? 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. 300 games).Its not easy to strongly argue who has been the Braves' best second baseman of all-time. Twins top 5 >, White Sox: Nellie Fox, 1950-63Key fact: Won 1959 AL MVP AwardA strong and accurate case could be made for Fox or Eddie Collins as the top White Sox second baseman, and while Collins overall numbers are a little better, its Fox who gets the nod for having made a greater impact on the franchise overall. 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. Rookie of the Year (1947), MVP ('49), six-time All Star ('49-54), Hall of Fame ('62), Career stats 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 . 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 Gehringer did everything well. Two NL Triple Crowns (1922, '25), two-time NL MVP ('25, '29), Hall of Fame ('42), Championships Oh, Bill James and other respected historians will say there is a third part to the equation, Length of Career. 7. In 2014, LeMahieu led the majors with 99 double plays. 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. He won rings in Toronto. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Big personalities? Offense and defense? In a few weeks, well keep moving around the diamond and rank the Top Ten Shortstops. His 136 wRC+ last year would have placed him first out of all second basemen in 2021. Theres also his seven Silver Slugger Awards, the NL MVP season of 1984 and the year he led the NL in home runs (40 in 1990). Hornsby led the pack in nearly every category and dominated in WAR. Because of how different eras of baseball have been played, it's difficult to nail down the best defensive catcher of all time. Table of Contents Who are the best MLB second basemen of all time? The BBWAA wasted no time adding him to the group at Cooperstown, electing him in his first year of eligibility in 1990. 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. Lajoie was a fierce competitor, often getting into it with umpires. 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). if u dont have Maz in the top ten,your list is bogus.NO-ONE did the double play pivot better,not to mention the only 9th inn walk off homer in a game 7 of the wrld series,not to mention ,against the highly favored New York Yanks! For his efforts, Marte finished fourth in the NL MVP race. Bottom line: Mark Ellis made the bigs in 2002, but missed the entire 2004 season after a preseason shoulder injury. Bottom line: Joe Panik was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2011 and didnt get called up until the 2014 season. There's a reason no one in baseball can wear No. 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. -- 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. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. 8) MLB Power Rankings: Trade candidate C.J. His uniform and cleats were sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame after he became the first player to accomplish a unique feat in two different games: hit three home runs, knock in seven RBI and steal two bases. What do you get when you combine those two facts? Alomars post-season totals are impressive: a .313 batting average, four HRs, 33 RBI, 32 runs, and 20 SBs in 58 games. You can find both and tons of other great content in the We Love Baseballsection. His offensive prowess is among the greatest of all players, not just second basemen. The Dodgers made it to six World Series with Robinson, all against the Yankees. These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only, and fans were able to participate in Twitter polls to vote for their favorites. Some will balk at Canos inclusion on the list, given his two suspensions for PED use. Dodgers top 5 >, Giants: Jeff Kent, 1997-2002Key fact: Hit 351 of his 377 career home runs as a second baseman, a Major League record for the positionKent played for six teams over his 17-year career, but he enjoyed his most prolific stretch during his tenure with the Giants. 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). He ranks ninth on Fangraphs WAR for all offensive players and 12th on Baseball-Reference. You might be surprised at who missed the cut. Charlie Gehringers nickname was The Mechanical Man. He was dubbed so because of his robotic consistency and durability. 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. Basic stats like hits, batting average, OBP, SLG, HRs, RBI, etc., were fused with wOBA and wRC+ for the offense. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Pitcher GIFS Inc. All Rights Reserved. Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, New Yor Yankees. 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? I think he was the best ever, barehanded. Bottom line: Jose Lind was an exceptional defensive player who won the Gold Glove Award in 1992. Before we get to the players, below is some background on how the list was compiled. In 2004, he won the Silver Slugger Award and made his first of two appearances in the All-Star Game. Brooks Robinson and Scott Rolen. During the 2012 season, Barney committed just two errors, and tied the major league record for consecutive errorless games at second base with 141. Teams: Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals. 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