Jace Jung, 2B (2023 seasonal age: 22). Frisch became a player-manager for St. Louis in 1933 and continued managing after he retired. .333/.424/.429, OPS -- .853, Hits -- 3,315, HRs -- 47, RBIs -- 1,300, Sacrifice Hits -- 512 (all-time leader), A great player in the first two decades of the 20th century, Collins hit for a high average, stole bases, drew walks and would have won Gold Gloves if they'd had them back then. Bobby Grich (1970s) offensive rating: A, "Grich won four Gold Gloves, and won them over stiff competition-Frank White"-Bill James, respected baseball historian/Godfather of Sabermetrics and the modern rating system, 2002. He ranks second in all-time WAR-162 and sixth in WAR7 among second basemen, representing his dominance. Longtime St. Louis Cardinals standout Rogers Hornsby is the greatest second baseman of all-time, per Baseball-Reference's system. 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). Its a fair argument, but as we mentioned when discussing Roger Clemens, its hard to know who did what throughout the games history. Bottom line: A three-time All-Star, Ben Zobrist is a well-rounded utility player. By that time, Carew had shifted to first base, where he would remain for the second half of his career. I'm glad he's in, but what took you so long, Veteran's Committee? Though he never won a Gold Glove Award, Reed was a consistent fielder his entire career. Following his MLB career, Dauer spent 19 seasons as a pro coach and won the 2017 World Series with the Houston Astros as a first-base coach. As the Reds dynasty began to collapse, Morgan eventually moved on and played his final five seasons with four different teams. 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). 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. Childs played in just over 1,450 games and Richardson played in just over 1,300 games. He ultimately fell short and settled for .388, but theres no doubt the 18-time All-Star, seven-time batting champion, '77 AL MVP Award winner and first-ballot Hall of Famer was one of the best pure hitters in baseball history. The great Rogers Hornsby was the clear choice for the best second baseman of all time. Eddie Collins debuted with the As just five seasons after Nap LaJoies jump. Many historians point this out because it makes Hubbard's defensive numbers better than they should be. And he did most of it under the most trying of circumstances. The Sox made it to two World Series during that time in 1917 and 1919 winning the first one. -- Dan Mullen, senior MLB editor, Teams How We Ranked Baseballs Greatest Players. During 1921-25, a five-year period, he hit .402. I remember reading something that Bill James had written about Jody Reed. Bottom line: Known for his distinctive batting stance where he holds his bat high above his head, Craig Counsell has the distinction of being on base twice when the World Series ended with a walk-off hit with the Florida Marlins (1997) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (2001). He's one of the 20 best overall second basemen in the history of MLB when you mix his offense and his defense together. The Little General retired in 1984 with a career OBP of .392. He could run, hit, hit for power, and play stellar defense. The Big Red Machine also made it to the World Series that year, losing in seven games to the Oakland As. He played 10 seasons; give him another seven or eight and he'd be right up there with Rogers Hornsby and Joe Morgan. In 2008, he was the AL MVP and won the Silver Slugger Award. The only question these days is will he make the National Baseball Hall of Fame? That puts him in a class with the game's all-time greats. Rays top 5 >, Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia, 2006-presentKey fact: Only player to win MVP Award, Rookie of the Year Award, World Series title and Gold Glove Award within first two MLB seasonsHonestly, what a tough call this was. In 2014, LeMahieu led the majors with 99 double plays. Carew was an all-star for an incredible 18 consecutive years, starting with his rookie year in 1967. He was the AL second baseman in the first six All-Star Games, when he was already in his 30s. Anthony Rendon /.9715/, 6.Brooks Robinson+ . 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. He hit north of .300 in five times while winning seven Silver Sluggers. Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs. Here we go. Glenn Hubbard (1980s) offensive rating: D +. Nicknamed "The Frenchman," Nap Lajoie was one of the best hitters and second basemen of the early part of the 20th century. -- Schoenfield, We're counting down the greatest players in baseball history. 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. 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. He's top 10 at the position, headed to top five, and leaving the Yankees shouldn't affect his ultimate legacy as one of the best at the position. Cano was a regular post-season participant in his time with New York and a member of the 2009 World Championship team. In 1962 he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. Would his game translate to 2016? Hornsby bounced around considerably for the rest of his career for a player of his caliber. I will list them in order, from oldest to newest: Fred Dunlap (1880s), Nap Lajoie (1900s), Lonny Frey (1940s), Eddie Mayo (1940s), Gil McDougald (1950s), Jackie Robinson (1950s), Red Schoendienst (1950s), Fernando Vina (1990s), Craig Counsell (2000s)and Pokey Reese (2000s), 9. The Tigers popped Jung with the 12th pick in last July's draft by way of Texas Tech. Rod Carew was one of the greatest hitters of his generation. He was also an "A +" offensively. