In November-December, 1997, there was a discussion on SABR-L about the Hall-of-Fame cases for Phil Rizzuto and Pee-Wee Reese. One of the issues raised was how Rizzuto compared to the "average" shortstop. One way to look at this is to take the average totals of the regular shortstops for each team in the league and then total these over a player's career.
I found the average SS performance levels and then compared them to actual totals for several shortstops with long careers. Some of these players had seasons as regulars at other positions. For these seasons, the average for that position was calculated. If the player was not the team's regular shortstop, batting records for regulars were adjusted to the actual number of games played and fielding records were adjusted to the actual number of games played at shortstop. I used the unrounded averages when computing totals, so the totals will come out slightly differently than what is found using the totals at the Average SS site, but the numbers will not be significantly different.Totals that appear in green indicate that data was not available for all seasons. For some of the shortstops I've computed an "offensive won-lost percentage" (OWL) base on a comparison with the average SS using the RC/G and the "Pythagorean formula": player^2/(player^2+avgSS^2).
The statistics have been compiled from the "Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball"(by Neft and Cohen), Total Baseball, the Bill James Electronic Baseball Encyclopedia from Miller Associates, Marshall Wright's Nineteenth Century Baseball (MacFarland Press), David Nemec's The Great Encyclopedia of 19th-Century Baseball, The Sporting News Guide and STATS, Inc. Handbooks. Please give credit to me if you find a use for these numbers.
The results are tabulated below.
Mark Wernick offered an excellent criticism on SABR-L
I had the impression that he drew some unwarranted conclusions from
his numbers, probably because his analysis is heavily slanted in the
direction of career value, with little or no attention to peak value.
I have now included some "peak values" for each of the players along with some comments in italics. To find the peak values I took totals over five adjacent seasons as a regular SS. (the seasons might not have been consecutive)
I took the highest five-year OWL and the highest five-year RF relative to the average (player RF - average RF) and listed these for each of the players.
A cross check of the totals revealed several minor errors and a few major errors - most notably the improved offensive performance of Aparicio, Marion and Concepcion relative to the average player and the relative decline in Concepcion's fielding statistics.
Corrected statistics were posted April 6, 1998.
Go to some rankings comparing the players.
Luis Aparicio 18yrs., 18 yrs. SS, Hall of Fame, 1984, writers, 6th ballot
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 2426 8514 2123 331 67 136 778 1025 771 1150 175 .249 .312 .352 .664 3.73
Aparicio 2599 10230 2677 394 92 83 791 1335 736 742 506 .262 .311 .343 .654 3.68
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 2294 3919 6749 383 1365 .965 4.65 .595
Aparicio 2581 4548 8016 366 1553 .972 4.87 .602
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .634 3.38
1969-73 .678 4.03 107 .586 1958-62 +.42 +.010 +.015
An average SS offensively, but was one of the leaders in the return of the stolen base. His OWL of .494 was strangely constructed. He started out as a bad hitter, even for a shortstop and continually improved.
He had a late offensive peak that came after he stopped leading the league in stolen bases and a good defensive peak.
Luke Appling 20 yrs., 15 yrs. SS, 1 yr. 3b, 4 yrs. back-up, 1 yr. WWII, Hall of Fame, 1964, writers, 8th ballot
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 2338 8743 2445 444 94 104 1078 1253 1001 716 125 .280 .354 .387 .741 4.85
Appling 2422 8856 2749 440 102 45 1116 1319 1302 528 179 .310 .399 .398 .797 5.87
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 2031 4070 6198 493 1315 .954 5.05 .648
Appling 2218 4398 7218 643 1424 .948 5.24 .642
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .747 4.95
1933-37 .678 6.91 113 .660 1932-36 +.44 -.005 +.062
More than a run above the average SS of his time. He had good range, but did make a few more errors than the typical SS of his era. Turned in an OWL of .595 over a long career.
Turned in a very good, though not spectacular, peak performance. His strength was that he stayed at a high level for a long time.
Dave Bancroft 16yrs., 14 yrs. SS, 2 yrs. back-up, Hall of Fame, 1971, veterans, most votes 1958: 43/266
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 1867 6898 1865 280 94 42 682 879 525 485 146 .270 .322 .356 .678 4.01
Bancroft 1913 7182 2004 320 77 32 591 1048 827 487 145 .279 .353 .358 .711 4.48
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1751 3896 5881 581 944 .944 5.58 .539
Bancroft 1873 4623 6561 660 1017 .944 5.97 .543
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .xxx 4.45
1921-3,5-6 .xxx 6.08 114 .651 1916-20 +.62 +.002 +.065
A good hitter whose range is among the best of any long time SS this century.
Bancroft turned in a decent OWL of .556. Along with his outstanding fielding, this might make him a marginal hall-of-famer.
His peak fielding was almost as good and his peak offensive performance was "championship caliber", about the same as Pee Wee Reese's.
