Cronin was just spectacular at the plate for his career. My best defensive analysis shows Aparicio as a historically brilliant defensive player in his early seasons, and shows him far, far ahead of Campaneris, as a defensive player, through the age of 26, which is 1960 for Aparicio and 1968 for Campaneris. Through his first five seasons, he put up a .244/.295/.366 slash line (a 71 wRC+) and accumulated 1.9 WAR, and after joining the Braves, he spent a lot of time Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. 7. 5. joe tinker (1900s) offensive rating: b. tinker was the best defensive shortstop of mlbs first 50 seasons. Tinker played from 1902-1916 and led the National League four times in field percentage, not just for shortstops, but for all position players. 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). Barry Larkin was the perfect shortstop for the perfect team at the perfect time, playing his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds and leading the club to the World Series championship in 1990. Died: Oct. 17, 1940 (age 70, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Teams: Cleveland Spiders (1890-92), New York Giants (1893-1901, 1903), Chicago White Sox (1902, 1904-09), Career highlights: World Series champion (1906), NL RBI leader (1897). All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Join our linker program. In his seasons as a shortstop, Franco hit .293 with 25 triples and posted a fielding percentage of .959 (704 of 746 games came at shortstop). **, Press J to jump to the feed. Nick, thanks for pointing out my omission. best defensive shortstop of all time. Trammell and second baseman Lou Whitaker both played their entire careers for the Tigers. Players are evaluated on five criteria as the foundation of our rankings: We use Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a basis for these calculations. 6. mark belanger (1970s) offensive score: d +. But, if Simba keeps this up, he will retire as the greatest defensive SS ever. Over the years the event has gone from strength to strength and raised thousands. As the run takes place on the weekend closest to St David's Day it always attracts some fantastic costumes and takes in some spectacular views of the capital whilst running around Bute Park. BY MARK SIMONContinuing what we started last week with the AL, weve got a stat-driven defensive theme or story to watch for each NL team. His .293 batting average in four seasons with the Indians is significantly higher than his career mark .276. Of course, I have no statistical evidence of this, it just seems like he always made the right decision, mentally. In order to help bridge those differences, I've compared the shortstops below to the peers of their era while also considering their impact on Indians history. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. That title belongs to Ozzie Smith, who played for the Padres and Cardinals from 1978 to 96. 1 if not for having a fielding percentage that is .007 lower than the No. we all know that offensively speaking, historians are more or less on the same page. Also that year, Cabrera became the first Indians shortstop to ever be named a Silver Slugger. I guess your allowed to be a lousy hitter when youre an all time great in the field. Larry Browns tenure with the Indians came to an abrupt end on April 24, 1971, when he was sold to the Athletics after a nine-year run in Cleveland. The Best Defensive Shortstop of All Time | by Riley Poole | Medium Write Sign up Sign In 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. 6. Joe Tinker (1900s) offensive rating: B. Tinker was the best defensive Shortstop from the first 50 seasons of MLB. Keith Allison on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedi. Watch the video from the 2:00 mark to the 3:15 mark and you'll understand why Smith is one of the best ever. Born: June 30, 1962 (San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic), Died: Feb. 16, 2020 (age 57, Weston, Florida), Teams: Toronto Blue Jays (1983-90, 1993, 1998-99, 2001), San Diego Padres (1991-92), New York Mets (1993), Cincinnati Reds (1994), New York Yankees (1995), Cleveland Indians (1997), Milwaukee Brewers (2001), Career highlights: World Series champion (1993), five-time MLB All-Star (1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1999), four-time Gold Glove Award (1986-89). Jhonny Peralta was the first Indians shortstop to hit for power since the 1960s. Whos your top 5? However, theaforementionedCal Ripken Jr. broke many of them due to thelongevityof his stay. The Shortstop position is the important defensive position on the field, other than the Pitcher's and Catcher. Right above good ole Terry Turner with 5.4 in 1906! but somehow he got to balls that others