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Info, Honors -- Schoenfield, Teams Collins was not implicated in the controversy, but the scandal gutted the team. Let's talk about who the best ever were at that position, defensively speaking. Still, compare their three-year tenures specifically in San Diego, and its Loretta who comes out on top. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Houston Colt .45s (1963-64), Houston Astros (1965-71, '80), Cincinnati Reds ('72-79), San Francisco Giants ('81-82), Philadelphia Phillies ('83), Oakland A's ('84), Honors Pratt set up Wilson, and Wilson forced the biggest fumble of his career. .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. Bottom line: You can go far in baseball if you can play defense and have some pop in your bat. Frank White was not only the best second baseman in Royals history, he is one of the greatest defensive second baseman in baseball history. He was one of the most dominant second basemen of the '90s, helping the Astros win four division titles in five years (1997-99 and 2001), while also leading them to the postseason in 04 and the World Series in 05. In 1997, MLB retired the number 42, which Robinson wore, across all of baseball. After retiring in 1997, Reed went into coaching. The position is home to those who couldn't hack it at shortstop or slug enough to earn a corner-infield job. Cron. 1. He made his first of six consecutive MLB all-star games that season and led the league in stolen bases and batting average. A teammate of Randal Grichuk on the Colorado Rockies, C.J. Cron somehow survived last year's trade deadline and remained in Denver. Morgan was an on-base machine who could run, hit for power, and play excellent defense. As always, value-based metrics formed the core of the evaluation process, including WAR ratings from both Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs, which calculate it differently. Also, took HOF too long to put Lazzeri into HOF, 1991 by vets committee. Charlie Gehringers nickname was The Mechanical Man. He was dubbed so because of his robotic consistency and durability. AL Triple Crown (1901), Hall of Fame ('37), Career stats 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 After retiring, Scott Fletcher managed in the minor leagues and later became the Colorado Rockies' infield coordinator. These glovemen in the middle of the infield made the routine look easy and the difficult look routine. The 32-year-old posted a career-high 118 OPS+with. Should a below-average offensive player be in the Hall of Fame at any position other than the pitcher's? Last season was a breakout one for the 26-year-old Marte, as he finished sixth in the Majors in fWAR among position players with a 7.1 mark, trailing only Mike Trout, Alex Bregman, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger and Marcus Semien. More important than his stellar defense, though, was his ability at the plate. Polanco was named the 2006 ALCS MVP while playing for the Detroit Tigers. 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. And in 2019, he won his first World Series ring, with the Nationals. Gantner was famously feisty, often tangling with opponents on the field and sometimes in the bar. Welcome to another edition of Top Ten! Thursday brings the Top 10 infielders by position of all time, followed by pitchers and catchers on Friday. 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. Coming back to the Cards was, you guessed it, Frankie Frisch. The Dodgers made it to six World Series with Robinson, all against the Yankees. 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. Philadelphia A's (1906-14, '27-30), Chicago White Sox ('15-26), Championships Bottom line: Jody Reed made his major league debut in 1987 with the Boston Red Sox as a shortstop, but switched to second base in 1989. 11-20: Here is a list of 10 other second basemen that were in serious contention of taking this 10th spot away from Frisch. In 1947, he was elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA with 84.5% of the vote. Hes also the only player in this Top Ten who played his entire career with one organization the Detroit Tigers. Kent was one of the best offensive second basemen of all time and arguably the position's best power hitter. He won the College World Series twice at USC. -- Schoenfield, Teams What we do know is that Cano owns the second-highest OPS among second basemen whove played in the last 50 years (first was Jeff Kent, in case youre wondering). 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). We feel its important to acknowledge that baseball is harder to play today than it was 25 years ago, and 50 years ago, and so on. Teams: Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals. 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. I just love that old quote from Hano. Somehow, a quiet top-tier Hall-of-Fame second baseman because he was Ted Williams' teammate in Boston. Collins career would last another 23 seasons before he eventually retired in 1930. Give me a break, he has so damn many of them now, who can keep them all straight? He was a Top 10 MVP finalist five times. For the purposes of this exercise, Alfonzo is only eligible at one position; with that in mind, second base, which is statistically one of the weakest in Mets history, seems an excellent place to give Alfonzo his proper due. He was also a solid hitter, finishing with a .295 career batting average. While it's hard, if not impossible, to compare across eras, there is a lot of evidence that baseball players have been improving defensively over the years, so fairly recent players a. 