Second Basemen are valuable defensively, but for them to rank on this list they need to have brought more to the table than just a good glove. This list will rank the top five first basemen of all time and give the reason they rank where they rank.
5. Roberto Alomar
Roberto Alomar might be the greatest defensive second baseman of all time. He won 10 gold gloves and always had a flair to his game that made his defense must watch television. Alomar also helped the Toronto Blue Jays win back to back world series in the early 1990s.
Alomar wasn’t a huge power threat during his career but still ranks in the top 15 of home runs hit by second baseman. With that said, Alomar was still a great hitter winning four silver sluggers, and hitting .300 for his career.
4. Rod Carew
Rod Carew might be the best contact hitter in the history of the MLB, and at second base he won more batting titles than any other second baseman, not named Rogers Hornsby, with seven.
Carew also led the league in hits three times, and triples twice. He moved to first later in his career so some might argue that his hitting compared to first basemen isn’t as great when compared to second basemen.
However, when you hit .328 for your career, and only struckout 1,028 times in 10,550 plate appearances you have to be one of the game’s best hitters. Carew also won an MVP in 1977 when he also led the league in OPS, and OPS+.
3. Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson is known for being the first black player to break the color barrier in 1947, but he also was one of the game’s greatest athletes ever, as well as second baseman. Robinson would win rookie of the year in 1947 and MVP of the league in 1949.
Robinson led the league in steals twice, OBP once, and also won a batting title. Robinson had tremendous speed and contact ability but also hit over 15 home runs four times during his career, which total number aren’t as high as everyone else, but he didn’t get to play until his age 28 season.
Robinson also helped the Brooklyn Dodgers win the World Series in 1955. Robinson will always be remembered for his effort in fighting segregation in the MLB, but don’t forget he was one of the greatest players to ever step on a diamond.
2. Joe Morgan
Joe Morgan was one of the key players on some of the game’s greatest teams ever, in the 1970s Cincinnati Reds, nicknamed, “The Big Red Machine”. Morgan won two MVPs, two World Series, five gold gloves, a silver slugger, and one World Series MVP.
Morgan has the fifth most home runs ever by a second baseman, and also had tremendous plate vision and discipline leading the league in walks four times, and OBP four times as well.
Morgan was a five tool player at second baseman, which he might be the only person to ever be able to say that. He played with five other hall of farmers, but he might have been the best one.
1. Rogers Hornsby
The oldest guy on this list but he deserves every right to be ranked number one, Rogers Hornsby was one of the greatest hitters ever regardless of position, and easily the best hitting second baseman of all time.
Hornsby led the league in runs five times, hits four times, doubles four times, triples twice, home runs twice, walks three times, batting average seven times, OBP nine times, slugging percentage nine times, OPS 11 times, and OPS+ 12 times.
Hornsby was dominating the sport so much that the only person comparable during that time frame was Babe Ruth. Hornsby also won MVP twice, won the triple crown twice, and won the 1926 World Series.