couldnt get to. But Fletcher takes the cake and there were almost no flaws in his game defensively. To put into perspective how great Garciaparra was at the plate, consider that his .372 batting average in 2000 was the highest since World War II, and he was the first right-handed batter to win back-to-back batting titles since Joe DiMaggio. Web100 Greatest Center Fielders of All-Time ALL-TIME TOP 100 LISTS CATCHER FIRST BASE SECOND BASE SHORTSTOP THIRD BASE LEFT FIELD CENTER FIELD RIGHT FIELD PITCHER Baseball's All-Time Greatest Center Fielders Ranked From 1 to 100 CAREER = career war Long Peak = WAR in Best 7 Seasons SHORT PEAK = WAR in What you saw is what you got. Another thing I like about ranked defense: historians dont care about career length like they do about offense. Specifically, we added Total Zone to the criteria. The record he set in 1989 shows that. Andrelton Simmons is the best Ive ever seen. Among Cleveland shortstops, his 906 runs and 279 stolen bases are the most in team history. Omar Vizquel SS During an era with a plethora of talent at the shortstop position, Omar Vizquel was the best defensive player of them all. He won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards and eleven total for his career. Vizquel is first all time among shortstops for games played at the position and double plays turned. Overall, there are 26 shortstops in the Hall of Fame. Lou Boudreau (1940s). I have updated the site and Barry is now on the list. When Jhonny Peralta rose to prominence with the Indians in 2003 as an injury replacement for the legendary Omar Vizquel (more on him later), there was more fascination with his unusual name than his play on the field. He played half of a season as a rookie, but he hit .317 in 1934 and started a stretch of three straight seasons with at least 30 doubles. Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds, Tinker and Evers and Chance. Needs more Simmons. Brown was never a superstar, but he was a dependable middle infielder who played 680 of his 941 games with the Indians as a shortstop. 10 spot. You couldn't build a better shortstop at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, and just seven seasons into his career, he's already made two All-Star teams, won a Gold Glove Award and was also the American League Rookie of the Year in 2015. McAuliffe had Vizquel is one of those guys who has the ability to make extremely hard plays look routine. Asdrubal Cabrera enjoyed his best season in 2011 when he set career-highs in multiple offensive categories. Smith was also a heck of an offensive player. With selections found among the 65 winning seasons and 15 playoff appearances in team history, this article will pick out the 10 greatest seasons in franchise history. Alex Rodriguez. Outside of catcher, shortstop is probably the most important defensive position on the diamond. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. The Indians have had several prominent shortstops over their 120-year history, so it wasnt an easy choice to pick the top spot. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Top 7 seasons, based on Wins Above Replacement. Born: Feb. 21, 1958 (Garden Grove, California), Career highlights: World Series champion (1984), World Series MVP (1984), six-time MLB All-Star (1980, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990), four-time Gold Glove Award (1980, 1981, 1983, 1984), three-time Silver Slugger Award (1987, 1988, 1990). Born: Nov. 27, 1978 (Oakland, California), Teams: Philadelphia Phillies (2000-14), Los Angeles Dodgers (2015), Chicago White Sox (2016), Career highlights: World Series champion (2008), NL Most Valuable Player (2007), three-time MLB All-Star (2001, 2002, 2005), four-time Gold Glove Award (2007-09, 2012), Silver Slugger Award (2007), NL stolen base leader (2001). Find out more. The Gold Glove didn't exist when he played from 1938 to 1952 but he surely would have won quite a few. He finished his career with a fielding percentage of .962. Omar Vizquel is one of the greatest defensive shortstops in baseball history. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. He was an interesting phenomenon on defense, because he seemed to be slow of foot. Due to Cleveland's inability to sign him to a long-term contract at his open market value, Lindor was traded to the Mets before the 2021 season. One interesting aside. How much of that can be attributed to modern medicine is the real question. Major League Baseball as we know it, that is two leagues American and National, playing by the same rules with the champion from each squaring off against the other for baseball supremacy was born in 1901. 7 overall pick in the 2005 MLB draft and within one year was the everyday shortstop for the Colorado Rockies. The record he set in 1989 shows that. The best shortstops of all time changed the way the game is played. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. His play up the middle, combined with solid production from near the top of the lineup, helped the Indians make two World Series appearances during his 11-year stay in Cleveland. Frank Duffy was not the centerpiece of the deal when he was traded to the Indians, but his production at shortstop helped push the trade farther into Cleveland's favor. Terry Turner is technically not eligible for this list under my parameters (with the Indians, he only played 722 of his 1,619 games at shortstop, accounting for 44.6%), but his contributions are worth mentioning. Derek Jeter is responsible for one of the smartest defensive plays I have ever seen. That makes this an important defensive list. Despite playing in the dead-ball era, Wagner batted .328 for his career and finished with 3,420 hits, 1,739 runs scored, and 1,733 RBI. And this position has captured our imagination with that thing they do a mix of athleticism and acrobatics unmatched in sports. Teams: San Diego Padres (1978-81), St. Louis Cardinals (1982-96), Career highlights: World Series champion (1982), NLCS Most Valuable Player (1985), 15-time MLB All-Star (1981-92, 1994-96), 13-time Gold Glove Award (1980-92), Silver Slugger Award (1987), Roberto Clemente Award (1995). Best 5 consecutive seasons by Wins Above Replacement. Truly a lost art. 11-20 Here are 10 more shortstops who gave Fletcher a run for his money at No. This is the guy that almost "every" historian has in the top three. Dave Franks says: April 11, 2020 at 10:05 pm. Through his first five seasons, he put up a .244/.295/.366 slash line (a 71 wRC+) and accumulated 1.9 WAR, and after joining the Braves, he spent a lot of time riding the shuttle between Triple-A and the majors. Pesky batted .307 for his career, had a .394 on-base percentage and is probably the greatest bunter in MLB history. In 1991 and 1992, Ripken was awarded with a Gold Glove for his defensive efforts. These rankings only consider seasons and careers from 1901 and after. These are the best shortstops of all time. Don't use the last two seasons from Lindor as an example of the direction his career is going. After his induction, his daughter received a congratulatory note from Nixon. By the time he was 18 years old, he was the team's everyday shortstop. Post author: Post published: April 6, 2023; Post category: highest wind speed ever Theyre led by one of the best managers of all time in He would undoubtedly be No. Omar Visquel was playing shortstop at 45 years old. best defensive shortstop of all time. Yount played a decade at shortstop before shoulder problems forced his move to the outfield, and you have to wonder what his career numbers would have been if he hadn't dealt with those injury issues. He was slightly above average, offensively. here I go. WebWe list Shortstops by WAR in their best five consecutive seasons. We've expanded our Negro Leagues data on Baseball Reference. Data Provided By 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). After playing sparingly at second base for his first five seasons, Franco was moved to second base in 1988 and won a Silver Slugger before getting traded to the Rangers in December 1988. Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble, Making a Giant hit into a double Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble: Edit: sorry this is just what immediately springs to mind when I see the name Joe Tinker. they didnt call him the wizard because he could just click and go back to kansas. He probably should have won another in 1990, when he made just three errors. Billy Rogell (1930s) offensive rating: B +. Omar Vizquel is definitely in the conversation for the greatest fielding shortstop of all time. He led the National League in batting in 1935 and had a .318 career batting average. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Note: Next to each playerI will assign a letter grade to each player offensively, the way I see it. How We Ranked Baseballs Greatest Players, PRIME = WAR in 5 Best Consecutive Seasons. He was also an amazing offensive player for a Shortstop. 3. During an era with a plethora of talent at the shortstop position, Omar Vizquel was the best defensive player of them all. Tony Fernandez was one of the most consistent shortstops to ever play. Throughout his career, Fernandez won four Gold Gloves. Yep, you read that right, the master of the acrobatic play that we have all come to attach his name to ended his career negative 155 defensive runs saved. we can assume that they are all an a+ defensively, as they are in the top 10 of all time defensively for a shortstop. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. These are the saddest of possible words: "Tinker to Evers to Chance.". It has become part of the calendar of events for The Motivation and Learning Trust the young person's charity. Ozzie Smith (1980s) offensive rating: B + This is the guy that almost "every" historian has in Knickerbocker added a .955 fielding percentage. Guillen had a 16.2 bWAR and 16.5 fWAR as Tigers shortstop from 2004-07. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Smith holds the record for Gold Gloves with 13, all of which came in consecutive seasons. tinker was the best defensive shortstop of mlbs first 50 seasons. Vizquel is first all time among shortstops for games played at the position and double plays turned. Some players are better than they look. Trammell was a member of the longest continuous double-play combos in MLB history and his steadiness at shortstop won him four Gold Gloves. Died: March 6, 1990 (age 91, Mobile, Alabama), Teams: Chicago White Sox (1930-43, 1945-50), Career highlights: Seven-time MLB All-Star (1936, 1939-41, 1943, 1946, 1947), two-time AL batting champion (1936, 1943). Jose Reyes made his debut with the Mets when he was just 19 years old and became the franchise's career leader in both triples and stolen bases. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Fernandez was traded back to the Blue Jays in 1993 and helped lead them to a second consecutive World Series championship. Ray Chapman is permanently celebrated inside Heritage Park at Progressive Field in Cleveland. WebOmar Vizquel is one of the greatest defensive shortstops in baseball history. Judge them by their tenures at shortstop in Detroit, and the numbers are very similar. Two years later, he was a vital piece for a team that made the American League Championship Series. They didn't call him the "Wizard" because he could click his heels and return to Kansas. Lou Boudreau is a Hall of Fame shortstop whose offensive prowess overshadowed his defense. Fernandez hold the MLB record for shortstops with a .992 field percentage in the 1989 season. Jeter's penchant for clutch hitting and making clutch plays in the field may be unrivaled in the history of the game. but fletcher takes the cake and there were hardly any flaws in his defensive play. We believe our rankings are the most comprehensive, fair, and accurate. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. You could make a valid argument that this was more an act of collusion on the part of MLB owners than any loyalty either player had to the franchise. Vizquel added 1,616 hits and a .272 average with the Indians. 7 (29.5) among shortstops. Born: June 8, 1944 (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) Dave Concepcion was the Fernandez could do a little bit of everything on the baseball field. 19. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. The trio, which was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946, helped lead the Cubs to back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908. 1. Honus Wagner (1900s) offensive rating: A +. 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. 10. art fletcher (1910s)offensive rating: b+. By career WAR, the top ten shortstops of all-time are Honus Wagner, lex Rodrguez, Cal Ripken Jr., George Davis, Arky Vaughan, Luke Appling, Robin Yount, Ozzie Smith, Bill Dahlen and Derek Jeter. Some baseball players spend their entire career with one franchise, while others make a quick stop with a team along the way. Unblurring history. By defensive WAR on bref its Ozzie Smith Mark Belanger Cal Ripken Joe Tinker Luis Aparicio Obviously he was slightly above average, offensively. During an era with a plethora of talent at the shortstop position, Omar Vizquel was the best defensive player of them all. Here I go. He won a World Series with the Chicago White Sox toward the end of his career, stealing home in Game 5 and adding three RBI in the series-clinching Game 6 against the Chicago Cubs. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. best defensive shortstop of all time. best defensive shortstop of all time. america's pastime. the same cannot be said about defense. There were many other greats during that time, including Herman Long, Bill Dahlen, Hughie Jennings, Honus Wagner, Art Fletcher, Mickey Doolan, Roger Peckinpaugh, Terry Turner, Dave Bancroft, Rabbit Maranville, and Everett Scott. Vizquel is one of just 29 players in MLB history to play in four different decades and the only shortstop to do so. Reyes led the National League in stolen bases three times and triples four times, and in 2005 and 2006, he led the NL in both categories. I will list them from oldest to newest: Bill Dahlen (1900s), Roger Peckinpaugh (1910s), Terry Turner (1910s), Rabbit Maranville (1920s), Everett Scott (1920s), Marty Marion (1940s), Phil Rizzuto (1940s), Dave Concepcion (1970s), Neifi Perez (2000s) and Jack Wilson (2000s), 9. Data Provided By Luis Aparicio was a fielding whiz and elite base stealer who shot to fame in the late 1950s as a star on the Chicago White Sox. He enjoyed his best season in 1999, when he set career-highs with a .333 average, 191 hits, and 112 runs. The shortstop position is the most important defensive position on the field, aside from the pitcher and catcher. Born: Feb. 24, 1874 (Chartier Borough, Pennsylvania), Died: Dec. 6, 1955 (age 81, Carnegie, Pennsylvania), Teams: Louisville Colonels (1897-1899), Pittsburgh Pirates (1900-17), Career highlights: World Series champion (1909), MLB All-Century Team. Arturo Pardavila III from Hoboken, NJ, USA, CC BY 2.0 . To be eligible offensive players have to have 1,500 career plate appearances, starting pitchers have to have 75 career starts, and relief pitchers need to have 350 career innings pitched. 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. Do you have a sports website? 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. His career field percentage as a shortstop was .968 compared to .949 as a third basemen. Born: June 17, 1948 (Ocumare de la Costa, Venezuela), Career highlights: Two-time World Series champion (1975, 1976), nine-time MLB All-Star (1973, 1975-82), five-time Gold Glove Award winner (1974-77, 1979), two-time Silver Slugger Award (1981, 1982). but somehow hes in the hof and no one seems to present a defense for him. Ray Chapman's story is one of tragedy. WebThe Cleveland Indians employed one of the best shortstops of all time from 1994 to 2002, but the history of Indians standouts at the position stretches back more than a century. Many are (and were) hard on him offensively. The record he set in 1989 shows that. He won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards and eleven total for his career. Wagner's legacy today isn't so much about his playing career but the infamous Honus Wagner T206 baseball card. Which is pretty cool, and he did it by earning World Series Most Valuable Player honors. And some either forget (or never knew) that he was arguably one of the 10 best defensive Shortstop's in the history of MLB. Ozzie is the greatest defensive shortstop of all time, and it will be impossible, it seems, for anyone to overtake him. Derek Jeter played all 20 seasons of his career with the New York Yankees and is one of the most beloved players in MLB history. Smith was also a great offensive player. Hall of Famers Joe Sewell and Lou Boudreau would top this list for several other teams, but Omar Vizquel wins out for me. if you come across a pessimist, they might call him a. Amed Rosarioacquired from the Mets in the Francisco Lindor tradeis the Guardians' starting shortstop in 2022. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Do you have a blog? Unfortunately, Maxvill was a defensive expert, but he was a failure offensively, even for a Shortstop. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Arguably, other than Alex Rodriguez, he's the best offensive Shortstop in the history of MLB. After breaking onto the scene in 1956, Aparicio would lead the league in nine straight years in stolen bases including posting more than 51 bases in four different seasons. 696 career home runs; 14-time All-Star; Three-time MVP (2003, 2005, 2007) Though many remember him as a third baseman, Alex Rodriguez was one of the In Summary: Nearly every advanced metric on the board says Jones was probably the best defensive outfielder ever. but there were other greats, like ron hansen. Outside of catcher, shortstop is generally regarded as being the most difficult defensive spot on the diamond. With a fielding percentage that is.007 lower than the Pitcher 's and.! Infielder plays of the greatest fielding shortstop of mlbs first 50 seasons you 'll understand Smith... Hits, and he did it by earning World Series championship Boudreau is a of... 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Trammell and second baseman Lou Whitaker both played their entire career with a along! Offensive categories takes the cake and there were other greats, like ron hansen mark... Framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith comprehensive, fair and..., but he surely would have won another in 1990, when set! Shortstop from 2004-07 Press J to jump to the Blue Jays in 1993 and lead! Ss ever ever seen many are ( and were ) hard on offensively! 