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). 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. Neither of them had short careers, but they didn't have long ones either. 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. Because of how different eras of baseball have been played, it's difficult to nail down the best defensive catcher of all time. 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. After a falling out with Giants manager John McGraw in 1926, he was traded to the Cardinals after the season. Rookie of the Year (1967), 18-time All Star ('67-84), MVP ('77), Hall of Fame ('91), Career stats* Ozzie Albies might soon be considered the franchises best. Bottom line: Rich Dauer was a winner. Bottom line: He played second base, shortstop and third base during a 16-year career that saw him net three Gold Glove Awards (2007, 2009 and 2011). It might be the only number as big as the game itself. Who is the best defensive catcher of all time? Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins. Of course, Grich won Gold Gloves back when they meant a bit more than they do today. He had an incredible knack for getting on base and has the second-most home runs for someone his size (5-7) or shorter. Bottom line: "Ryno" was the gold standard for second basemen during his 16-year career. 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? -- 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. Bid McPhee (1890s) offensive rating: A +, "McPhee never wore a glove until his last three seasons: he was one of the last players to play barehanded. -- Scott Lauber, ESPN.com Red Sox reporter, Second basemen aren't supposed to be great. 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. He moved to first base halfway through his career, but would rate higher as a second baseman. Based upon Gold Gloves won, Ivan Rodriguez is the clear victor, while based upon fielding percentage, numerous players who spent more than 10 seasons in the Majors have a . Join the discussion by using the #MLBRank hashtag, and follow along @BBTN and on Facebook. Alomars post-season totals are impressive: a .313 batting average, four HRs, 33 RBI, 32 runs, and 20 SBs in 58 games. He debuted in 1896 with the Phillies at first base but moved to second in 1898, where he would become famous. Morgan is the Reds all-time leader with 406 steals, and he led the league in on-base percentage four times with the Reds. 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. So he's got that going for him, which is nice. However, as Robinsons career was relatively short, he lags in the counting stats. 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. Jeff Reboulet (1990s) offensive rating: D. A defensive specialist. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. 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 . I was surprised Ryno didnt make it too. He is on the short list of the greatest right-handed hitters ever. 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. He was close we have him at #12. And hes been to the All-Star Game four times. Critz didn't make it into the Hall of Fame because of his offense. He won rookie-of-the-year that season, finished fifth in the MVP voting, and led the league in stolen bases. 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. 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. Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays. Kinsler spent eight years with the Rangers while Franco was in Texas for five. Teams: New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets. 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. What MLB insiders are saying about Shohei Ohtani, Sources: Mets, OF Pham agree to 1-yr, $6M deal, Reports: Brewers ink ex-Marlins IF/OF Anderson, Deal merges Ripken, Cooperstown youth baseball, Sources: Red Sox, Duvall agree to 1-yr., $7M deal, A's formally welcome ex-Japanese star Fujinami, Mets GM: Lineup deep even after losing Correa, Thomas, Pirates star and original Met, dies at 93, Who will get traded? I was surprised Ryne Sandberg wasnt on the list in place of Alomar or Cano. He finished second in rookie-of-the-year voting that season and led the league in walks. Buddy Bell and Adrian Beltre. Here is the No. They include All-Stars, World Series champions, Hall of Famers and baseball legends. Vidro ranks among the top 10 in franchise history in doubles (third), hits (sixth), runs (seventh), RBIs (seventh), homers (ninth) and walks (ninth). In 2004, he scored the last-ever run for the Montreal Expos, before they relocated to Washington, D.C. 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. 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. His defensive rating on Fangraphs leads all second basemen all-time with over 1,000 plate appearances. Collins was a member of the legendary Connie Macks Athletics until 1915. 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. 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. Bottom line: Neil Walker was drafted by his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round of the 2004 draft, and made his debut with the Pirates in 2009. Hornsby led the pack in nearly every category and dominated in WAR. 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. One of those players is Hall of Famer Roger Hornsby who was one of the best hitters of his generation and . His 136 wRC+ last year would have placed him first out of all second basemen in 2021.