With Derek Jeter eclipsing 3000 hits in his career today, the Yankee captain approaching baseball immortality by reaching such an epic milestone has inspired me to create a list of the best shortstops in baseball history. Whether or not Jeter is the greatest of all-time at his position has been a point of contention in general of late since he has been trying to attain this milestone, and I'm finding it appropriate to throw my opinion in the mix now.
The following is my top 8 shortstops of all-time in Major League Baseball. There is no time limit for when they played, and each player will be accompanied by some key statistics and a brief synopsis. Let's start with number 8.
8. Joe Cronin
Played: Pittsburgh Pirates 1926-1927, Washington Senators 1928-1934, Boston Red Sox 1935-1945
career stats: .301 AVG, 170 HR, 1424 RBI, .390 OBP, .857 OPS, 515 2B, 118 3B, .468 SLG% (best for a SS all-time)
Joe Cronin was a 7 time All-Star in his career, and for a SS he is one of the best extra base hitters to ever play the game. Cronin wasn't a supreme fielder in his day, and in a sense was before his time as an offensive-minded SS. Cronin played in a World Series for the Senators in 1933 where he hit .318 with 2 RBI in 5 games. He was a run producer who's power was wasted for much of his career in old Griffith Stadium in Washington; moving to Boston later in his career paid severe dividends. His best season was 1933 with the Senators where he hit .309 with a league leading 45 doubles, 5 homers and an astonishing 118 RBI. Cronin is a Hall of Famer.
7. Barry Larkin
Played: 1986-2004 Cincinnati Reds
career stats: .295 AVG, 198 HR, 960 RBI, .371 OBP, .815 OPS, .975 Field %
Barry Larkin was a rarity for his era in that he played for the Cincinnati Reds for his entire 18 year career in a time where free agency truly came into its own. Larkin was truly a versatile player, he had some speed, some power, some contact ability, and was a solid defender throughout his career. He was a 12-time All-Star, the 1995 NL MVP, a 3 time Gold Glove winner at SS, and a 9 time Silver Slugger winner. As the MVP in 1995 Larkin hit .319 with 15 Homers, and 66 RBI in a 144 game season. He followed that with a 33 homer season in 1996. He was also on the Reds World Championship team of 1990 as he hit .353 with 1 RBI in 4 games in the Series. Larkin became Hall of Fame eligible in 2010 but has not acquired enough votes to date to become inducted.
6. Cal Ripken Jr.
Played: Baltimore Orioles 1981-2001
career stats: .276 AVG, 431 HR (most by a SS), 1695 RBI, .340 OBP, .788 OPS, 1647 R, 3184 H, 603 2B, .979 Field %
The Iron Man didn't play his whole career at short, but did play most of it there. He is of course most known for his consecutive games played streak that is the longest of all-time and may never be touched. Ripken didn't just play though, he was proficient. Ripken was the best amongst SSs in HR and ushered in a new era of offensively-focused shortstops. He was the Rookie of the Year in 1982 and was in every All-Star Game from 1983-2001, the end of his career. Ripken won the AL MVP in '83 and '91. He was also a 2-time Gold Glove winner and a 8-time Silver Slugger winner. Ripken had one chance at a World Series in '83 where the Orioles won despite a lack of production from Ripken who hit .167 with 1 RBI in 5 games. Ripken was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2007.
5. Honus Wagner
Played: Louisville Colonels 1897-1899, Pittsburgh Pirates 1900-1917
career stats: .328 AVG, 101 HR, 1733 RBI .391 OBP, .858 OPS, 1739 R, 3420 H, 643 2B, 252 3B, 723 SB
Wagner is a dead ball era addition to the list, but just because he played a long time ago when baseball was played in a slightly different manner should not detract from his feats. He was easily considered one of, if not the best, position player of his time both when he was playing and now. A lot of the accolades and awards we now have that mark baseball's achievements did not exist in Wagner's time, so its hard to compare him in some ways to today's players, but the numbers still speak for themselves. Wagner was a 8 time batting champion in the NL, led the league in RBI and stolen bases 5 times, and we also know now that he was a 8-time OPS champion in his career. Wagner was great with the bat, but admittedly poor with the glove, which is what keeps him from being higher on the list. Wagner played in 2 World Series for the Pirates, losing the first and winning the second. He was a .275 career hitter in the World Series with 9 RBI. Wagner's best season was 1908 with the Pirates where he hit .354, which led the NL, he also led the NL in hits (201), doubles (39), triples (19),RBI (109), and stolen bases (53). Wagner was one of the original members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
4. Luis Aparicio
played: Chicago White Sox (1956-1970), Boston Red Sox (1971-1973)
career stats: .262 AVG, 83 HR, 791 RBI, .311 OBP, .653 OPS, 2677 H, 506 SB, .972 Field %