Ernie Banks 19 yrs., 9 yrs. 1b, 8 yrs. SS, 1 yr. back-up SS, 1 yr. back-up 1b, Hall of Fame, 1977, writers, 1st ballot
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 2404 8417 2267 364 67 264 1116 1093 807 1181 78 .269 .333 .423 .756 4.91
Banks 2528 9421 2583 407 90 512 1636 1305 763 1236 50 .274 .329 .500 .829 5.77
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1044 1915 3099 186 655 .964 4.80 .627
Banks 1185 2087 3441 174 724 .969 4.66 .611
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .729 4.59
1955-59 .945 7.66 130 .736 1957-61 +.16 +.008 +.004
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 1108 3906 1045 164 35 85 431 500 361 422 40 .267 .329 .392 .721 4.50
Banks '53-'61 1216 4670 1355 210 59 298 858 751 452 577 37 .290 .353 .552 .905 6.99
Avg 1b 1296 4511 1222 201 32 179 685 593 446 759 38 .271 .337 .449 .786 5.28
Banks '62-'71 1312 4751 1228 197 31 214 778 554 311 659 13 .258 .304 .448 .752 4.69
As a shortstop he turned in an OWL of .707, the best since Wagner.
His years at first base (OWL .441) brought his OWL down to .580.
Combined with his somewhat poor range at shortstop,
He became a rather marginal candidate for the hall of fame through his inability to continue at short.
His offensive statistics were also somewhat inflated by Wrigley.
One of the best ambassadors that game has ever had.
His offensive peak was the fourth highest ever, though he never made a lot of plays, his offensive peak was Hall-of-Famer caliber
Mark Belanger 18 yrs, 13 yrs SS, 5 yrs. back-up
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 1944 6580 1632 244 45 76 578 747 554 833 148 .248 .307 .334 .641 3.47
Belanger 2016 5784 1316 175 33 20 389 676 576 839 167 .228 .297 .280 .577 2.75
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1824 2995 5467 288 1071 .967 4.64 .587
Belanger 1942 3005 5786 210 1054 .977 4.53 .543
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .634 3.38
1969-73 .609 3.11 96 .459 1973-77 +.34 +.014 +.054
His OWL of .385 led to his being pinch-hit for a huge number of times by Weaver.
This might have knocked down his range factor more than the typical shortstop, artificially depressing his per game fielding statistics. Received 16 votes from 427 writers in the 1988 Hall-of-Fame balloting. His peak fielding numbers were pretty good despite the pinch-hitting
Lou Boudreau 15 yrs., 10yrs. SS, 5 yrs. back-up, Hall of Fame, 1970, writers, 10th ballot
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 1580 5811 1580 260 52 73 669 795 674 478 72 .272 .348 .372 .720 4.53
Boudreau 1646 6029 1779 385 66 68 789 861 796 309 51 .295 .377 .415 .792 5.66
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1445 2855 4356 322 961 .957 4.99 .665
Boudreau 1539 3132 4760 223 1180 .973 5.13 .767
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .710 4.39
1944-48 .840 6.59 118 .692 1943-47 +.29 +.020 +.135
Boudreau's .609 OWL and good fielding make him an obvious hall-of-famer.
Larry Bowa 16 yrs, 15 yrs SS, 1 yr. back-up
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 2105 7430 1880 271 70 45 595 836 589 830 220 .253 .308 .327 .635 3.44
Bowa 2247 8418 2191 262 99 15 525 987 474 569 318 .260 .300 .320 .620 3.31
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 2023 3277 6267 332 1165 .966 4.72 .576
Bowa 2222 3314 6857 211 1265 .980 4.58 .569
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .642 3.53
1974-78 .655 3.79 102 .534 1971-75 +.00 +.014 + .044
A sure-handed fielder with a .481 OWL and below average range. A useful shortstop for a long time for the Phillies. Received 11 votes from 447 writers in the 1991 Hall-of-Fame balloting.
Bert Campaneris 19 yrs, 15 yrs. SS, 4 yrs. back-up
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 2301 7891 1959 297 59 101 695 908 669 1028 182 .248 .307 .339 .646 3.53
Campaneris 2328 8684 2249 313 86 79 646 1181 618 1142 649 .259 .308 .342 .650 3.63
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 2055 3399 6105 330 1191 .966 4.62 .580
Campaneris 2097 3608 6064 365 1186 .964 4.61 .566
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .622 3.25
1970-74 .663 3.79 107 .575 1968-72 +.21 -.002 +.041
Turned in a long career as a regular. Had a .513 OWL and average fielding statistics.
Comparable to Phil Rizzuto. Campaneris had a longer career, was faster,
and had better range, but was less sure handed. Received 14 votes from 447 writers in the 1989 Hall-of-Fame balloting.
Dave Concepcion 19 yrs., 16 yrs. SS, 3 yrs. back-up
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 2428 8499 2151 314 78 59 697 957 675 982 253 .253 .308 .329 .637 3.46
Concepcion 2488 8723 2326 389 48 101 950 993 736 1186 321 .267 .324 .357 .681 4.02
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 2150 3474 6633 351 1234 .966 4.70 .574
Concepcion 2178 3670 6594 311 1290 .971 4.71 .592
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .631 3.39
1973-77 .718 4.52 114 .640 1972-76 +.38 +.004 +.071
On of the mainstays of the Big Red Machine. An OWL of .574 and average fielding stats make him a shoo-in for the Hall-of-Good. His Hall-of-Fame vote totals have been rising fairly steadily since he became eligible in 1994; 31-43-63-60-80(out of 473 ballots).
