Apr 6

Apr 6 The 5 Greatest Shortstops of All-Time

Erich Heinlein

Opinion

The Best Shortstops in Baseball History

There is no doubt shortstops have one of the hardest jobs in baseball.

They need one of the best two to three arms in the infield, not counting the pitcher.

But who are the greatest shortstops of all-time? Read on to find out!

Iconic shortstop Nomar Garciaparra in action!

If a shortstop beats, it’s usually by either the third baseman or catcher- and they are also one of the rangiest players on the field, due to the amount of ground they have to cover.

Read about the 5 greatest shortstops of all-time, including iconic players throughout history.

1. Ozzie Smith

Career highlight stats

15 All-Star games
13 Gold Glove awards
World Series win in 1982

Ozzie Smith was nicknamed the Wizard of Oz due to his ability to do cartwheels and many spectacular plays on defence.

The other thing that diehard baseball fans will know is that he also hit one of the most famous home runs in Cardinal’s history!

This occurred as a walk-off home run in game 5 of the National League Championship Series and a call in which announcer Joe Buck told the Saint Louis crowd to “go crazy.”

That specific win put the Cardinals ahead in the series 3-2 after losing the first two games in the series to the Los Angeles Dodgers- and they eventually won the series in six games.

He also had a lot of other accolades, including 15 All-Star games, 13 Gold Glove awards, winning the World Series in 1982 and winning the NLCS MVP in 1985.

Statistically, Smith racked up season-leading numbers on a routine basis on defence.

This included finishing in the top five in assists in 17 years of his 19-year career and leading the league eight times.

He also defended the Gold Glove Award from 1980-1992.

2. Cal Ripken Jr.

Career stat highlights

Held the single consecutive games record at 2,632 games
Two Gold Glove awards
1982 Rookie of the Year winner

Cal Ripken Junior is known as a reliable shortstop, as he held the single consecutive games record at 2,632 consecutive games.

This broke Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130 games, which at one point included 8,243 consecutive innings.

The streak itself went from May 30, 1982, until September 19, 1998, a game where Ripken chose to remove himself from the lineup against a game versus the New York Yankees.

While Ripken showed up every day for over a decade, he didn’t just show up- he also shone during that time.

During his career, he won the 1982 Rookie of the Year, won Gold Gloves in 1991 and 1992 and he finished in the top five in double plays in 15 seasons of his 19-year career.

This included leading the league eight times and winning eight Silver Sluggers.

The craziest thing about Ripken’s streak? This streak was longer than some players’ careers!

This includes:

Kirby Puckett (1,783 games)
Lenny Dykstra (1,287 games)
Cecil Fielder (1,470 games)
Don Mattingly (1,785 games)

3. Derek Jeter

Career highlight stats

1996 Rookie of the Year winner
Two Gold Glove awards
Four Silver Slugger awards

Derek Jeter had the privilege of spending his career with the storied New York Yankees and he achieved numerous accomplishments throughout his career.

This included winning the 1996 Rookie of the Year, the 2000 All-Star game and the World Series.

Jeter was the first in history to win both MVP awards in the same year. He also won the World Series the same year and he hit a game-tying homer in game 5.

For the World Series, Jeter hit .409 with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, two RBI and three walks.

Jeter also won Gold Gloves in 2004 and 2006 and four Silver Sluggers- three of which were consecutive from 2006-2008, and he also got another in 2012.

He also won the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 2009.

In 2009, Jeter was 35 years old and an accomplished Captain of the Yankees.

He was still putting up astonishing numbers, which included a 432 on-base percentage and he also won the Roberto Clemente Award.

This award is given to a baseball player who also gives back to the community.

4. Nomar Garciaparra

Career highlight stats

2006 Comeback Player of the Year Award winner
1997 Rookie of the Year Award winner
Batting champion in 1999 and 2000

Nomar Garciappara won the 2006 National League Comeback Player of the Year with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He played the final weeks of the season with an injured oblique and left quadricep, an injury he suffered in a playoff game against the New York Mets.

He also played shortened seasons in 2004 and 2005.

While Garciappara won the Comeback Player of the Year Award with the Dodgers, he actually spent most seasons of his career with the Boston Red Sox (1996-2004).

Although the Red Sox did win the World Series in 2004, he was not part of the team that officially won the World Series as he was traded to the Cubs before the trade deadline in 2004.

Garciappara also won the 1997 Rookie of the Year and he was the batting champion in 1999 and 2000.

5. Honus Wagner

Career highlight stats

Played right field and third base, too
Played with the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates
Won the league’s batting title eight times in 20 years

Honus Wagner played in a completely different era (1897-1917) than everybody else on this list, making it hard to make exact statistical comparisons.

However, one of the big things Wagner accomplished was that he didn’t just play shortstop, unlike the other players on this list.

He also played right field and third base, something that rarely happens in today’s games.

He spent his career with the Louisville Colonels from 1897-1899 and then he went to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played from 1900 to 1917.

From a statistical perspective, one thing that almost any baseball historian should be able to appreciate is that on average Wagner won the league’s batting title almost every other year.

This worked out at eight times in 20 years. He won them in 1899, 1900, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, and 1911.

Hall of Fame Manager John McGraw is quoted as saying:

“You can have your Cobbs, your Lajoies, your Chases, your Bakers, but I'll take Wagner as my pick of the greatest.
He is not only a marvelous mechanical player, but he has the quickest baseball brain I have ever observed.”