Aparicio is very much the anti-Honus Wagner and considering the traditional focus on defense that the shortstop position holds, Aparicio gets the nod for the 4 spot for his strength over Wagner. Pesky at the plate, and with fantastic hands in the field, Aparicio was the best defensive SS of his time. Aparicio was a 10-time All-Star for the American League, a 9-time Gold Glove Winner, and the AL Rookie of the Year in 1956. He actually hit .313 in 1970, his last year as a White Sock, which was good enough for 4th in the AL. Aparicio also had fantastic speed and baserunning ability, as he led the AL in stolen bases 9 times. Like Wagner, Aparicio played in 2 World Series, both with the White Sox, and lost the first but won the second. He hit .286 with 2 RBI and 1 steal in total in those postseason efforts. Luis Aparicio is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
3. Omar Vizquel
Played: Seattle Mariners (1989-1993), Cleveland Indians (1994-2004), San Fransisco Giants (2005-2008), Texas Rangers (2009), Chicago White Sox (2010-present)
career stats: .273 AVG, 80 HR, 944 RBI, .338 OBP, .691 OPS, 2831 H 253 sac hits, .985 field %
Like his fellow Venezuelan countryman Aparicio, Omar Vizquel was a long-time SS with fantastic glove work. The difference is Vizquel was even more incredible in the field, as well as a noticably better hitter. Vizquel suffered from the era of the offensive-minded SS, and it shows from only having 3 All-Star appearances, which in any other era would have been significantly more. Vizquel has won 11 Gold Gloves, the second most for any SS ever. He played in 2 World Series in 1995 and 1997 with Cleveland, neither voyage led to victory. Vizquel was a career .208 hitter in the World Series. However, he's never been a statistical wonder. Vizquel's quality shows up rather from watching his fantastic play in the field, that simply cannot be measured. As a clear team player as well, Vizquel is the active leader in sacrifice hits, with 253 of them. As a testament to his ability, Vizquel committed a mere 3 errors in 156 games played in 2000. His best offensive season came in 1999 when he hit .333 with 5 homers 66 RBI and 42 SBs. Vizquel is still playing and therefore not a member of the Hall of Fame, but many would claim he will easily get in upon retirement.
2. Ozzie Smith
Played: San Diego Padres (1978-1981), St. Louis Cardinals (1982-1996)
career stats: .262 AVG, 28 HR, 793 RBI, .337 OBP, .666 OPS, 580 SB .978 Field %
Ozzie Smith is arguably the best defensive shortstop of all-time, very much in the same nitch as Aparicio and Vizquel. What makes Smith better than Vizquel though was his slightly better speed as they are almost identical otherwise in the field and on the basepaths. Smith was a 15-time All-Star and 13-time Gold Glove winner, that's more Gold Gloves than any other SS ever. He also won the Silver Slugger for SSs in 1987 as he gradually taught himself to become a better hitter throughout his career. However, much of Smith's talent and ability was unquantifiable, like Vizquel. But, he only committed 8 errors in 1991 in 150 games. Smith's best offensive season was 1987 where he hit .303 with 75 RBIs, 4 triples and 43 steals. Smith was a World Series Champion in 1982, his first season in St. Louis, however he hit only .173 in his postseason career. Ozzie Smith was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2002.
1. Derek Jeter
Played: New York Yankees (1995-present)
career stats: .312 AVG, 236 HR, 1157 RBI, .383 OBP, .832 OPS, 1725 R, 3000 H (most for a SS), .977 Field %
Derek Jeter has done in his career what Wagner, Aparicio, Vizquel, and Smith couldn't, and that is play at a proficient rate on both the offensive and defensive side of the game. Jeter is the ultimate jack-of-all trades at the shortstop position. That, plus a knack for coming up big in the clutch has placed Jeter in this spot, as the greatest SS of all-time. Jeter is an 11-time All-Star, a 5-time Gold Glove winner, and was the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year. He is also a 4-time Silver Slugger winner at SS. He's led the AL both in runs and hits in his career. As a defensive player, Jeter has been known for his fantastic range and soft hands. He committed only 6 errors in 151 games in 2010. Jeter's best offensive season came in 1998 when he hit .324 with 19 homers and 84 RBI, he also scored a league best 127 times. Jeter may be best known for his play in the postseason though. He's a 4-time World Series Champion, is a .321 career hitter in the World Series, and a .309 hitter in all postseason play. He has 20 homers and 57 RBI in a total 147 postseason games in his career, with an .850 OPS. Jeter is still active, and therefore not a Hall of Famer, but is a sure-fire first balloter.
What's the baseline?
Jeter's the greatest SS of all-time, and congrats to him for reaching 3000 hits today.
No comments:
Post a Comment