Top 10 Shortstops of All Time

Outside of pitching and catching, shortstop is the most difficult position on the diamond, requiring a level of athleticism that is tough to maintain over an entire career. Some of the best ever shortstops have been elite hitters and solid defenders. Some have had lighter bats, but have more than made up for that with their outstanding play in the field. Who, then, are the greatest shortstops of all time based on WAR? Let’s take a look.

Luis Aparicio was just the sixth Venezuelan-born player to play in the AL or NL. He made an immediate impact in the majors, winning the AL Rookie of the Year award in his first season. From his 1956 debut season to 1964, Aparicio led the league in steals nine straight times, a feat unmatched in AL/NL history. Aparicio’s base-stealing was revolutionary for the time, especially in the speed-deprived American League. From 1956 to 1966, he stole 417 bases, more than three times as many as any other player in the AL.

In addition to his speed, Aparicio had a slick glove, which earned him nine Gold Gloves – the third-most all-time by a shortstop. His dWAR ranks fifth all-time among major league shortstops. Aparicio also won 13 All-Star nominations, and started the game on 8 occasions.

In 1959 Aparicio helped lead the White Sox to their first pennant in 40 years and finished second in MVP voting behind his double-play partner Nellie Fox. Aparicio was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 1963, and in 1966 he started every game in the World Series sweep of the Dodgers. He played 2,583 games at shortstop in the majors, a record that held up for almost 40 years.

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If Luis Aparicio reintroduced the stolen base to the American League, Ernie Banks introduced the home run ball to the shortstop position. Before 1947, no shortstop had hit 30 HR in a season. When Ernie Banks debuted for the Chicago Cubs in 1953 the National League single-season HR record for shortstops was 22.

Banks smashed that mark, connecting for 44 home runs in 1955. By 1960, Banks had broken 40 homers in a season five times, topping out at 48 in 1958.  It wasn’t until the emergence of Alex Rodriguez in the late 1990s that Banks’ stranglehold on the top-5 seasons of homers by a shortstop was broken. Banks still owns four of the seven best seasons by this measure.

Banks won back-to-back MVPs in 1958 and 1959, the only shortstop to achieve this feat. 

Banks switched to first base in 1962 and spent the latter half of his career at that position. His 19-year career with the Cubs – the only team he played for in the majors – earned him the nickname Mr. Cub. Banks’ catchphrase, “Let’s Play Two”, has entered common baseball parlance.

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Derek Jeter led the New York Yankees to seven pennants and five World Series titles between 1996 and 2009, and appeared in more postseason games than anyone else in major league history. “The Captain” had 200 career hits in the postseason, 72 more than anyone else, and one memorable postseason home run earned him the nickname “Mr. November”.

In the regular season, his 3,465 hits are sixth most in major league history, and most by a shortstop. A 14-time All Star, he also won 5 Gold Gloves and was one vote short of being a unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame in 2020. Jeter ranks third all-time among shortstops in offensive WAR. He is the only player to win the All-Star Game MVP and World Series MVP in the same season (2000).

While Jeter’s defense became a frequent topic in sabermetric circles in the latter part of his career, he is popularly known for his distinctive “jump throws” as well as two iconic plays: “the Dive” – a catch in a 2004 regular season game versus the Red Sox that left Jeter in the stands – and “The Flip” – a heads up play to throw out Jeremy Giambi in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS.

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A born-and-raised Cincinnatian, Larkin was drafted by his hometown ballclub out of high school but chose instead to attend college. The Reds’ persistence paid off – they drafted Larkin again as the 4th overall pick of the 1985 draft, and a year later Larkin made his debut with the major league ballclub. Larkin remained a Red until his retirement in 2004, ending up with the third most WAR of all-time by a Red.  He won nine Silver Sluggers in his career – the most ever by a shortstop – and in 1990 helped Cincinnati win their only World Series title since the days of the Big Red Machine.

Larkin’s 1995 season won him the NL MVP. In addition to a .319 batting average and 15 home runs, Larkin stole 51 bases and was caught just 5 times (one of only five major league seasons where a player had 50+ SB and 5 CS or fewer). The following year he became the first shortstop with a 30-30 season. Larkin was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2012.

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Harold Henry “Pee Wee” Reese was a mainstay of the famous Brooklyn Dodgers teams of the 1940s and 1950s. Reese helped Brooklyn to seven pennants (captaining the team for five of them) and led the Dodgers to their first World Series title in 1955. He combined a solid bat with great defense – in the Integration Era he is one of only three players to lead the NL in Defensive WAR three seasons running (along with Ozzie Smith and Andruw Jones). Despite missing three full seasons while serving in the US Navy during World War Two, Reese remains the Dodgers franchise leader in position player WAR. He was elected to ten All-Star games, and received MVP votes in 12 straight seasons either side of his military service.

Reese retired after the 1958 season (the Dodgers first year in Los Angeles). He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1984, and his No.1 jersey is retired by the Dodgers.

