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. For his efforts, Marte finished fourth in the NL MVP race. He made his first of six consecutive MLB all-star games that season and led the league in stolen bases and batting average. 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. Frankie Frisch (1920s) offensive Rating: A +. Cron. 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. He was close we have him at #12. In 1996, Morandini excelled in the field, participating in 87 double plays while making just six errors good for a .990 fielding percentage. Brian Dozier is a lifetime .245 hitter, but he's hit 192 home runs and made $30 million in career salary. The position is home to those who couldn't hack it at shortstop or slug enough to earn a corner-infield job. Pedroias Baseball Reference War is 51.6 compared to 51.1 for Doerr. 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. He was then forced to apologize, he was allowed to call his Mother (upon his request) and then he was re-hired. 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. 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. He won the College World Series twice at USC. That and the trips to the World Series tip the decision in favor of Kinsler. Fun fact: Hill is one of just five players to hit for the cycle twice in one year. Morgan was an on-base machine who could run, hit for power, and play excellent defense. He was, by far and away, the best defensive second baseman from the 1920s. His signature moment arrived during his 1984 NL MVP-winning season, when he hit two homers off Bruce Sutter in a five-hit, seven-RBI outburst to help the Cubs beat St. Louis. In 1947, he was elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA with 84.5% of the vote. The only question these days is will he make the National Baseball Hall of Fame? Because of how different eras of baseball have been played, it's difficult to nail down the best defensive catcher of all time. 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). Gehringer made it to the World Series three times, winning a World Championship in 1935. 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). Extrapolate that to an entire season, and you have an MVP candidate. .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. All-Star game appearances, MVP awards, and seasons where the player finished in the Top Ten in MVP voting covered the honors. He led the league in WAR three times as a second baseman. Bottom line: Kudos to a player who never exactly excelled in the major leagues, but crafted a 15-year career with six different teams, playing both second base and shortstop. 300 games).Its not easy to strongly argue who has been the Braves' best second baseman of all-time. He ranks second in all-time WAR-162 and sixth in WAR7 among second basemen, representing his dominance. 1 -- St. Louis Cardinals (1926), Career stats Once established, the Tigers wouldnt have to look for a second baseman until 1942. Bottom line: Jamey Carroll played second base, shortstop and third base during a dozen years in the bigs. -- Schoenfield, Teams 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. Generally, a players Career Value is worth about 50-60% of the ranking score we assign him. 3. Bottom line: Joe Panik was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2011 and didnt get called up until the 2014 season. 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. 1. Oh, offensively, Hubbard pretty much got the job done, but he was slightly below average. Carew was an all-star for an incredible 18 consecutive years, starting with his rookie year in 1967. Teams: Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees. Hill excelled in 2009, when he rebounded from a concussion that ended his previous season and was named the AL Comeback Player of the Year after slugging 36 home runs and notching 108 RBI. In 2008, he was the AL MVP and won the Silver Slugger Award. Jace Jung, 2B (2023 seasonal age: 22). Thus, in addition to career WAR, we looked at WAR7 (seven best seasons), WAR/162 (Avg WAR per season), and the number of seasons the player was among the WAR leaders in the league. 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. As is always the case, we tried to balance the rankings between longevity and dominance to get a good cross-section. By that time, Carew had shifted to first base, where he would remain for the second half of his career. The three-time Gold Glove Award winner made the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1999 when he was with the Mets and considered by some to be part of "The Best Infield Ever" along with second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo, shortstop Rey Ordonez and third baseman Robin Ventura. 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. AL Triple Crown (1901), Hall of Fame ('37), Career stats -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Info, Honors 20 is one of three retired numbers in Royals history. He was a Top 10 MVP finalist five times. After release from Dodgers, what's next for Trevor Bauer? In 1962 he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. 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. Hubbard played much of his career for those Atlanta Braves teams that had an overabundant amount of ground ball pitchers on their team. 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. 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. Critz didn't make it into the Hall of Fame because of his offense. Jody Reed (1990s) offensive rating: C -. Dozier started his career with the Twins in 2012, was an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award in 2017. He remained with the club from 1902-14, and not only was he one of the biggest stars of his time, but his name still lives on in the Indians record book. I guess that makes him an A + overall at Second Base. His 136 wRC+ last year would have placed him first out of all second basemen in 2021. 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. On top of his defense, Frisch was fast as lightning, leading the league in SBs three times. Lazzeri played for six AL-pennant winners during his dozen years in pinstripes, batting .293 with 169 home runs and 1,157 RBIs. His defensive rating on Fangraphs leads all second basemen all-time with over 1,000 plate appearances. During the Yankees' 2009 championship season, Cano hit 20 home runs and notched 204 hits (first among all second basemen that year). Yankees top 5 >. He helped lead the Dodgers (the Brooklyn version) to the borough's only World Series title. But Bill James presented this conclusion, Jody Reed is second all time in the history of MLB in defensive Win Shares per season for a second baseman, behind only Bill Mazeroski. 