He did have a strong peak during the height of the Machine, comparable to Pee Wee Reese and Bobby Wallace's peak years.
Joe Cronin 20 yrs., 12 yrs. SS, 2 yrs. back-up SS, 3 yrs. back-up 3b, 2 yrs. back-up 2b, 1 yr. back-up 1b, Hall of Fame, 1956, writers, 11th ballot
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 1929 7105 1972 370 84 75 894 1010 753 599 105 .277 .347 .385 .732 4.71
Cronin 2124 7577 2285 514 118 170 1423 1233 1059 700 87 .302 .387 .468 .855 6.61
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1597 3195 4847 429 991 .949 5.04 .621
Cronin 1843 3696 5814 485 1165 .951 5.16 .632
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .719 4.50
1929-33 .868 6.93 121 .703 1930-34 +.34 +.010 +.031
Probably the best hitting shortstop among retired AL shortstops. He had an OWL of .663 and good range.
George Davis 20yrs., 10 yrs. SS, 5 yrs. 3b, 2 yrs. CF, 1 yr. 2b, 2 yrs. back-up, Hall of Fame, 1998, veterans
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 2269 8582 2295 348 131 54 1070 1298 750 206 425 .267 .326 .357 .683 4.06
Davis 2378 9027 2683 442 167 73 1432 1546 870 180 632 .297 .359 .407 .766 5.31
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1234 2769 4158 528 455 .929 5.61 .369
Davis 1372 3231 4787 511 589 .940 5.84 .429
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .678 4.00
1897-1901 .803 6.06 118 .696 1897-1901 +.52 +.013 +.078
Star with the 1906 White Sox, he had an OWL of .631 and good fielding statistics.
His peak hitting and fielding statistics around the turn of the century were definitiely Hall-of-Fame caliber
Dick Groat 14 yrs., 13 yrs. SS, 1 yr. back-up
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 1832 6427 1689 255 53 107 641 774 556 750 99 .263 .321 .369 .690 4.10
Groat 1929 7484 2138 352 67 39 707 829 490 512 14 .286 .330 .366 .696 4.31
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1708 3040 5058 296 1033 .965 4.74 .605
Groat 1877 3505 5811 374 1237 .961 4.96 .659
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .672 3.87
1960-64 .733 4.88 109 .614 1958-62 +.36 -.002 +.151
I was curious to see how he would compare to Rizzuto. Both won an MVP award and played in some World Series. Groat appears to have been a better hitter (.514 OWL) and better fielder, his career appears as long as Rizzuto's only because of World War II. Peaked at 7 votes in the 1973(380 writers) and 1976(388 writers) Hall-of-Fame balloting. Received a total of 29 votes in 6 HOF elections. He hit only 30 HR in his years with the Pirates. Only 5 of these were hit in Forbes field.
Had a "championship caliber" peak level of performance, though I wouldn't call it Hall-of-Fame caliber. His high double-play rate probably had something to do with his secondbaseman.
Travis Jackson 15 yrs., 9 yrs. SS, 2 yrs. 3b, 4 yrs. back-up, Hall of Fame, 1982 veterans
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 1601 5861 1625 271 74 54 674 791 480 464 72 .277 .332 .376 .708 4.41
Jackson 1656 6086 1768 291 86 135 929 833 412 565 71 .291 .335 .433 .768 5.22
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF RC/G
Avg SS 1205 2662 4001 347 774 .950 5.53 .643
Jackson 1326 2877 4635 381 826 .952 5.67 .623
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .714 4.49
1926-30 .846 6.45 118 .673 1925-29 +.34 +.007 +.058
He had a good (.584) OWL and good range. The biggest negative is that he was a regular shortstop for only 9 seasons. Peaked at 14 votes (out of 193) in the 1956 HOF balloting.
His peak OWL was excellent and peak RF was good.
Hugh Jennings 17yrs., 7yrs. SS, 3 yrs. 1b, 7 yrs. back-up, Hall of Fame, 1945, Committee on Old-Timers
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 1287 5012 1416 240 90 38 640 819 406 149 257 .283 .336 .389 .725 4.64
Jennings 1285 4904 1527 232 88 18 840 994 347 117 359 .311 .357 .406 .763 5.36
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 825 1802 2813 472 341 .907 5.60 .413
Jennings 899 2390 3147 470 411 .922 6.16 .457
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .748 4.95
1894-98 .882 7.72 119 .709 1891-2,4-6 +.74 +.020 +.072
Elected for playing on the 1890's Orioles and managing the Tigers for many years. He only had 10 years as a regular, but was a good offensive (.571 OWL) and defensive performer. On the other hand, he did move to first base at a rather young age and the last 4 of his 17 years were just a few emergency appearances with the Tigers. Was one of 9 players voted in the the Committee of Old-Timers in 1945. In the writers balloting that year he had received 92 of 247 votes.