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Cal Ripken will forever be remembered as the man who broke one of baseball’s supposedly unbreakable records – Lou Gehrig’s games played streak. Ripken played in a nearly unfathomable 2,632 consecutive games between 1982 and 1998, besting the Iron Horse’s long-standing record of 2,130. 

Ripken spent his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles, winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award and two MVPs as well as winning a World Series title in 1983. The Iron Man was a 19-time All-Star: no one else has played more All-Star games at shortstop than Ripken.

Ripken ranks third all-time in WAR among shortstops, and is one of only three position players in the last 50 years with multiple 10-WAR seasons (along with Barry Bonds and Mike Trout).

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Alex Rodriguez’s career achievements include 696 home runs (fifth most all-time), 117.6 WAR (fifth most all-time by right-handed position player), 14-All Star nominations, 10 Silver Slugger awards and a World Series win in 2009, though a PED ban late in his career complicated his legacy.

A precocious talent, “A-Rod” is still the most recent player to make their major-league debut as an 18-year old. As a 20-year-old (his first full season) he racked up more than 9 Wins Above Replacement; he and Mike Trout are the only hitters to have 9+ WAR at that young of an age. A 40-40 season in 1998 followed (one of only four in major league history, and the only one with 200 hits). 

A-Rod left the Mariners for the Texas Rangers in 2001, and won an MVP in 2002. A high profile trade to the New York Yankees followed. The move also came with a positional change, as Rodriguez switched to third base to accommodate Derek Jeter. Rodriguez won two more MVPs in New York, and eventually won a World Series in 2009.

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Appropriately nicknamed “The Wizard of Oz”, Ozzie Smith is arguably the greatest defensive player in major league history. His 44.2 defensive WAR (most of all-time at any position) and 13 Gold Gloves (most among shortstops) back up that statement. Smith broke into the majors with the San Diego Padres, but in late 1981 he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, the team he represented for the rest of his career. Smith won a World Series in his very first season with the Cardinals, and helped his club win two more National League pennants that decade. 

In addition to his slick fielding, Smith is remembered for performing backflips and cartwheels on the field. Off the field Smith was awarded the Lou Gehrig Award, Roberto Clemente Award and Branch Rickey Award, all given for community work and high character. Smith was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the first time of asking in 2002.

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For the best part of two decades, Alan Trammell was, along with Lou Whitaker, half of one of the most famous middle-infield partnerships in baseball history. Trammell excelled on both sides of the ball, winning multiple Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers in his 20-year career with the Detroit Tigers.

His finest hour came in the 1984 World Series. Trammell slashed .450/.500/.800 and was named the World Series MVP (Jeremy Peña, Corey Seager, Edgar Renteria, David Eckstein, Derek Jeter and Bucky Dent are the only other shortstops to win the award). In 1987 Trammell led the Tigers back to the postseason with the finest season of the finest season of his career. Trammell racked up 8.2 WAR, and had one of only five seasons in major league history by a shortstop with a .340 batting average and 25+ home runs.

Trammell’s 70.7 WAR ranks fifth in Tigers history among hitters. An overdue selection to the Hall of Fame came in 2018.

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There are few career hitting records for the Milwaukee Brewers that are not owned by Robin Yount, a testament to the shortstop’s longevity with the club that he broke in with as an 18-year-old. Yount remains the third youngest player in major league history to reach the 3,000 hit mark (36 years, 359 days). Yount’s peak came in 1982, where he led the league in hits, doubles, slugging percentage, OPS and OPS+, while playing Gold Glove defense en route to the Brewers’ only pennant to date. Yount racked up 10.6 WAR that season, the third highest single season total by a shortstop.

Yount switched to center field in his 30s, and won a further MVP at that position in 1989. He was elected to the Hall of Fame at the first time of asking in 1999.

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Even More Greats

Honus Wagner, a star of the deadball era, still ranks in the top 10 for many major league categories, including hits, stolen bases and WAR. Wagner baseball cards from the T206 series regularly set records at auctions.

Arky Vaughan made a big impact in a short, war-interrupted career. He ranks 4th all-time in WAR among retired hitters (regardless of position) with less than 2000 games played. 

George Davis was an all-around player whose career straddled the turn of the 20th century. He has the third most WAR all-time by a switch hitter.

Luke Appling, a one-club man with the White Sox, owns the highest single-season batting average by an AL shortstop (.388 in 1936). Memorably hit a home run in an Old Timers game at the age of 75.

Lou Boudreau was the AL MVP and starting shortstop for Cleveland in 1948 – the year of that franchise’s most recent World Series win.

John Henry “Pop” Lloyd was a Hall of Fame star of early 20th century Black baseball. He was described by Monte Irvin as the best Black player of his time.

Willie Wells was a five-tool-player and Negro League star who started his professional career as a teenager and played into his 40s. “The Devil” won the Triple Crown in the 1930 Negro National League, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997. His 8.0 WAR/162 games is the best of all-time among shortstop (min 2500 PA).

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 10th, 2022 at 7:25 pm and is filed under Greatest of All Time Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.