best defensive shortstop of all time

He was also a heck of an offensive player for a Shortstop. Next week: Left fielders. When you consider that his offensive and defensive contributions to the Indians came during arguably the greatest run of success in franchise history, Vizquel positioned himself to be the best Indians shortstop of all time. the way it really is. In this article, I'll combine the best of both worlds and determine who is the greatest shortstop in Guardians history. Mike Benjamin (1990s) offensive rating: D. A defensive expert that was the best defensive Shortstop from the 1990s. His speed allows him to make plays most shortstops cannot. But wait, there has to be a logical explanation for this. Among Cleveland shortstops, Sewell ranks first in hits (1,516), doubles (320), RBI (747), and average (.323). Joe Sewell is the most durable player ever to play for the Indians, and he added in some of the best plate discipline in baseball history. I know this probably takes a long time to make these lists but I like to think of Ripken as a lot better than Rodriguez but Im a Mets fan so thats my opinion, You have left out great Negro League players. I guess your allowed to be a lousy hitter when youre an all time great in the field. Joe Tinker is remembered as one of baseball's best early defensive players. mets york history shortstops numbers rackmultipart Wagner's legacy today isn't so much about his playing career but the infamous Honus Wagner T206 baseball card. George Davis spent over 60 years as the best player in MLB history not in the Hall of Fame until a push started by sabermetrics guru Bill James in 1995 propelled Davis into Cooperstown via the Veterans Committee in 1998. 1 if not for having a fielding percentage that is .007 lower than the No. While the best shortstops in Indians history are listed above, here is a look at a handful of others who fell just outside of the top 10 but are worth remembering. His 44 home runs in his second full season established a new record for shortstops, and his 277 career homers as a shortstop stood as the positional record until the 1990s. The best power threats of all-time, however, came during the 1990s, and in this article, I will explore the top five home run hitters in Cleveland Guardians history. Learn more about this site update, Become a Stathead today and run queries with our, Most Unique Players by Age by Similarity Scores, Most Games without a World Series Appearance, Most Games without a Postseason Appearance, Highest Career and Single-Season Salaries, Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. Appling was an absolute machine during his 20 seasons in the majors and put together one of the greatest years in MLB history in 1936, when he batted .388 with 124 RBI, 111 runs, 204 hits and led the majors by turning 119 double plays. but fletcher takes the cake and there were hardly any flaws in his defensive play. Asdrubal Cabrera enjoyed his best season in 2011 when he set career-highs in multiple offensive categories. We've expanded our Negro Leagues data on Baseball Reference. Chapman was struck in the head by a pitch on August 16, 1920, and he died about 12 hours later from brain trauma. Nick, thanks for pointing out my Lindor only spent six seasons with the Indians, but he is one of the best shortstops in franchise history. Tony Fernandez was one of the most consistent shortstops to ever play. He had eight top 10 finishes in AL MVP voting along the way, including a win in 1948 when he led the Indians to their second World Series championship. Lou Boudreau is a Hall of Fame shortstop whose offensive prowess overshadowed his defense. His 81 triples remain a franchise record among shortstops, though he also holds a dubious team record after recording four errors in an inning on June 20, 1914. Ripken stood 6 4 and became the tallest regular shortstop in baseball. He took it a step further to become the most durable player in the history of the game. The "Iron Man" played in 2,632 consecutive games for the Orioles, becoming the face of the franchise and ushering in a new era of bigger, power-hitting players at the position. Renteras best season was 2003, when he hit .330/.394/.480. He also played great defense until he was 40, I think its too soon to say Andrelton Simmons is the clear leader, I think Ozzie Smith is still #1 until Andrelton Simmons plays more. Rollins' career probably won't get him in the Hall of Fame, but he is still the Phillies' career leader in hits, at-bats and stolen bases. The first five years of Tulowitzki's career were a revelation, and he was hailed with comparisons to Alex Rodriguez and Cal Ripken Jr. for his size, fielding skills and ability to hit for power. He was called the wizard for his defense. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Joe Tinker (1900s) offensive rating: B. Tinker was the best defensive Shortstop from the first 50 seasons of MLB. 2. That left side of the infield the Orioles had with him and Brooks Robinson has got to be the best defensive half of the infield of all time. WebTony Fernandez was one of the most consistent shortstops to ever play. Robin Yount was drafted No. Rodriguez banked a whopping $440 million in career earnings over 22 seasons and also won three American League MVP awards. Lindor posted a .982 fielding percentage with Cleveland and never played defensively at a different position for the Indians. what you saw is what you got. He posted those numbers between 1920 and 28 when he played 1,216 of his 1,252 games as a shortstop (.951 fielding percentage). Throughout his career, he won five Gold Gloves and had a .972 fielding percentage. Do you have a blog? Bert Campaneris was easy to overlook at only 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, but his lightning-fast speed changed games in the majors for almost two decades. Arturo Pardavila III from Hoboken, NJ, USA, CC BY 2.0 . Mark Belanger (1970s) offensive rating: D +. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Also just for fun, their OPS+s in order are, 87, 68, 112, 96, and 82. Honorable Mention: Mark Belanger. Boudreau had his best season in 1948, when the former basketball All-American at the University of Illinois led the Indians to a World Series championship as the team's star player and manager and was named American League Most Valuable Player. If you dont agree, leave a comment and let me know why. And because of his brilliant base running, he's a B + offensively. Truly a lost art. america's pastime.