He had a spectacular peak during the Orioles glory years. His peak RF was second only to Ozzie Smith's.
Barry Larkin 12 yrs., 10 yrs. SS, 2 yrs. back-up, still active
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 1368 4714 1225 208 38 66 452 578 415 638 123 .260 .320 .362 .682 3.99
Larkin 1401 5170 1547 271 51 139 646 862 592 507 289 .299 .371 .452 .823 6.11
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1320 1964 3725 183 706 .969 4.31 .535
Larkin 1354 2138 3995 164 711 .974 4.53 .525
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .660 3.71
1988-92 .806 5.91 122 .717 1988-92 +.45 +.004 -.003
His .701 OWL will drop during the next few years as will his range in the field, but he's still a likely future Hall-of-Famer. If he can last 20 years, he'll probably go in on the first ballot. He's about as far above the other NL shortstops as Ernie Banks was in the 50's.
His peak OWL is definitely Hall-of-Fame caliber, almost as high as Banks, and he had good peak RF.
Rabbit Maranville 23 yrs., 15 yrs. SS, 3 yrs. 2b, 5 yrs. back-up, Hall of Fame, 1954, writers, 14th ballot
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 2476 9194 2514 394 126 61 926 1182 710 659 199 .273 .325 .364 .689 4.15
Maranville 2670 10078 2605 380 177 28 884 1255 839 756 291 .258 .315 .340 .655 3.68
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1924 4251 6399 623 1024 .945 5.53 .532
Maranville 2153 5145 7357 631 1183 .952 5.81 .549
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .682 4.08
1917,19-22 .701 4.32 103 .528 1914-17,19 +.59 +.008 +.098
He had an OWL of .440, the lowest of the Hall of Fame shortstops and very good fielding numbers.
He lost a year of his peak to World War I. His peak RF is one of the better totals turned in.
Marty Marion 13 yrs., 11 yrs. SS, 2 yrs. back-up
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 1503 5381 1370 233 40 53 531 624 469 474 68 .255 .314 .342 .656 3.68
Marion 1572 5506 1448 272 37 36 624 602 470 537 35 .263 .321 .345 .666 3.84
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF RC/G
Avg SS 1425 2773 4408 305 846 .959 5.04 .594
Marion 1547 2986 4829 252 978 .969 5.05 .632
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .636 3.38
1942-46 .683 4.05 108 .588 1945-49 +.25 +.012 +.051
A slick-fielding shortstop whose name popped up in the SABR-L discussion. Turned in an OWL of .520 and made an average number of plays in the field. Peaked at 40% (120 out of 300) of the writers votes in the 1970 HOF balloting.
Despite the fact that his peak included some war years, he's not Hall-of-Fame caliber.
Roy McMillan 16 yrs., 13 yrs. SS, 3 yrs. back-up
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 2029 7180 1892 291 63 123 728 896 638 808 105 .263 .324 .373 .697 4.18
McMillan 2093 6752 1639 253 35 68 594 739 665 711 41 .243 .311 .321 .632 3.36
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1889 3411 5588 338 1160 .964 4.76 .614
McMillan 2028 3705 6191 290 1304 .972 4.88 .643
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .726 4.55
1955-58,60 .679 3.94 93 .429 1952-56 +.38 +.007 +.092
Another slick-fielding shortstop with good range. His OWL was an awful .392. Peaked at 9 votes (out of 396) in the 1972 HOF balloting. Received 18 votes in 3 HOF elections.
Fred Patek 14 yrs., 11 yrs. SS, 3 yrs. back-up
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 1635 5503 1363 197 39 49 470 620 456 681 123 .248 .305 .324 .629 3.36
Patek 1650 5530 1340 216 55 41 490 736 523 787 385 .242 .308 .324 .632 3.35
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1541 2514 4656 248 911 .967 4.65 .591
Patek 1588 2690 4786 293 1004 .962 4.71 .632
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .610 3.12
1969,71-74 .623 3.24 102 .520 1971-5 +.47 -.001 +.154
An OWL of .499 and decent range. He was a useful shortstop for several years.
His numbers may be the closest to "average" of any long-time shortstop, especially if you adjust for his home parks. (poor HR, good 2b-3b parks)
His peak fielding was pretty good and he was average or close to average until the late '70's.
Pee Wee Reese 16 yrs., 14 yrs. SS, 1 yr. 3b, 1 yr. back-up, 3 yrs. in WWII, Hall of Fame, 1984, veterans
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 2045 7390 1932 306 63 115 774 931 678 711 86 .261 .323 .367 .690 4.09
Reese 2166 8058 2170 330 80 126 885 1338 1210 890 232 .269 .365 .377 .742 4.80
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1925 3604 5722 383 1147 .961 4.84 .596
Reese 2014 4040 5891 388 1246 .962 4.93 .619
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .664 3.77
1942,46-9 .766 5.16 115 .652 1941-2,6-8 +.23 -.001 +.051
Lost 3 peak years to World War II but still played 16 years in the majors. Had an OWL of .579 and fairly good range. Peaked at 186 votes out of 388 in the 1976 HOF balloting.