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 Seven-time All-Star (2006, '10-14, '16), two Gold Gloves ('10, '12), five Silver Sluggers ('06, '10-13), Career stats* There was a historian once that just called him an "A" instead of an "A +". When the Hall of Famer retired in 1997, his .989 fielding percentage was a major league record. The contribution to championship teams (player performance in seasons where his team wins the pennant) is a small factor in most cases. Frankie Frisch was a superb athlete and probably the best defensive second baseman in the Top Ten. Napolean LaJoie is the oldest member of our Top Ten and is considered the first superstar in American League history. Kent slashed .297/.368/.535 and averaged 29 home runs and 115 RBIs over his six years in San Francisco. During 1921-25, a five-year period, he hit .402. The 32-year-old posted a career-high 118 OPS+with. 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). Alomars post-season totals are impressive: a .313 batting average, four HRs, 33 RBI, 32 runs, and 20 SBs in 58 games. Bottom line: Rich Dauer was a winner. 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. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants, where he won a World Series in 2010. 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. .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. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The Dodgers made it to six World Series with Robinson, all against the Yankees. Hughie Critz (1930s) offensive rating: D -, "The New York Giant infield of Hughie Critz, Bill Terry, Travis Jackson and Freddie Lindstrom, the million dollar infield as it was called, and it used to perform up to its namethey were so deft, so quick, so breathtaking that the fans would sit, first in stunned silence, and then in gathered bedlam"-Arnold Hano, respected baseball historian. Also in 2001, Counsell was named the MVP of the NLCS. (His older brother, Josh, is a rookie third baseman with the Rangers . Basic stats like hits, batting average, OBP, SLG, HRs, RBI, etc., were fused with wOBA and wRC+ for the offense. Philadelphia Phillies (1981), Chicago Cubs ('82-94, '96-97), Honors And in 2019, he won his first World Series ring, with the Nationals. And boy could he play defense. After retiring in 1997, Reed went into coaching. -- Schoenfield, Teams Walker won the Silver Slugger Award in 2014. 17 is not formally retired, but the Brewers have not issued it to anyone sinceRobin Yount, Paul Molitor and Gantner played together for 15 years, the longest tenure for a trio of teammates in Major League history until the Yankees Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera broke the mark in 2010. Teams: Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers. Top 100 Second Basemen of All-Time - Baseball Egg 100 Greatest Second Basemen of All-Time Explanation of Rankings CAREER = Career Wins Above Replacement (WAR) adjusted for era. Childs played in just over 1,450 games and Richardson played in just over 1,300 games. That said: I don't buy the consensus that he's the best second baseman ever. 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. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. A modern-day comparison? His long career puts him high in the record books among second basemen. In only his fourth season, Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals has secured the top spot among second basemen. 8) MLB Power Rankings: Trade candidate C.J. 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. Reds top 5 >, D-backs: Ketel Marte, 2017-presentKey fact: Selected as the 2019 NL All-Star starter at second baseIn a close race with Jay Bell, Marte gets the nod here. -- Tristan Cockcroft, ESPN.com senior writer, Honors 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: The Cubs picked up DJ LeMahieu in the second round of the 2009 draft, but he shined in the major leagues after being traded to Colorado. Teams: St Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants. Acquired in a blockbuster trade that sent the popular Matt Williams to the Indians in 1996, Kent teamed up with Barry Bonds to give the Giants their most fearsome power duo since the Willie Mays-Willie McCovey era. 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. Bottom line: In 2012, Darwin Barney won the Gold Glove Award the first by a Chicago Cubs second baseman since Ryne Sandberg won nine in a row (1983-91). They only won once in 1955, Jackies second to last season. And he was the best the Rays have ever had. Three years later, he became the first American League second baseman to hit 40 homers in a season, finishing with 42 overall. Zobrist was named MVP of the 2016 World Series. He moved to first base halfway through his career, but would rate higher as a second baseman. I suppose that makes him one of the 10 best overall second basemen in the history of MLB. .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. 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. The great Rogers Hornsby was the clear choice for the best second baseman of all time. 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: Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals. 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. Cano continued to hit in Seattle, but his first positive test for an illegal substance caused him to miss half of the 2018 season. 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. Angels top 5 >, Astros: Craig Biggio, 1988-2007Key fact: Franchises all-time leader in games, hits, runs, total bases, doubles, extra-base hitsDrafted as a catcher, Biggio made the move to second base in 1992 and went on to win four Gold Glove Awards and four Silver Sluggers at the position. Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, California Angels. 1. -- Schoenfield, He won the inaugural Rookie of the Year award in 1947. Teams: Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals. I got sidetracked there. Teams: New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets. I'm taking him as the best second baseman ever. He should certainly be in the conversation, as Utleys 64.4 career bWAR and 62.9 fWAR rank 14th and 12th, respectively, among second basemen all-time. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. The switch-hitter from Puerto Rico signed as an amateur free agent when he was 15 years old, and eventually went to two World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals (2006 and 2011) as the teams third-base coach. I'm glad he's in, but what took you so long, Veteran's Committee? He hit, ran, and played defense with the best of them. He was a World Champion and the NL MVP in both seasons. 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