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Best Fielding Shortstops
dallasactuary
Posts: 4,119 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Sports Talk
Same intro/caveats as the catchers:
Luis Aparicio: Not the best in history, or even close, at anything but no weakness anywhere and easily the best shortstop of his time.
Mark Belanger: only 1 behind Ozzie in zone runs and #1 in zone runs per game.
Art Fletcher: Deadball era SS. Didn't lead the league in key stats as often as the rest of the top 10 but both WAR and Win Shares have him among the very best.
Jack Glass*****: best SS in the early NL; led the league in most things most years. Fielding % compared to league average is best all-time, and range factor ratio is top 5.
Hughie Jennings: HOFer perhaps better known for his one-of-a-kind ability to get hit by a pitch, he played in the late 19th century. Best of his time, he led the league in key stats frequently and had tremendous range.
Marty Marion: 1940's SS with the highest Win shares per game in history. Does fine in key stats, but stands out mostly for being great at everything, despite not leading the league as often as some others.
Everett Scott: Babe Ruth's teammate for many years, Scott led the league in fielding % 8 years in a row, and career fielding % compared to league average is second all-time.
Ozzie Smith: Yes, he was the greatest SS ever. Career leader in WAR, Win Shares and Zone Runs, tied for most seasons leading the league in range factor and in fielding %, and a huge lead in number of seasons leading the league in Win Shares.
Joe Tinker: of Tinker to Evers to Chance fame. Fielding % was good but unspectacular, but great range and WAR and Win Shares have him top 5.
Troy Tulowitzki: His career seems to be coming to an inglorious close in Toronto this year as both his hitting and fielding are a shadow of what they once were. And his career isn't that long, so you may not agree he deserves to be here for that reason. But man, was he great for about 8 years. He is the all-time leader in fielding % at .985 and he's led the league in fielding % and range factor more often than anyone but Ozzie despite his short career.
Luis Aparicio: Not the best in history, or even close, at anything but no weakness anywhere and easily the best shortstop of his time.
Mark Belanger: only 1 behind Ozzie in zone runs and #1 in zone runs per game.
Art Fletcher: Deadball era SS. Didn't lead the league in key stats as often as the rest of the top 10 but both WAR and Win Shares have him among the very best.
Jack Glass*****: best SS in the early NL; led the league in most things most years. Fielding % compared to league average is best all-time, and range factor ratio is top 5.
Hughie Jennings: HOFer perhaps better known for his one-of-a-kind ability to get hit by a pitch, he played in the late 19th century. Best of his time, he led the league in key stats frequently and had tremendous range.
Marty Marion: 1940's SS with the highest Win shares per game in history. Does fine in key stats, but stands out mostly for being great at everything, despite not leading the league as often as some others.
Everett Scott: Babe Ruth's teammate for many years, Scott led the league in fielding % 8 years in a row, and career fielding % compared to league average is second all-time.
Ozzie Smith: Yes, he was the greatest SS ever. Career leader in WAR, Win Shares and Zone Runs, tied for most seasons leading the league in range factor and in fielding %, and a huge lead in number of seasons leading the league in Win Shares.
Joe Tinker: of Tinker to Evers to Chance fame. Fielding % was good but unspectacular, but great range and WAR and Win Shares have him top 5.
Troy Tulowitzki: His career seems to be coming to an inglorious close in Toronto this year as both his hitting and fielding are a shadow of what they once were. And his career isn't that long, so you may not agree he deserves to be here for that reason. But man, was he great for about 8 years. He is the all-time leader in fielding % at .985 and he's led the league in fielding % and range factor more often than anyone but Ozzie despite his short career.
This is for you @thisistheshow - Jim Rice was actually a pretty good player.
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Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Also, what about Don Kessinger of the Cubs?
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
No contest.....Ozzie Smith. And I'm not a STL fan.
Sure. Then Omar Visquel, and Honus Wagner.
Vizquel is first all time among shortstops for games played at the position and double plays turned. He also retired with the highest career fielding percentage and once went 95 consecutive games without committing an error.
Wagner finished first among shortstops in fielding percentage four times, had the best range factor for shortstops four times, and led shortstops in putouts twice.
No contest.....Ozzie Smith. And I'm not a STL fan.
Sure. Then Omar Visquel, and Honus Wagner.
Vizquel is first all time among shortstops for games played at the position and double plays turned. He also retired with the highest career fielding percentage and once went 95 consecutive games without committing an error.
Wagner finished first among shortstops in fielding percentage four times, had the best range factor for shortstops four times, and led shortstops in putouts twice.
Wagner was close; somewhere from 15 to 25. But he wasn't as good as Tinker or Fletcher and I wasn't going to put 3 shortstops from the 1900's-1910's in the top 10.
Vizquel, however, was not close. I don't recall how many I started with before I started eliminating but Vizquel was not in the original group. He was very good for a short time, and he played so long that he accumulated more of many things than others, but over the course of his career he wasn't that great. Compared to the top 10, Vizquel would be dead last, and by a mile, in Fielding % compared to league average, in WAR per game, in Win Shares per game, in range factor and in zone runs per game. He does about average in league leaders, but is a distant third compared to his relative contemporaries, Smith and Tulowitzki. Briefly a great shortstop, overall a very good shortstop, but not top 10 material.