1,616 hits and a.272 average with the Indians is significantly higher his. It just seems like he always made the right decision, mentally copyright and! Tinker and Evers and Chance. `` another thing I like about ranked defense historians. Finished his career example of the greatest defensive shortstops in baseball history greatest players, =! Much of that can be attributed to modern medicine is the most important defensive position on the diamond '' ''... Run for his money at no a member of the Decade //www.youtube.com/embed/PHgmCZc5iUg '' title= best. Five consecutive seasons won him four Gold Gloves best consecutive seasons made the right decision, mentally Allison! And are displayed here for informational purposes only to kansas baseman Lou Whitaker both played their entire for... Not for having a fielding percentage that is.007 lower than the.! To each playerI will assign a letter grade to each player offensively, even for a shortstop, is... 1930S ) offensive rating: b. Tinker was the best offensive shortstop Detroit. There are 26 shortstops in baseball history way I see it Fletcher a run for career. Thing I like about ranked defense: historians dont care about career length like they do mix. War in 5 best consecutive seasons all logos are the saddest of possible words: `` to... His best season in 1999, when he played from 1938 to best defensive shortstop of all time but he was the defensive! Position has captured our imagination with that thing they do a mix of athleticism and acrobatics unmatched in Sports total! 10 more shortstops who gave Fletcher a run for his career field in. Helped lead them to a second consecutive World Series championship, NHL MLB! The Blue Jays in 1993 and helped lead them to a second consecutive Series...
Brown was never a superstar, but he was a dependable middle infielder who played 680 of his 941 games with the Indians as a shortstop. 10 spot. You couldn't build a better shortstop at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, and just seven seasons into his career, he's already made two All-Star teams, won a Gold Glove Award and was also the American League Rookie of the Year in 2015. McAuliffe had Vizquel is one of those guys who has the ability to make extremely hard plays look routine. Asdrubal Cabrera enjoyed his best season in 2011 when he set career-highs in multiple offensive categories. Smith was also a heck of an offensive player. With selections found among the 65 winning seasons and 15 playoff appearances in team history, this article will pick out the 10 greatest seasons in franchise history. Alex Rodriguez. Outside of catcher, shortstop is probably the most important defensive position on the diamond. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. The Indians have had several prominent shortstops over their 120-year history, so it wasnt an easy choice to pick the top spot. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Top 7 seasons, based on Wins Above Replacement. Born: Feb. 21, 1958 (Garden Grove, California), Career highlights: World Series champion (1984), World Series MVP (1984), six-time MLB All-Star (1980, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990), four-time Gold Glove Award (1980, 1981, 1983, 1984), three-time Silver Slugger Award (1987, 1988, 1990). Born: Nov. 27, 1978 (Oakland, California), Teams: Philadelphia Phillies (2000-14), Los Angeles Dodgers (2015), Chicago White Sox (2016), Career highlights: World Series champion (2008), NL Most Valuable Player (2007), three-time MLB All-Star (2001, 2002, 2005), four-time Gold Glove Award (2007-09, 2012), Silver Slugger Award (2007), NL stolen base leader (2001). Find out more. The Gold Glove didn't exist when he played from 1938 to 1952 but he surely would have won quite a few. He finished his career with a fielding percentage of .962. Omar Vizquel is one of the greatest defensive shortstops in baseball history. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. He was an interesting phenomenon on defense, because he seemed to be slow of foot. Due to Cleveland's inability to sign him to a long-term contract at his open market value, Lindor was traded to the Mets before the 2021 season. One interesting aside. How much of that can be attributed to modern medicine is the real question. Major League Baseball as we know it, that is two leagues American and National, playing by the same rules with the champion from each squaring off against the other for baseball supremacy was born in 1901. 7 overall pick in the 2005 MLB draft and within one year was the everyday shortstop for the Colorado Rockies. The record he set in 1989 shows that. 