Cal Ripken 17yrs., 15 yrs. SS, 1 yr. 3b, 1 yr. back-up, still active
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 2138 7346 1934 338 53 126 807 952 597 987 150 .263 .319 .375 .694 4.14
Ripken 2543 9832 2715 517 43 370 1453 1445 1016 1106 36 .276 .344 .450 .794 5.46
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1900 2949 5425 248 1168 .971 4.41 .615
Ripken 2302 3650 6977 225 1564 .979 4.62 .679
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .691 4.11
1982-86 .842 6.21 122 .695 1982-86 +.50 +.005 +.092
A great shortstop for a long time. He hit with power and has a .635 OWL so far.
That'll drop a little as he finishes out his career, but his fielding numbers a probably just about finalized at very good.
He should be a first ballot Hall-of-Famer and has a chance to be a 20 year man with one team, allegedly an extinct entity.
His performanced was best during his younger years and was certainly Hall-of-Fame caliber
Phil Rizzuto 13 yrs., 11 yrs. SS, 2 back-up, 3 yrs. in WWII, Hall of Fame, 1994 veterans
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 1581 5759 1562 246 54 72 634 794 678 480 63 .271 .348 .370 .718 4.51
Rizzuto 1661 5816 1588 239 62 38 563 877 650 397 149 .273 .346 .355 .701 4.31
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1500 2877 4438 291 998 .962 4.88 .666
Rizzuto 1647 3219 4666 263 1217 .968 4.79 .739
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .695 4.18
1950-54 .715 4.47 103 .533 1941-2,6-8 +.17 +.006 +.094
Lost 3 years to World War II. Turned in an OWL of .477 and made a below-average number of plays in the field. His numbers are somewhat inflated by the era that he played in, but not enough to make them look like Hall-of-Fame numbers. I think that he belongs in the hall, but in the broadcasters wing. Peaked at 149 votes out of 388 in the 1976 HOF balloting. Consistently received fewer votes that Reese in the HOF balloting;
Ballot: 64-RO 66 67-RO 68-69-70 '71-'72-'73 '74-'75-'76 Reese: 73-47 95 89-16 81-89-97 127-129-126 141-154-186 Rizzuto: 45-11 54 71-14 74-78-79 92-103-111 111-117-144There were run-off elections in 1964 and 1967. Reese was on the writers ballot 1964-1978, Rizzuto 1963-1976. His peak RF probably would have been higher if he hadn't lost those war years. His peak level was similar to Fred Patek's; a little better offense, but weaker defense.
Joe Sewell 14 yrs, 8 yrs. SS, 5 yrs. 3b, 1 yr. back-up, Hall of Fame,1977, veterans
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 1718 6195 1720 292 75 38 762 845 602 390 103 .278 .342 .367 .719 4.43
Sewell 1903 7132 2226 436 68 49 1051 1141 844 114 74 .312 .385 .413 .798 5.89
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1034 2095 3143 295 550 .947 5.07 .532
Sewell 1216 2591 3933 333 674 .951 5.37 .554
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .692 4.22
1921-25 .836 6.58 121 .709 1924-28 +.41 +.016 + .038
The "toughest man to strike out" doesn't look like a bad selection. His offense was inflated by the era he played in but is still very good for a shortstop (OWL of .639) and he showed good range. Peaked at 23 votes out of 269 in the 1960 HOF balloting. He received at total of 31 votes in seven HOF elections.
He had one of the best peaks among shortstops.
Ozzie Smith 19yrs. 17 yrs. SS, 2 yrs. back-up
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 2313 8066 2083 337 68 84 725 944 657 1053 236 .258 .314 .348 .662 3.76
Smith 2573 9396 2460 402 69 28 793 1257 1072 589 580 .262 .337 .328 .665 3.83
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 2218 3453 6524 337 1212 .967 4.50 .546
Smith 2511 4249 8374 281 1589 .978 5.03 .633
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .642 3.50
1984-88 .717 4.55 112 .627 1980-84 +.91 +.012 +.133
An average hitter (.508 OWL) for a long time. His fielding numbers are the best of any long-time shortstop that I've looked at. An average hitter with outstanding fielding numbers also describes
Bill Mazeroski. This might not bode well for Smith's Hall-of-Fame chances. On the other hand, Smith's popularity along with a Veteran's Committee election of Mazeroski might help Smith get elected.
He turned in a great peak performance. His peak offense was pretty good and his peak RF was the largest by a wide margin. His lowest five-year RF relative to the league was +.25
Chris Speier 21 yrs., 15 yrs. SS, 6 yrs. back-up
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 2257 7924 2008 294 72 56 649 891 621 909 238 .253 .308 .330 .638 3.47
Speier 2260 7156 1759 302 50 112 720 770 847 988 42 .246 .326 .349 .675 3.84
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1888 3057 5859 308 1089 .967 4.72 .577
Speier 1900 3057 5781 275 1043 .970 4.65 .549
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .614 3.19
1971-75 .706 4.25 115 .640 1972-76 +.19 +.005 -.018
An OWL of .551, but slightly below average fielding numbers in a long career. Received 1 vote out of 460 in the 1995 HOF balloting.
