Most observers — not all of them, but surely a majority — would agree that Joe Morgan was the best major-league player in the mid-1970s, regardless of position.
Morgan was the sparkplug who powered Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine to world championships in 1975 and 1976. The Hall of Fame second baseman was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in both of those seasons, after finishing among the top eight vote-getters in each of the previous three MVP races (1972-1974).
Morgan led the NL in on-base percentage four times between 1972 and 1976. His cumulative OBP for that five-year period was .431, which was 24 points superior to the next-best mark in either league, .407 by fellow Hall of Famer Rod Carew.
And he was equally skilled in the field, earning all five NL Gold Gloves for his position between 1973 and 1977.
No other second baseman at any point in the Modern Era — the span from 1961 to the present — possessed Morgan’s extraordinary combination of offensive firepower and defensive grace. That’s why he stands at the peak of today’s rankings of the era’s top players at second base.
Morgan is known primarily for his great seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, but his 22-year career took him to five clubs in all, including the Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics.
Carew, the runner-up on today’s list, actually played more games at first base (1,184) than second (1,130). But the Hall of Fame designated the latter as his primary position, which is why he’s included here. Carew spent his first 12 seasons with the Minnesota Twins and the final seven with the California Angels.
Rounding out the list of the Modern Era’s five best second basemen are Robinson Cano, Roberto Alomar, and Jeff Kent.
Today’s rankings encompass all 176 players who made at least 2,500 plate appearances and spent at least 40 percent of that time playing second base during the era. (Click here to see the 10 components of the rating formula.)
It’s important to keep two things in mind: (1) Each player’s entire record was factored into the formula, even those stats accumulated at other positions, as when Carew played first base. (2) The rankings were limited to the Modern Era itself, eliminating any seasons prior to 1961.
Morgan, as the top player in the category, was assigned a score of 1,000 points, while the tailender (who shall remain nameless) was pegged at zero. The scores for all other second basemen were determined by their relative positions between top and bottom.
This is the third installment of my every-Thursday review of the Modern Era’s greatest players. Follow these links to see the previous stories about catchers and first basemen.
Statistical breakdowns for the era’s five leading second basemen can be found below, followed by a list of the subsequent 15.
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1. Joe Morgan (1963-1984)
Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 100.4 total, 4.4 per 500 PA, 3.8 defensive
Averages: .271 BA, .427 SLG, .934 BPO
Scoring: 2,515 R generated, 111 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,649 G, 2,517 H
Notes: Morgan was the only player in today’s rankings to reach triple digits in wins above replacement (100.4) or to exceed .900 in bases per out (.934). And he was one of two Modern Era second basemen to rap more than 2,500 hits and also generate more than 2,500 runs during his career. (Craig Biggio was the other.)
2. Rod Carew (1967-1985)
Score: 987 points
WAR: 81.2 total, 3.9 per 500 PA, -1.7 defensive
Averages: .328 BA, .429 SLG, .815 BPO
Scoring: 2,347 R generated, 111 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,469 G, 3,053 H
Notes: Carew came away with seven American League batting titles, peaking with a breathtaking .388 average in 1977. He won the MVP trophy that year. His career average of .328 puts him 21 points ahead of the runner-up in the BA category, Jose Altuve. And his total of 3,053 hits is 28th among all big-league players.
3. Robinson Cano (2005-2022)
Score: 957 points
WAR: 68.1 total, 3.6 per 500 PA, 6.9 defensive
Averages: .301 BA, .488 SLG, .783 BPO
Scoring: 2,233 R generated, 117 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,267 G, 2,639 H
Notes: There is an asterisk appended to Cano’s third-place finish. A big asterisk. He has been penalized twice for using performance-enhancing drugs, with the second suspension costing him the entire 2021 season. He posted batting averages above .300 in 10 different seasons, and he hit at least 25 home runs on six occasions.
4. Roberto Alomar (1988-2004)
Score: 941 points
WAR: 67.0 total, 3.2 per 500 PA, 3.3 defensive
Averages: .300 BA, .443 SLG, .842 BPO
Scoring: 2,432 R generated, 117 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,379 G, 2,724 H
Notes: Alomar never won a Most Valuable Player Award, though he did finish among the top six vote-getters in five seasons. His best year probably was 1999, when he batted .323 for Cleveland, drove in 120 runs and scored 138. The latter total topped the AL. Alomar played for seven clubs in his Hall of Fame career, spending the most time with Toronto.
5. Jeff Kent (1992-2008)
Score: 930 points
WAR: 55.5 total, 2.9 per 500 PA, -0.1 defensive
Averages: .290 BA, .500 SLG, .836 BPO
Scoring: 2,461 R generated, 129 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,298 G, 2,461 H
Notes: Kent’s outstanding career was strangely underpublicized. It is often forgotten that he won the National League’s MVP Award in 2000, when he batted .334 with 33 homers and 125 RBIs for the San Francisco Giants. He bounced around to six clubs in all, accumulating more than 100 RBIs in eight of his 17 seasons.
Next 15
6. Lou Whitaker (1977-1995)
7. Ryne Sandberg (1981-1997)
8. Chase Utley (2003-2018)
9. Craig Biggio (1988-2007)
10. Bobby Grich (1970-1986)
11. Dustin Pedroia (2006-2019)
12. Ian Kinsler (2006-2019)
13. Willie Randolph (1975-1992)
14. Jose Altuve (2011-2022)
15. Placido Polanco (1998-2013)
16. Chuck Knoblauch (1991-2002)
17. Ray Durham (1995-2008)
18. Ben Zobrist (2006-2019)
19. Howie Kendrick (2006-2020)
20. DJ LeMahieu (2011-2022)