Era’s best shortstops
Yes, Alex Rodriguez cheated, and he also played third base, but he’s still No. 1 here
Some fans, particularly those who follow the New York Yankees, will contend that Alex Rodriguez was a third baseman, not a shortstop.
A wider group of people, especially those who remain bitter about Rodriguez’s admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs, will insist that he was a cheater, not a superstar.
Fair enough on both counts.
Rodriguez was primarily a third baseman during his 12 seasons in New York (2004-2013, 2015-2016). He played only five games at short for the Yanks.
And his PED abuse was well-documented, triggering his suspension for the entire 2014 season. “It cost me my reputation, and it may have cost me the Hall of Fame,” he later said of his involvement with steroids.
The above caveats are important, yet they don’t change the fact that Alex Rodriguez is the top-rated shortstop of the Modern Era, the span from 1961 to the present.
Rodriguez played more games at short (1,272) than at third base (1,194) or any other position during his 22-year career with the Yankees, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners. And his statistical accomplishments are still in baseball’s record book, regardless of any assistance from PEDs. He remains fifth on the all-time list with 696 home runs.
No other shortstop in the era posted a higher slugging percentage than Rodriguez’s .550 or a better ratio of bases per out (BPO) than his .983 or a higher total of wins above replacement (WAR) than his 117.5.
Cal Ripken Jr., who spent 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, is second on the list of the era’s top shortstops. Rounding out the top five are Derek Jeter of the Yankees, Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers, and Barry Larkin of the Cincinnati Reds. All four of them, unlike Rodriguez, have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Today’s ratings include all 176 players who made more than 2,500 plate appearances and played at least 40 percent of their games at shortstop during the Modern Era. A 10-part formula analyzed each player’s full body of work, including any stats he might have accumulated at other positions. (Click here to learn more about the formula.)
Rodriguez was assigned a score of 1,000 points, the total automatically granted to the top player at a given position. The bottom-rated candidate was assigned zero points, and all other scores were determined by relative performances.
Keep in mind that the rankings are limited to the period from 1961 through 2022, eliminating any seasons prior to the Modern Era.
This is the fourth story in my weekly review of the era’s greatest players. Follow these links to read previous installments about the top catchers, first basemen, and second basemen.
Statistical breakdowns for the Modern Era’s top five shortstops can be found below, followed by a list of the next 15.
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1. Alex Rodriguez (1994-2016)
Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 117.5 total, 4.8 per 500 PA, 10.4 defensive
Averages: .295 BA, .550 SLG, .983 BPO
Scoring: 3,411 R generated, 140 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,784 G, 3,115 H
Notes: Rodriguez won three American League Most Valuable Player Awards: 2002 with the Rangers and 2005 and 2007 with the Yankees. He grabbed the AL’s batting title with a .358 average in 1996 as a 21-year-old with the Mariners, and he later led the league in home runs five times. He also won a pair of Gold Gloves at shortstop before making the switch to third base.
2. Cal Ripken Jr. (1981-2001)
Score: 843 points
WAR: 95.9 total, 3.7 per 500 PA, 35.7 defensive
Averages: .276 BA, .447 SLG, .735 BPO
Scoring: 2,911 R generated, 113 per 500 PA
Totals: 3,001 G, 3,184 H
Notes: Baseball fans primarily remember Ripken for his streak of 2,632 consecutive games, which eclipsed Lou Gehrig’s supposedly unbreakable record of 2,130. His other accomplishments are often forgotten, including his two MVP trophies (1983 and 1991), his 3,184 career hits, his five seasons with batting averages above .300, and his two Gold Gloves.
3. Derek Jeter (1995-2014)
Score: 741 points
WAR: 71.3 total, 2.8 per 500 PA, -9.4 defensive
Averages: .310 BA, .440 SLG, .809 BPO
Scoring: 2,974 R generated, 118 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,747 G, 3,465 H
Notes: Jeter was firmly established as the Yankees’ shortstop when Rodriguez arrived in 2004, which is why the latter moved to third base. Jeter topped .300 in 12 different seasons, and he twice led the AL in hits. He picked up five Gold Gloves, but surprisingly never won a Most Valuable Player Award. He did finish among the top 10 MVP vote-getters eight times.
4. Robin Yount (1974-1993)
Score: 727 points
WAR: 77.4 total, 3.2 per 500 PA, 6.8 defensive
Averages: .285 BA, .430 SLG, .742 BPO
Scoring: 2,787 R generated, 114 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,856 G, 3,142 H
Notes: Yount played shortstop for the Brewers for 11 years, then spent his final nine seasons in center field. He won an MVP Award at each position: 1982 as an infielder and 1989 as an outfielder. Yount’s greatest season was 1982, when he led the league in hits (210), doubles (46), and slugging percentage (.578), and won his only Gold Glove at shortstop.
5. Barry Larkin (1986-2004)
Score: 708 points
WAR: 70.5 total, 3.9 per 500 PA, 14.4 defensive
Averages: .295 BA, .444 SLG, .841 BPO
Scoring: 2,091 R generated, 115 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,180 G, 2,340 H
Notes: Larkin spent his entire 19-year career with his hometown Reds. His batting average exceeded .300 in nine of those seasons. He was graceful in the field, winning three Gold Gloves. And he was speedy, as evidenced by his peak of 51 stolen bases in 1995. He was presented the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award that year.
Next 15
6. Alan Trammell (1977-1996)
7. Nomar Garciaparra (1996-2009)
8. Ozzie Smith (1978-1996)
9. Miguel Tejada (1997-2013)
10. Troy Tulowitzki (2006-2019)
11. Omar Vizquel (1989-2012)
12. Jimmy Rollins (2000-2016)
13. Tony Fernandez (1983-2001)
14. Hanley Ramirez (2005-2019)
15. Edgar Renteria (1996-2011)
16. Carlos Correa (2015-2022)
17. Trea Turner (2015-2022)
18. Jose Reyes (2003-2018)
19. Rafael Furcal (2000-2014)
20. Xander Bogaerts (2013-2022)