He turned in a peak perfromance not very far off Dave Concepcion's.
Garry Templeton 16 yrs., 14 yrs. SS, 2 yrs. back-up
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 2003 6997 1792 284 62 63 610 794 533 856 216 .256 .309 .342 .651 3.62
Templeton 2079 7721 2096 329 106 70 728 893 375 1092 242 .271 .305 .369 .674 3.94
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1888 2990 5642 295 1038 .967 4.57 .550
Templeton 1964 3393 6041 384 1164 .961 4.80 .593
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .648 3.62
1977-81 .749 5.07 116 .662 1977-81 +.59 -.009 +.116
He had a .543 OWL and very good range. a few steps below Dave Bancroft, his high error total and St. Louis incident kept him to 2 votes out of 473 in the 1996 HOF balloting. His SS OWL and relative RF very very similar to Bobby Wallace's.
Like Ripken, he peaked early in his career, though not at as high a level.
His early RF's were among the best ever.
Joe Tinker 15yrs., 13 yrs. SS, 2 yrs. back-up, Hall of Fame, 1946, Committee on Old-Timers
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 1699 6049 1556 223 87 25 658 707 486 168 273 .257 .313 .336 .649 3.60
Tinker 1805 6445 1698 263 114 31 782 776 416 149 342 .263 .308 .354 .662 3.78
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1611 3479 5113 625 589 .932 5.33 .365
Tinker 1743 3758 5848 635 669 .938 5.51 .384
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .665 3.81
1910-14 .713 4.50 107 .582 1908-12 +.34 +.011 +.016
Good fielding shortstop who would not have been elected except for the poem. He turned double plays at a slightly above average rate (.384 per game vs. the average of .366 per game) and was a decent hitter for a shortstop. (OWL of .524) His offensive/defensive abilities were similar to Dick Groat's. He was one of 11 players selected by the Committee on Old-Timers in 1946. He had received 55 votes out of 202 in the HOF balloting that year. Here's the vote count for the trio:
Year '36-'37-'38 '39-'42-'45 '46-RO Tinker - 15- 16 12- 36- 49 55- 95 Evers 6- 44- 91 107- 91-104 130-110 Chance 5- 49-133 158-136-179 144-150 #votes 226-201-262 274-233-247 202-258There was a run-off election in 1946.
Alan Trammell 20 yrs., 15 yrs. SS, 5 yrs. back-up
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 2238 7593 1991 332 60 111 783 965 605 941 155 .262 .317 .366 .683 4.00
Trammell 2293 8288 2365 412 55 185 1003 1231 850 875 236 .285 .352 .415 .767 5.21
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 2067 3241 5950 286 1268 .970 4.45 .614
Trammell 2137 3391 6172 227 1307 .977 4.47 .612
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .694 4.16
1984-88 .835 6.26 120 .694 1988-91,94 +.20 +.005 +.014
A .629 OWL and decent fielding numbers over a long career make Trammell a should-be Hall-of-Famer.
I don't know if the writers will ever actually elect him with Yount (3000 hits), Ripken and Larkin coming up next millennium and recent offensive totals making Trammell's numbers look less impressive. I still think that Trammell should have been MVP in 1984(you might be able to talk me out of this one) and 1987(but probably not this one).
His first five-year offense was almost identical to Joe Tinker's peak ( league OPS/RC: .663/3.76, OPS/RC: .713, 4.45, NOPS=107, OWL=.583), but Trammell went up from there. His peak was nearly as high as Ripken's.
Arky Vaughan 14 yrs. , 11 yrs. SS, 1 yr. 3b, 2 yrs. back-up, Hall of Fame, 1985, veterans
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 1701 6163 1644 280 59 61 645 766 548 529 72 .267 .327 .361 .688 4.10
Vaughan 1817 6622 2103 356 128 96 926 1173 937 276 118 .318 .402 .453 .855 6.81
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1365 2851 4324 361 827 .952 5.26 .606
Vaughan 1485 2995 4780 397 850 .951 5.24 .572
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .712 4.43
1934-38 .937 8.43 132 .784 1937-41 +.18 +.002 -.002
With an OWL of .734 he was the best hitting shortstop other than Wagner. An average fielder, the brevity of his career probably kept him out of the Hall. His OWL is artificially raised by his two back-up years. He was really a back-up outfielder, but I used the SS numbers because I was to lazy to get the OF numbers for those years to refine the totals of a few dozen games. Peaked at 82 votes out of 283 in the 1968 HOF balloting.
He turned in the best non-Wagner OWL peak.
Honus Wagner 21 yrs., 14 yrs. SS, 2 yrs. 1b, 1 yr. RF, 2 yrs. back-up OF, 1 yr. back-up SS, 1 yr. back-up 3b, Hall of Fame, 1936, writers, 1st ballot
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 2654 9659 2581 363 147 47 1086 1222 774 326 426 .267 .322 .350 .672 3.92
Wagner 2792 10430 3415 640 252 101 1732 1736 936 327 722 .327 .383 .466 .849 6.77
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1795 3901 5727 696 669 .933 5.36 .373
Wagner 1887 4576 6041 676 766 .940 5.63 .406
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .636 3.45
1904-08 .920 8.23 145 .850 1909-13 +.36 +.011 +.088
An OWL of .749 and excellent fielding statistics. Clearly one of the greatest players of all time.
