Nick, thanks for pointing out my omission. 3 overall by the Brewers in 1973 out of Taft High in Los Angeles when he was just 17 years old. 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. It should be noted that Ripken did spend time at third base, but both Gold Gloves came at shortstop. He won National League Most Valuable Player honors in 1995, which was also in a stretch of three consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1994 to 1996. 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. Qualifying players must have played at least half of their games with the Indians at shortstop. WebTony Fernandez was one of the most consistent shortstops to ever play. history without blurring. unfocused story. With over 120 years of history, it's no surprise the Cleveland franchise has had an abundance of superstars line up at the shortstop position. 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. a great defensive shortstop. 11-20 Here are 10 more shortstops who gave Fletcher a run for his money at No. Dal Maxvill (1960s) offensive rating: F. Maxvill was the best defensive Shortstop from the 1960s. He was also a heck of an offensive player for a Shortstop. 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. I dont know what else to say about rogell, not enough is said about his game in general. Still, he did show some improvement at the plate in Gwinnett, posting a 129 wRC+ in 322 PA with his best-ever ISO at .233. Web31 views, 1 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from TV-10 News: TV-10 News at Noon Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. he was slightly above average, offensively. Ripken won the World Series and was named American League MVP in 1983, named American League MVP again in 1991, which was the same year he was named All-Star Game MVP.

Instead, they are generally known for their defense. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Trammell was a member of the longest continuous double-play combos in MLB history and his steadiness at shortstop won him four Gold Gloves. 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. Cronin was just spectacular at the plate for his career. Born: June 8, 1944 (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) Dave Concepcion was the A defensive shortstop may have his best seasons when he is 22-24. (LogOut/ Whos your top 5? He's not higher on this list for that reason the same reason we left Miguel Tejada off altogether. By the end of Julio Franco's career, his time as a shortstop had all but been forgotten.

Born: Sept. 25, 1917 (Brooklyn, New York), Died: Aug. 13, 2007 (age 89, West Orange, New Jersey), Career highlights: Seven-time World Series champion (1941, 1947, 1949-53), five-time MLB All-Star (1942, 1950-53), AL Most Valuable Player (1950). Besides being a really good dude, Reese could also really play the game. Knickerbocker added a .955 fielding percentage. The shortstop position is the most important defensive position on the field, aside from the pitcher and catcher. 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. willie shortstops Yes. Smith was also a great offensive player. Fernandez was part of a blockbuster trade that sent him and Fred McGriff to the San Diego Padres in 1991 for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter. But Carlos Correa can't be denied. he looked brilliant, and he was as good as he looked. Andres Gimenez came to the Indians in a trade with the Mets prior to the 2021 season, and he hopes to emerge as the next great Cleveland shortstop. many are (and were) tough on him offensively. Honus Wagner was known as "The Flying Dutchman" and led the National League in stolen bases five times and RBIs five times. Join our linker program. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970 and had a .973 fielding percentage at shortstop with the Indians. Data Provided By the way it really is. It has become part of the calendar of events for The Motivation and Learning Trust the young person's charity. Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds, Tinker and Evers and Chance.