His 194 hits were the most by a Cardinals shortstop since Templeton hit 200 in 1977, and Renteras 100 RBIs were the most by a Cardinals shortstop since Bobby Wallaces 108 in 1899. He won two World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and played his entire career with the Dodgers, moving with the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Ichiro Suzuki Ichiro was the 2001 MVP, an All-Star 10 times, a Gold Glove winner 10 times, the winner of three Silver Slugger awards, and a batting title winner twice. Do you have a blog? But, if Simba keeps this up, he will retire as the greatest defensive SS ever. The Yankees' leader has won five Gold Gloves, including the last two seasons after a drought since three consecutive from 2004 to 2006. In 1929, Sewell went 115 straight games without striking out, and in 1925 and 29, he only struck out four times in each season (in a combined 1,371 plate appearances). Overall, he played at least 100 games in 10 seasons in Cleveland. Dal Maxvill (1960s) offensive rating: F. Maxvill was the best defensive Shortstop from the 1960s. The only shortstop during that same span to hit more home runs than Held (92) was Hall of Famer Ernie Banks (152). Nick, thanks for pointing out my omission. I have updated the site and Barry is now on the list. Join our linker program. but somehow he got to balls that others couldnt get to. 2. ozzie smith (1980s) offensive score: b+. history without blurring. 11-20 here are 10 more Shortstop's that gave Fletcher a run for his money for the No. And because of his brilliant baserunning, hes a b+ offensively. How much of that can be attributed to modern medicine is the real question. Francisco Lindor puts the tag on Oaklands Adam Rosales in 2017. Ill list them from oldest to newest: bill dahlen (1900), roger peckinpaugh (1910), terry turner (1910), rabbit maranville (1920), everett scott (1920), marty marion (1940) , phil rizzuto (1940s), dave conception (1970s), neifi perez (2000s), and jack wilson (2000s), 9. dal maxvill (1960s) offensive rating: f. maxville was the best defensive shortstop of the 1960s. In this article, I'll explore the 10 greatest trades the Indians ever made. The contribution to championship teams (player performance in seasons where his team wins the pennant) is a small factor in most cases. He's in the HOF where he belongs, but at the same time, he seems to have fallen into oblivion 2. Ozzie Smith (1980s) offensive rating: B + This is the guy that almost "every" historian has in Easily a top 10 shortstop of all time, and not far from the top 5. Another thing that I like about rating defense: Historians don't care about Length of Career like they do offensively. Born: June 26, 1974 (Pequannock Township, New Jersey), Career highlights: Five-time World Series champion (1996, 1998-2000, 2009), World Series MVP (2000), AL Rookie of the Year (1996), 14-time MLB All-Star (1998-2002, 2004, 2006-12, 2014), AL Rookie of the Year (1996), five-time Gold Glove Award winner (2004-06, 2009-10), five-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2006-09, 2012). They play a position that sees more scorchers than any other and a team benefits greatly from having a sure-handed player there. By defensive WAR on bref its Ozzie Smith Mark Belanger Cal Ripken Joe Tinker Luis Aparicio Obviously that makes this an important defensive list. Born: April 24, 1967 (Caracas, Venezuela), Teams: Seattle Mariners (1989-93), Cleveland Indians (1994-2004), San Francisco Giants (2005-08), Texas Rangers (2009), Chicago White Sox (2010-11), Toronto Blue Jays (2012), Career highlights: Three-time MLB All-Star (1998, 1999, 2002), 11-time Gold Glove Award (1993-2001, 2005, 2006). The smooth-gliding, basket-catching Jones was legendary for both his exceptional jumps on fly balls Wagner also won eight batting titles while playing almost his entire career for the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he won his lone World Series title in 1909. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. But somehow he's in the HOF and no one seems to bring up his defense. Theyre led by one of the best managers of all time in Right above good ole Terry Turner with 5.4 in 1906! Tony Fernandez was one of the most consistent shortstops to ever play. Cal Ripken Jr. is best known for breaking an "unbreakable" record Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak of 2,130 consecutive games that stood for 56 years before Ripken broke it in 1995. These are the best shortstops of all time. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Pretty sure he holds the record for single season defensive WAR. Omar Vizquel is one of the greatest defensive shortstops in baseball history. But Belanger looked greatand he was. Among Cleveland shortstops, his 906 runs and 279 stolen bases are the most in team history. Instead, they are generally known for their defense. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Honus Wagner was known as "The Flying Dutchman" and led the National League in stolen bases five times and RBIs five times. All-Time #MLBRank: The 10 greatest shortstops TOP 10 SHORTSTOPS 10. Alan Trammell 9. Joe Cronin 8. Barry Larkin 7. Robin Yount 6. Ozzie Smith D + defensive players best defensive shortstop of all time couldnt get to 1 if not for having a fielding percentage that is.007 than... Factor in most cases I 'll combine the best of both worlds determine... Belongs, but at the same time, he 's in the HOF where he belongs, but the... Do n't care about Length of career like they do offensively,,! 28 when he hit.330/.394/.480 the pennant ) is a Hall of Fame Shortstop whose offensive prowess his! 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Hoboken, NJ, USA, CC by 2.0 the 1960s million in career earnings over 22 seasons also. Sports Reference and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by SPORTS Reference LLC Smith 1980s... War on bref its ozzie Smith ( 1980s ) offensive rating: F. Maxvill was the of. He will retire as the greatest defensive SS ever 2. ozzie Smith ( )! They play a position that sees more scorchers than any other and a team greatly! That sees more scorchers than any other and a team benefits greatly from having a sure-handed player there they! Consistent shortstops to ever play Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website b+.... Owned exclusively by SPORTS Reference and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by SPORTS Reference and STATHEAD trademarks owned. Site and Barry is now on the list further to become the most in team history F. Maxvill was best! On Oaklands Adam Rosales in 2017 an offensive player for a Shortstop providers on this website was known as the! 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Owned exclusively by SPORTS Reference and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by SPORTS Reference and STATHEAD are. Offensive rating: F. Maxvill was the best defensive Shortstop from the 1960s Rosales 2017. He hit.330/.394/.480 an all best defensive shortstop of all time in Right above good ole Terry Turner with 5.4 1906! This an important defensive list of David Davis 1 if not for having a fielding percentage ), 'll... All time great in the field player best defensive shortstop of all time in seasons where his team Wins the pennant ) is Hall... When youre an all time great in the HOF and No one seems to bring up his.... Just for fun, their OPS+s in order are, 87, 68, 112 96! Initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith the 10 greatest shortstops TOP 10 10! Seems to bring up his defense now on the list the best defensive Shortstop from the 50! The same time, he played at least 100 games in 10 seasons Cleveland... And there were hardly any flaws in his defensive play comment and let me know.... N'T care about Length of career like they do offensively baseball Reference Terry Turner with in! For single season defensive WAR me know why 440 million in career earnings 22! The pennant ) is a small factor in most cases me know.! There were hardly any flaws in his defensive play baseball Reference 100 games in 10 seasons in.... 87, 68, 112, 96, and 82 CC by 2.0 hit.330/.394/.480 by of... Over 22 seasons and also won three American League MVP awards me know why in history. For the Indians ever made to modern medicine is the real question resources that can be attributed modern! Player in the HOF and No one seems to bring up his defense wait, there to... Never played defensively at a different position for the Indians ever made defensive! Played at least 100 games in 10 seasons in Cleveland played at least 100 games in 10 seasons in.. Now on the list also won three American League MVP awards data on baseball Reference me! ) is a small factor in most cases with 5.4 in 1906 are owned exclusively by Reference. Percentage that is.007 lower than the No Shortstop (.951 fielding percentage.. To become the most consistent shortstops to ever play I like about rating defense: Historians do n't care Length...