His offensive context was similar to Ozzie Smith's. Tied with Babe Ruth at 215 votes out of 226 in the first Hall-of-Fame ballot, just behind Ty Cobb's 222 votes.
Turned in several five-year OWLs of .800+. His lowest five-year RF relative to the league was +.20.
He holds the career record for
inside-the-park grand slams
with 5
Bobby Wallace 25yrs., 14 yrs. SS, 2 yrs. 3b, 2 yrs. P, 7 yrs. back-up, Hall of Fame, 1953, veterans
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 2271 8254 2117 400 127 40 769 1071 681 56 335 .256 .313 .350 .663 3.76
Wallace 2383 8615 2309 391 143 35 1121 1057 774 79 201 .268 .328 .359 .687 4.10
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1800 3943 5982 738 638 .931 5.51 .354
Wallace 1826 4142 6303 685 642 .938 5.72 .352
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .624 3.30
1901-05 .706 4.38 113 .638 1901-05 +.40 +.008 +.023
Had the longest pre-Tommy John career, in terms of years. a good hitting, good fielding shortstop for a long time. I didn't include pitchers batting, which would make his offensive performance look a little better than the .543 OWL he gets by simply ignoring those years. Peaked at 7 votes out of 262 in the 1938 HOF balloting. He received at total of 18 votes from the writers in HOF balloting, plus 1 in the 1936 old-timers election.
He turned in a very good peak, almost identical to Dave Concepcion's.
Monte Ward, Hall of Fame, 1964, veterans
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G League .686 4.09 1887-91 .705 4.54 103 .552 1886-90 +.25 -.000 +.027 He played all over and was a pitcher for several years, so I'm not going to try to figure his totals. His peak performance suggests to me that his "Hall-of-Fameness" comes froms his "contributions to the game"
George Wright, Hall of Fame
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League
1871-75 127 .756
A "pioneer of the game" who dominated in the National Association. His peak OWL is the third highest ever, though the level of competition means that it was less spectacular than Banks' or Yount's peak OWL
Robin Yount, 20 yrs., 11 yrs. SS, 8 yrs. CF, 1 yr. LF Hall of Fame, 1999, writers, 1st ballot
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg regular 2655 9335 2475 400 82 176 990 1252 800 1345 307 .265 .323 .382 .705 4.29
Yount 2856 11008 3142 583 126 251 1406 1632 966 1350 271 .285 .343 .430 .773 5.26
Fielding G PO A E DP FA RF DP/G
Avg SS 1362 2188 4028 216 811 .966 4.56 .636
Yount 1479 2588 4794 272 941 .964 4.99 .596
Peak yrs. OPS RC/G NOPS OWL Peak yrs. RF FA DP/G
League .685 4.03
1980-84 .856 6.52 125 .724 1978-82 +.70 +.001 +.060
G AB H 2b 3b HR RBI R BB SO SB BA AOB SLG OPS RC/G
Avg SS 1433 4790 1229 186 39 59 454 576 388 576 107 .257 .312 .347 .659 3.72
Yount '74-'84 1549 6049 1727 323 72 129 713 885 424 651 142 .286 .332 .427 .759 5.06 OWL:.649
Avg. CF 1222 4545 1246 214 46 117 536 676 412 769 200 .274 .335 .419 .754 4.92
Yount '85-'93 1307 4959 1415 260 54 122 693 747 542 699 129 .285 .356 .433 .789 5.50 OWL:.555
The only player to win an MVP award at two different up-the-middle positions his OWL of .601 and good fielding make him a strong Hall-of-Fame candidate. With his 3000+ hits, he'll certainly get in.
He's also the only long-time shortstop who turned in 20 seasons as his teams "regular" player at some position.
Turned in one of the highest peak OWLs and one of the highest peak RFs, the only player in the top five on both lists. His peak OWL might have been even higher if his shoulder hadn't gone out on him.
FIELDING
PLAYER Yrs RF AvgRF difference FA avg diff. DP/G avg diff.
