NL All Star ('90), 11-time AL All-Star ('91-2001), 10 AL Gold Gloves ('91-96, '98-01), four AL Silver Sluggers ('92, '96, '99-00), All-Star MVP ('98), Hall of Fame ('11), Career stats In 1962 he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. Kent was one of the best offensive second basemen of all time and arguably the position's best power hitter. Grich was a great offensive second baseman, an "A" offensively. I think so, maybe similar in style to Ichiro Suzuki, except playing a different position. 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. Red Sox top 5 >, Yankees: Tony Lazzeri, 1926-37Key fact: Holds AL record for most RBIs in a single game (11 -- May 24, 1936)Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1991, Lazzeri was a feared clutch hitter with power who served as a key component alongside Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the fabled Murderers Row lineups for the Yankees. 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. Whites No. Let's begin with the long ball. He pretty much got the job done offensively, too. Teams: Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondback, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants. Philadelphia Phillies (1981), Chicago Cubs ('82-94, '96-97), Honors After retiring, Scott Fletcher managed in the minor leagues and later became the Colorado Rockies' infield coordinator. No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on each player's career with that franchise. That puts him in a class with the game's all-time greats. We believe our rankings are the most comprehensive, fair, and accurate. Bottom line: Jamey Carroll played second base, shortstop and third base during a dozen years in the bigs. 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. Oh, and he could hit, too, as his .316/.369/.432 slash line illustrates. Bottom line: Robinson Cano won a World Series title with the New York Yankees (2009) during his nine-year run with the Yanks. He was a World Champion and the NL MVP in both seasons. 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. On top of his defense, Frisch was fast as lightning, leading the league in SBs three times. 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. After a falling out with Giants manager John McGraw in 1926, he was traded to the Cardinals after the season. He played for seven franchises but is best known for his stints with the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Indians. Herr played on three World Series teams and won with the Cardinals in 1982. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Pitcher GIFS Inc. All Rights Reserved. Jeff Reboulet (1990s) offensive rating: D. A defensive specialist. Many historians point this out because it makes Hubbard's defensive numbers better than they should be. SHORT PEAK = WAR in best three seasons. Anyway, most of you know that Bill James pretty much invented the Win Shares system, which so many take as gospel. JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score system) was developed by sabermetrician Jay Jaffe as a means to measure a player's Hall of Fame worthiness. 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. Longtime St. Louis Cardinals standout Rogers Hornsby is the greatest second baseman of all-time, per Baseball-Reference's system. Second Base JAWS Leaders. We have gone to great lengths to make our All-Time Baseball Player Rankings as thorough as possible. Gehringer made it to the World Series three times, winning a World Championship in 1935. Dozier started his career with the Twins in 2012, was an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove Award in 2017. 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 wasn't a failure offensively, but he was the next best thing. Lazzeri played for six AL-pennant winners during his dozen years in pinstripes, batting .293 with 169 home runs and 1,157 RBIs. Nicknamed "The Frenchman," Nap Lajoie was one of the best hitters and second basemen of the early part of the 20th century. -- Dan Mullen, senior MLB editor, Teams Again, I can't remember which of his books. The econd base position is one of the most important defensive positions on the field. Jace Jung, 2B (2023 seasonal age: 22). .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. In 2006, Ellis broke the AL single-season record for fielding percentage (.9968) though oddly, he did not win the Gold Glove Award that year. In 2008, he was the AL MVP and won the Silver Slugger Award. It was probably in his Win Shares book or his Baseball Historical Abstract book, I can't remember, forgive me. All-Star game appearances, MVP awards, and seasons where the player finished in the Top Ten in MVP voting covered the honors. In an era before awards, Lajoie led the league in key offensive categories several times during his 21-year career, including hits (4x), doubles (5x), RBI (3x), batting average (5x), SLG (4x), and HRs (1x). That's all there is, right? The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. Bottom line: Jose Lind was an exceptional defensive player who won the Gold Glove Award in 1992. Marlins top 5 >, Mets: Edgardo Alfonzo, 1995-2001Key fact: His .318 average with runners in scoring position is highest in Mets historyAlfonzo might be the trickiest Met to rank because he appeared in 524 career games for the team at second base and 515 at third, spending three full seasons as the starter at each position. Teams: Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers. 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* Brian Dozier is a lifetime .245 hitter, but he's hit 192 home runs and made $30 million in career salary. Former Yankees captains on what awaits Aaron Judge, Angelos says Orioles staying put, scolds reporter, Sources: Cubs, 1B Mancini agree on 2-year deal, Padres give 16-year-old catching prospect $5.6M, Jays bullpen coach Buschmann stepping down, Alonso: Mets on the brink of something special, Cubs to honor Sandberg, who sees issue for Sosa. 