1. Honus Wagner; Pirates, Louisville Colonels
He's the indisputable top choice. In terms of dominance, Wagner was Babe Ruth before there was such a thing as Babe Ruth. Simply put, Wagner's one of the five greatest players ever.
2. Cal Ripken Jr., Orioles
The player who checks in at number three has been the better hitter overall, but Ripken was much better in the field and enjoyed an outstanding peak. He may have had the strongest arm ever at the position.
3. Derek Jeter, Yankees
No, Jeter has never been much with the glove, but only Wagner compares in terms of producing at the plate over such a lengthy span. A run at 4,000 career hits is possible.
4. Barry Larkin, Reds
Larkin truly did it all: outstanding glove-work, excellent production at the plate by positional standards, and speed and smarts on the bases. He's one of the most complete players ever and a no-doubt hall of famer.
5. Ozzie Smith; Cardinals, Padres
Smith was the greatest defensive shortstop of all-time and an excellent base-stealer, and he eventually evolved into a useful hitter.
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-on-baseball/19630275/barry-larkin-and-the-20-greatest-shortstops-of-all-time
1 comment:
These lists are always tough. How can you compare Honus Wagner to Barry Larkin? But Jeter at three is ridiculous--The guy is criminally overrated. Robin Yount is at fourteen and they are essentially the same type hitter. Only Yount did it during a dead ball era and played great defense. Jeter has the worst range of any shortstop in the game. He is always on sportscenter for highlight real plays, but most of the time those balls were hit two steps to his left. Good shortstops make those plays look easy.
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