Jennings 7 6.16 5.60 +.56 .922 .907 +.015 .457 .413 +.044
Smith 17 5.03 4.50 +.53 .978 .967 +.011 .633 .546 +.087
Yount 11 4.99 4.56 +.43 .964 .966 -.002 .636 .596 +.040
Bancroft 14 5.97 5.58 +.39 .944 .944 .000 .543 .539 +.004
Sewell 8 5.37 5.07 +.30 .951 .947 +.004 .554 .532 +.022
Maranville 15 5.81 5.53 +.28 .952 .945 +.007 .549 .532 +.017
Wagner 14 5.63 5.36 +.27 .940 .933 +.007 .406 .373 +.033
Templeton 14 4.80 4.57 +.23 .961 .967 -.006 .593 .550 +.043
G.Davis 10 5.84 5.61 +.23 .940 .929 +.011 .429 .369 +.060
Aparicio 18 4.87 4.65 +.22 .972 .965 +.007 .602 .595 +.007
Groat 13 4.96 4.74 +.22 .961 .965 -.004 .659 .605 +.054
Wallace 14 5.72 5.51 +.21 .938 .931 +.007 .352 .354 -.002
Appling 15 5.24 5.05 +.19 .948 .954 -.006 .642 .648 -.006
Tinker 13 5.51 5.33 +.18 .938 .932 +.006 .384 .365 +.019
Boudreau 10 5.13 4.99 +.14 .973 .957 +.016 .767 .669 +.098
Jackson 9 5.67 5.53 +.14 .952 .950 +.002 .623 .643 -.020
McMillan 13 4.88 4.76 +.12 .972 .964 +.008 .643 .614 +.029
Cronin 12 5.16 5.04 +.12 .951 .949 +.002 .632 .621 +.011
Reese 14* 4.93 4.84 +.09 .962 .961 +.001 .619 .596 +.023
Patek 11 4.71 4.65 +.06 .962 .967 -.005 .632 .591 +.041
Trammell 15 4.47 4.45 +.02 .977 .970 +.007 .612 .614 -.002
Concepcion 16 4.71 4.70 +.01 .971 .966 +.005 .592 .574 +.018
Marion 11 5.05 5.04 +.01 .969 .959 +.010 .632 .594 +.038
Campaneris 15 4.61 4.62 -.01 .964 .966 -.002 .566 .580 -.014
Vaughan 11 5.24 5.26 -.02 .951 .952 -.001 .572 .606 -.034
Speier 15 4.65 4.72 -.07 .970 .967 +.003 .549 .577 -.028
Rizzuto 11* 4.79 4.88 -.09 .968 .962 +.006 .739 .666 +.073
Belanger 13 4.53 4.64 -.11 .977 .967 +.010 .543 .587 -.044
Bowa 15 4.58 4.72 -.14 .980 .966 +.014 .569 .576 -.007
Banks 8 4.66 4.80 -.14 .969 .964 +.005 .611 .627 -.016
*lost 3 years to World War II,
Yrs is number of years as a team's regular shortstop
BATTING
PLAYER Yrs rg G RC/G avg diff. OWL
Wagner 21 17 2792 6.77 3.92 +2.85 .749
Vaughan 14 12 1817 6.81 4.10 +2.71 .734
Cronin 20 12 2124 6.61 4.71 +1.90 .663
Sewell 14 13 1903 5.89 4.43 +1.46 .639
G. Davis 20 18 2378 5.31 4.06 +1.25 .631
Trammell 20 15 2293 5.21 4.00 +1.21 .629
Boudreau 15 10 1646 5.66 4.53 +1.13 .609
Yount 20 20 2856 5.26 4.29 +0.97 .601
Appling 20+16+ 2422 5.87 4.85 +1.02 .595
Jackson 15 15 1656 5.22 4.41 +0.81 .584
Banks 19 17 2528 5.77 4.91 +0.86 .580
Reese 16*15* 2166 4.80 4.09 +0.71 .579
Concepcion 19 16 2488 4.02 3.46 +0.56 .574
Jennings 17 10 1285 5.36 4.64 +0.72 .571
Bancroft 16 14 1913 4.48 4.01 +0.47 .556
Speier 21 15 2260 3.84 3.47 +0.37 .551
Wallace 25 18 2383 4.10 3.76 +0.34 .543
Templeton 16 14 2079 3.94 3.62 +0.32 .543
Groat 14 13 1929 4.31 4.10 +0.21 .525
Tinker 15 13 1805 3.78 3.60 +0.18 .524
Marion 13 11 1572 3.84 3.68 +0.16 .520
Campaneris 19 15 2328 3.63 3.53 +0.10 .513
Smith 19 17 2573 3.83 3.76 +0.07 .508
Patek 14 11 1650 3.35 3.36 -0.01 .499
Aparicio 18 18 2599 3.68 3.73 -0.05 .494
Bowa 16 15 2247 3.31 3.44 -0.13 .481
Rizzuto 13*11* 1661 4.31 4.51 -0.20 .477
Maranville 23 18 2670 3.68 4.15 -0.45 .440
McMillan 16 13 2093 3.36 4.18 -0.82 .392
Belanger 18 13 2016 2.75 3.47 -0.72 .385
+lost 1 year to World War II,
*lost 3 years to World War II,
Yrs is number of years played,
rg is number of years as a "regular" (a team's primary player at some position)
The "Approximate On Base Average", AOB, was computed using the formula (h+BB)/(AB+BB), since the Sports Encyclopedia Baseball did not list HBP totals for players.
OPS is On-base average + Slugging average. AOPS is AOB+SLG.
RC/G is computed using the simple Bill James "Runs Created per Game", with "Runs created given by RC=(H+BB)*TB/(AB+BB), outs by outs=(AB-H) and RC/G=RC*25.5/outs.
OWL is computed using the players RC/G and the "average" shortstop's RC/g using the "Pythagorean formula": player^2/(player^2+avgSS^2)
RF is the simple "range factor", RF=(PO+A)/G
DP/G is double plays divided by games played at second base.
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