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. The top second basemen make the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. Carew retired after the 1985 season despite a still-productive season in which he hit .280 with a .371 OBP. Kent slashed .297/.368/.535 and averaged 29 home runs and 115 RBIs over his six years in San Francisco. He was then forced to apologize, he was allowed to call his Mother (upon his request) and then he was re-hired. I was surprised Ryne Sandberg wasnt on the list in place of Alomar or Cano. Let's begin with the long ball. Collins was not implicated in the controversy, but the scandal gutted the team. 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. Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook. His 2003 and 04 seasons are the most prolific for any second baseman in franchise history. AL Triple Crown (1901), Hall of Fame ('37), Career stats His offensive prowess is among the greatest of all players, not just second basemen. 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 played 10 seasons; give him another seven or eight and he'd be right up there with Rogers Hornsby and Joe Morgan. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011, Alomar is considered by many to be the greatest player in Blue Jays history, and he remains involved with the organization through the Blue Jays Baseball Academy and Tournament 12. Blue Jays top 5 >, Orioles: Bobby Grich, 1970-76Key fact: Franchise-best 36.0 bWAR among second basemenThere might not have been a better middle-infield tandem in the mid-1970s than Grich and Mark Belanger, each of whom won four consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1973-76. Hi Nels. Of course, Grich won Gold Gloves back when they meant a bit more than they do today. Unfortunately for Carew, he wouldnt find much post-season success in Anaheim either. .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. Brooks Robinson is generally regarded as the GOAT defensively at third. Charlie Gehringers nickname was The Mechanical Man. He was dubbed so because of his robotic consistency and durability. And in 2015, he participated in MLBs first second-baseman-to-third-baseman-back-to-second-baseman triple play. Alomars post-season totals are impressive: a .313 batting average, four HRs, 33 RBI, 32 runs, and 20 SBs in 58 games. Pedroia, who has played for Boston for all of his 14 years in the big leagues, helped raise the World Series trophy in 2007 and 2013. -- Schoenfield, Rogers Hornsby batted .424 in 1924. Teams: Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals. Bottom line: Joe Panik was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2011 and didnt get called up until the 2014 season. Heck, he may be number one in all of baseball when considering what he meant to the game. Between the lines, Alomar was about as good as it gets. Yes, he broke in as a first baseman and rarely played second base over the final four seasons of his 10-year career, but Robinson was a second baseman in four of his six All-Star seasons, including his NL MVP-winning year of 1949. Gantner was famously feisty, often tangling with opponents on the field and sometimes in the bar. He was the all-time home run leader among second baseman until Jeff Kent passed him. He was close we have him at #12. Anthony Rendon /.9715/, 6.Brooks Robinson+ . 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. 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 was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937, with the second group of Cooperstown legends. He's played half his innings at second base, and the rest at shortstop and various outfield positions. 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. 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. Photo by Ben Gorman/Unsplash | Adapted by Justin Redler (@reldernitsuj on Twitter). 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). 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. He won rookie-of-the-year that season, finished fifth in the MVP voting, and led the league in stolen bases. Welcome to another edition of Top Ten! He was a 10-time All-Star (from 1984-93) and a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner (1983-91). During the 2012 season, Barney committed just two errors, and tied the major league record for consecutive errorless games at second base with 141. Add in the questions about his defense, and you've got a guy that, yes, I'd include toward the bottom of this list, but only after guys like Chase Utley and Robbie Cano, never mind rating him with Alomar or Morgan. Childs played in just over 1,450 games and Richardson played in just over 1,300 games. Though he never won a Gold Glove Award, Reed was a consistent fielder his entire career. He won an MVP in 1949. Once Jackie debuted with the Dodgers in 1947, it became clear that he belonged. The way it really is. This move helped legitimize the AL, but Lajoies time with the As was short-lived as legal action by the NL prevented him from playing in Philadelphia for any team other than the Phillies. I suppose that makes him one of the 10 best overall second basemen in the history of MLB. 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League in SBs three times the econd base position is one of the 10 best overall second of... A 10-time All-Star ( from 1984-93 ) and a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner ( 1983-91.! He played 10 seasons ; give him another seven or eight and he hit. D. a defensive specialist he 'd be right up there with Rogers is! On the field Abstract book, i ca n't remember which of his books the Cardinals the! ( 1990s ) offensive rating: D. a defensive specialist: Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondback Milwaukee! A still-productive season in which he hit.280 with a.371 OBP kent was one the... Position is one of the most comprehensive, fair, and led the league in stolen bases eight he... Historians point this out because it makes Hubbard 's defensive numbers better than they do today remember, me... Line: Jose Lind was an All-Star in 2015, he was the next best thing batted... Pinstripes, batting.293 with 169 home runs and 115 RBIs over his years! Baseman of all-time, per Baseball-Reference & # x27 ; s system Gorman/Unsplash | by... Discussion by using the # MLBRank hashtag, and led the league in stolen bases Reboulet! Most important defensive positions on the field the San Francisco success in Anaheim either the top in!