Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken Jr. and the 25 Greatest Shortstops in Modern MLB History
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Welcome to Bleacher Report’s series of the 25 greatest players at each position in modern MLB history. Up first, the shortstop position.
The first step in this exercise was to decide what “modern” means for the sake of this discussion, and we ultimately settled on everything from the 1969 season forward.
That was the first year of the “Divisional Era” when each league expanded from 10 to 12 teams and those teams were split into two divisions. That also meant an expanded postseason format, with the ALCS and NLCS played for the first time that year after the playoffs had previously just been the World Series.
That gives us 54 years worth of players to consider for a spot in our rankings, but we didn’t simply ignore what happened prior to 1969. A pair of top 10 lists were also created for the Dead Ball Era (Pre-1920) and the Pre-Divisional Era (1920-68).
Players were ranked throughout based on a combination of their overall body of work and their peak performance, with postseason success also taken into account.
Let the debate begin!
Top 10 Dead Ball Era (Pre-1920)
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Top 10 Dead Ball Era
1. Honus Wagner
2. John Henry “Pop” Lloyd
3. George Davis
4. Bill Dahlen
5. Bobby Wallace
6. Jack Glasscock
7. Joe Tinker
8. Rabbit Maranville
9. Hughie Jennings
10. Dave Bancroft
Honus Wagner is the consensus choice for greatest shortstop in MLB history with 3,420 hits, 130.8 WAR and a career .328/.391/.467 batting line that included eight NL batting titles during his 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“Pop” Lloyd is widely regarded as the greatest shortstop in Negro Leagues history, and he was a contemporary of Wagner with a playing career that started at the turn of the century and ended with Hall of Fame enshrinement in 1977.
George Davis, Bobby Wallace, Joe Tinker, Rabbit Maranville, Hughie Jennings and Dave Bancroft are also enshrined in Cooperstown, while Bill Dahlen (75.2 WAR, eighth) and Jack Glasscock (62.0, 16th) both rank in the top 20 all-time for WAR among players who played primarily shortstop.
Top 10 Pre-Divisional Era (1920-68)
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Top 10 Pre-Expansion Era
1. Ernie Banks
2. Arky Vaughan
3. Luke Appling
4. Joe Cronin
5. Lou Boudreau
6. Willie Wells
7. Pee Wee Reese
8. Luis Aparicio
9. Joe Sewell
10. Vern Stephens
Ernie Banks actually played more games at first base, but he compiled 55.0 of his 67.7 career WAR and won both of his NL MVP awards while he was still manning shortstop over the first nine seasons of his 19-year career.
With a .318 career average, nine All-Star selections and 78.0 WAR, Arky Vaughan is one of the most underrated shortstops in history. He was not elected to the Hall of Fame until 1985 when he was inducted by the Veteran’s Committee.
Luke Appling, Joe Cronin, Lou Boudreau, Pee Wee Reese, Luis Aparicio and Joe Sewell all had Hall of Fame MLB careers, while Willie Wells was one of the Negro Leagues’ biggest stars during the 1920s on his way to Hall of Fame induction as well.
Eight-time All-Star Vern Stephens earns the final spot ahead of Dick Bartell, Jim Fregosi, Travis Jackson, Rico Petrocelli, Phil Rizzuto, Maury Wills and others.
Nos. 25-21
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25. Jay Bell
The consistent speed and defense of Rafael Furcal and the still-in-progress resumes of Trea Turner and Corey Seager also received serious consideration for the final spot, but Bell gets the nod as one of the best at the position during the 1990s. He shifted to second base later in his career, but racked up 32.4 WAR in 13 seasons before making the move. In 1993, he hit .310/.392/.437 and won a Gold Glove in a 6.2-WAR season.
24. Brandon Crawford
The starting shortstop on a pair of World Series winners, Crawford has three All-Star selections, four Gold Glove Awards and 30.8 WAR over 12 seasons spent entirely with the San…
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