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Smith never played anywhere defensively besides shortstop, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.ĭerek Jeter was the face of the Yankees throughout his career and made several memorable defensive plays during the postseason. Offensively, he was slightly above average and left his mark with more than 20 steals in each of his first 16 seasons. Among all position players, Smith is the all-time leader in defensive wins above replacement at 44.2, which is significantly ahead of second-place Mark Belanger (39.5). He only has one of the top 50 single-season marks, but neither of those stats factor in Smith’s incredible range. Though Smith made highlight play after highlight play, his career fielding percentage ranks 23rd all-time. The back-flipping All-Star was a prominent member of the Cardinals’ infield for 15 years and won an unprecedented 13 straight Gold Gloves from 1980 to ‘92. Known as the "Wizard of Oz" for his tremendous defensive abilities, Ozzie Smith is remembered as one of the top shortstops of his era. 262 average, 402 doubles, 1,257 runs, and 580 stolen bases
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Wright was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937 as a pioneer of the game. 629 average) as the Red Stockings went 57–0.
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BEST SHORTSTOP OF ALL TIME PROFESSIONAL
In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first independent professional team, and while the game was much different in those days, Wright posted monster numbers (49 home runs, 304 hits, 339 runs, and a. Wright is credited as the originator of several techniques: being the first shortstop to play on the outfield grass, developing the strategy of sharing double play duties with the second baseman, and vouching for the rule that allowed runners to overrun first base to avoid collisions with fielders. As a pioneering shortstop, Wright dominated the game in its infancy, and he also saw ways to improve his position.
BEST SHORTSTOP OF ALL TIME PRO
The first superstar in baseball history was George Wright, who debuted as a pro in 1869 and later helped the Boston Red Stockings to championships in four of the first five seasons of the National Association (1872–75) and twice in the earliest years of the National League (1877 and ‘78). *Stats and accolades include only years 1974 to ‘84, when Yount played shortstop. He gained Hall of Fame status with the Class of 1999. Later on, Yount added another MVP trophy in 1989 and finished his career with 3,142 hits. 414 during the Fall Classic in a losing effort to the Cardinals. 331, his 210 hits and 46 doubles led the league, and he hit. As a shortstop, Yount enjoyed his best season in 1982, when he was the American League MVP and led the Brewers to the World Series. A lifelong Brewer, Robin Yount spent the first 11 of his 20 seasons as a shortstop before closing out his career in the outfield (1985–93).