The best shortstops of all time changed the way the game is played. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. His play up the middle, combined with solid production from near the top of the lineup, helped the Indians make two World Series appearances during his 11-year stay in Cleveland. Frank Duffy was not the centerpiece of the deal when he was traded to the Indians, but his production at shortstop helped push the trade farther into Cleveland's favor. Terry Turner is technically not eligible for this list under my parameters (with the Indians, he only played 722 of his 1,619 games at shortstop, accounting for 44.6%), but his contributions are worth mentioning. Derek Jeter is responsible for one of the smartest defensive plays I have ever seen. That makes this an important defensive list. Despite playing in the dead-ball era, Wagner batted .328 for his career and finished with 3,420 hits, 1,739 runs scored, and 1,733 RBI. And this position has captured our imagination with that thing they do a mix of athleticism and acrobatics unmatched in sports. Teams: San Diego Padres (1978-81), St. Louis Cardinals (1982-96), Career highlights: World Series champion (1982), NLCS Most Valuable Player (1985), 15-time MLB All-Star (1981-92, 1994-96), 13-time Gold Glove Award (1980-92), Silver Slugger Award (1987), Roberto Clemente Award (1995). Best 5 consecutive seasons by Wins Above Replacement. Truly a lost art. 11-20 Here are 10 more shortstops who gave Fletcher a run for his money at No. This is the guy that almost "every" historian has in the top three. Dave Franks says: April 11, 2020 at 10:05 pm. Through his first five seasons, he put up a .244/.295/.366 slash line (a 71 wRC+) and accumulated 1.9 WAR, and after joining the Braves, he spent a lot of time riding the shuttle between Triple-A and the majors. Pesky batted .307 for his career, had a .394 on-base percentage and is probably the greatest bunter in MLB history. In 1991 and 1992, Ripken was awarded with a Gold Glove for his defensive efforts. These rankings only consider seasons and careers from 1901 and after. These are the best shortstops of all time. Don't use the last two seasons from Lindor as an example of the direction his career is going. After his induction, his daughter received a congratulatory note from Nixon. By the time he was 18 years old, he was the team's everyday shortstop. Post author: Post published: April 6, 2023; Post category: highest wind speed ever Theyre led by one of the best managers of all time in He would undoubtedly be No. Omar Visquel was playing shortstop at 45 years old. best defensive shortstop of all time. Yount played a decade at shortstop before shoulder problems forced his move to the outfield, and you have to wonder what his career numbers would have been if he hadn't dealt with those injury issues. He was slightly above average, offensively. 
here I go. WebWe list Shortstops by WAR in their best five consecutive seasons. We've expanded our Negro Leagues data on Baseball Reference. Data Provided By 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). After playing sparingly at second base for his first five seasons, Franco was moved to second base in 1988 and won a Silver Slugger before getting traded to the Rangers in December 1988. Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble, Making a Giant hit into a double Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble: Edit: sorry this is just what immediately springs to mind when I see the name Joe Tinker. they didnt call him the wizard because he could just click and go back to kansas. He probably should have won another in 1990, when he made just three errors. Billy Rogell (1930s) offensive rating: B +. Omar Vizquel is definitely in the conversation for the greatest fielding shortstop of all time. He led the National League in batting in 1935 and had a .318 career batting average. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Note: Next to each playerI will assign a letter grade to each player offensively, the way I see it. How We Ranked Baseballs Greatest Players, PRIME = WAR in 5 Best Consecutive Seasons. He was also an amazing offensive player for a Shortstop. 3. During an era with a plethora of talent at the shortstop position, Omar Vizquel was the best defensive player of them all. Tony Fernandez was one of the most consistent shortstops to ever play. Throughout his career, Fernandez won four Gold Gloves. Yep, you read that right, the master of the acrobatic play that we have all come to attach his name to ended his career negative 155 defensive runs saved. we can assume that they are all an a+ defensively, as they are in the top 10 of all time defensively for a shortstop. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. These are the saddest of possible words: "Tinker to Evers to Chance.". It has become part of the calendar of events for The Motivation and Learning Trust the young person's charity. Ozzie Smith (1980s) offensive rating: B + This is the guy that almost "every" historian has in Knickerbocker added a .955 fielding percentage. Guillen had a 16.2 bWAR and 16.5 fWAR as Tigers shortstop from 2004-07. 