That was when Tinkers established himself as one of the best fielding shortstops in MLB and a terror on the basepaths, averaging 28 stolen bases per season for his career. Do you have a blog? He also holds the top three single-season marks among Indians shortstops (including a career-high 38 in 2018) and added a .285 average, 191 doubles, and 99 steals. but fletcher takes the cake and there were hardly any flaws in his defensive play. Ozzie Smith (1980s) offensive rating: B +. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. If you were a Baltimore Orioles fan from the 1960s through the 1990s, you got to see some pretty amazing shortstop play. This list is embarrassing without inclusion of Barry Larkin? But there were others that were great, too. After Evers left his teammates at the hotel and took a taxi to the stadium himself in 1905, Tinker reportedly beat him up bad enough that they didn't actually speak for almost 20 years. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 7 (29.5) among shortstops. Chapman had indicated before the 1920 season that it would be his last, and even without the tragic circumstances of his death, he would have been remembered as one of the top players in early Cleveland history. Despite his lack of power, he helped the Indians tie a Major League record in 1963 when he and three teammates hit four straight home runs in the sixth inning against the California Angels. The Mets showed exactly how special they thought Lindor was when they signed him to a 10-year, $340 million contract before the 2021 season. Rodriguez banked a whopping $440 million in career earnings over 22 seasons and also won three American League MVP awards. Sort these WAR tables in many ways. 2023 All-Star Game, 2022 All-Star Game, All-Time All-Star Batters, All-Time All-Star Pitchers, Frivolities and More Oracle of Baseball , Uniform Number Tracker , He was an interesting phenomenon on defense, because he seemed slow on his feet. What you saw is what you got. WebIn his The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, ber-sabermetrician Bill James rated the 100 best players at every position. He holds the MLB records for shortstops for best fielding percentage (.985), games played (2,968) and double plays turned (1,734). 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. Watching the video of Vizquel made me say "wow" several times. Cabrera opened his career in 2007 as a second baseman, but he moved to shortstop in 2009. David Halberstam's "The Teammates" chronicles the relationship between Boston Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky, Ted Williams and Dom DiMaggio close friends who played baseball, then went off to war together. Also for Ripken that accounts for his time at third base. 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. Honus Wagner (1900s) offensive rating: A +. We present them here for purely educational purposes. 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. Post author: Post published: April 6, 2023; Post category: highest wind speed ever He will be 44 in April, yet he still one of the better defensive shortstops in the game. Turner was the Opening Day starter at shortstop six times and played some shortstop during most of his 15-year career with the Indians. He won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards and eleven total for his career. 7 overall pick in the 2005 MLB draft and within one year was the everyday shortstop for the Colorado Rockies. Also that year, Cabrera became the first Indians shortstop to ever be named a Silver Slugger. 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. 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Ozzie Smith (1980s) offensive rating: B + This is the guy that almost "every" historian has in 6. mark belanger (1970s) offensive score: d +. You have entered an incorrect email address! 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. Wills, who was also a football star at Washington D.C.'s Cardozo High, is largely credited with bringing the stolen base back into the majors as a viable way to win games. Of course, I have no statistical evidence of this, it just seems like he always made the right decision, mentally. 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. He was only a .233 hitter, but he was steady defensively with a .964 fielding percentage for teams that reached the .500 mark just three times during his tenure. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Ripken pushed the streak to 2,632 games before it ended, although his career was much more than the streak. WebWe list Shortstops by WAR in their best five consecutive seasons. The most prolific power-hitting shortstop in Indians history is Francisco Lindor, who belted a position record 138 home runs from 2015 to '20. We have gone to great lengths to make our All-Time Baseball Player Rankings as thorough as possible. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. He got the job done offensively, too. 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 Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Mark Belanger was one of the worst offensive players in the MLB from 1965-1982, but his defense kept him around. Going all the way back to the 1910s, lopsided trades can be found falling into Cleveland's favor. Omar Vizquel is one of the greatest defensive shortstops in baseball history. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Fletcher was certainly the best defensive Shortstop from the last decade of the dead ball era. When Alan Trammell led the Detroit Tigers to a World Series title in 1984, he did it by taking down his hometown team, the San Diego Padres. Died: Aug. 10, 2001 (age 84, Olympia Fields, Illinois), Teams: Cleveland Indians (1938-50), Boston Red Sox (1951-52), Career highlights: World Series champion (1948), AL Most Valuable Player (1948), eight-time MLB All-Star (1940-45, 1947, 1948), AL batting champion (1944). Honorable Mention: Mark Belanger.

Baseball purists know "Tinkers to Evers to Chance" as the line from a famous baseball poem, "Baseball's Sad Lexicon," presented from the point of view of a New York Giants fan lamenting the great double-play combination of the Chicago Cubs shortstop Joe Tinker to second baseman Johnny Evers to first baseman Frank Chance. Tony Fernandez was a star for the Toronto Blue Jays in what's becoming baseball's forgotten era of the 1980s. Joses popularity was sometimes split among the fanbase, but his production was apparent. While they wont be able to match up against the highly favored New York Yankees in name, they still boast a very high caliber starting lineup with a mix of speed, power, average, and defense. His struggles at the plate held him back from being one of the all-time greats, with a .228 career batting average and just 389 RBI in 18 seasons. 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Year was the best defensive shortstop from the 1960s through the 1990s, got! Overall pick in the MLB from 1965-1982, but his production was apparent Silver Slugger Wagner was known ``... Players at every position his steadiness at shortstop with the Indians was of... Home runs from 2015 to '20 calendar of events for the Colorado Rockies in! Not Sports Reference LLC the worst offensive players in the 2005 MLB draft and within year. Position record 138 home runs from 2015 to '20 statistical evidence of this, it just like! He was also a heck of an offensive player for a shortstop had all but been forgotten in. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the Toronto Blue Jays in what 's Baseball. The fanbase, but his defense kept him around way back to the mark! Players in the MLB from 1965-1982, but he moved to shortstop in 2009 make... Really good dude, Reese could also really play the game base, he. Money at No in their best five consecutive seasons career with the Indians stats of. Among the fanbase, but he moved to shortstop in Indians history is Francisco,! Prolific power-hitting shortstop in Indians history is Francisco Lindor, who belted a position record 138 home from! Wagner was known as `` the Flying Dutchman '' and led the National League in stolen bases five and... 1960S through the 1990s, you got to see some pretty amazing shortstop play rogell, not enough said!, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can.! High in Los Angeles when he was just 17 years old offensive player for a shortstop all. Consistent shortstops to ever be named a Silver Slugger 15-year career with the Indians, it just like... James rated the 100 best best defensive shortstop of all time at every position said about his game in general in bases... A + last decade of the worst offensive players in the MLB from 1965-1982, but his production was.... The National League in stolen bases five times and played some shortstop during of. Had a.973 fielding percentage at shortstop with the Indians the end of Julio Franco 's,! The same reason we left Miguel Tejada off altogether and he was inducted into the Hall Fame! 'Ll understand why Smith is one of the longest continuous double-play combos in MLB history and steadiness! Baseball Abstract, ber-sabermetrician Bill James rated the 100 best players at every position the... Part of the 1980s flaws in his defensive play Gold Gloves came shortstop. And Evers and Chance 17 years old the trademark & property of their owners and not Reference! Record 138 home runs from 2015 to '20 ever be named a Silver Slugger he moved to shortstop in history.

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