The Middle Infielders Revisited

After I did my Hardball Times column on the post-1920 middle infielders in the Hall of Fame conversation, including the recently elected Joe Gordon – and you should go back and read the column if you expect to make sense of this post – I figured I’d like to check how the rough offensive “Rate” metric I was using stacks up to more sophisticated measurements that incorporate defense. With that in mind, I’ve pulled together in chart form for the long- and short-prime middle infielders a ranking by Win Shares per 162 team games for their prime years. To add to the picture I list their WS/162 for the non-prime seasons of their careers, which of course are highly variable (some guys get charged with “seasons” for a brief cup of coffee, like Alex Rodriguez in 1994 and 1995 or Rogers Hornsby spending the last 6 years of his career as a manager and part-time pinch hitter). Anyway, as you will see, the WS rankings match up fairly well with mine but naturally diverge in some cases, most obviously guys like Ozzie Smith who had a lot of defensive value.

Player Age Years Seasons WS WS/162 Career WS Rest Rest Yrs Avg WS Rate
Rogers Hornsby 24-33 1920-29 9.51 362 38.07 502 140 12.12 11.55 186.7
Joe Morgan 25-33 1969-77 8.95 304 33.97 512 208 11.69 17.79 131.4
Arky Vaughan 21-29 1933-41 8.56 278 32.48 356 78 4.75 16.42 132.1
Craig Biggio 25-33 1991-99 8.57 269 31.39 428 159 11.00 14.45 127.3
Alex Rodriguez 20-27 1996-03 8.00 250 31.25 399 149 6.59 22.61 140.7
Ryne Sandberg 24-32 1984-92 9.00 260 28.89 346 86 6.36 13.52 116.3
Charlie Gehringer 25-35 1928-38 10.46 302 28.87 383 81 7.60 10.66 128.4
Lou Boudreau 22-30 1940-48 8.56 238 27.80 277 39 5.70 6.84 114.8
Cal Ripken 21-30 1982-91 10.00 273 27.30 427 154 10.23 15.05 121.9
Roberto Alomar 23-33 1991-01 10.57 281 26.58 375 94 6.00 15.67 113.4
Derek Jeter 24-33 1998-07 10.00 263 26.30 320 57 3.90 14.62 121.2
Vern Stephens 21-29 1942-50 8.56 225 26.29 265 40 5.70 7.02 111.3
Frankie Frisch 22-32 1921-31 10.46 274 26.20 366 92 7.52 12.23 106.3
Joe Cronin 23-34 1930-41 11.41 296 25.94 333 37 7.60 4.87 108.6
Jim Fregosi 21-28 1963-70 8.00 207 25.88 261 54 9.96 5.42 106.9
Jeff Kent 29-37 1997-05 9.00 232 25.78 339 107 7.59 14.10 116.6
Joe Sewell 22-29 1921-28 7.60 195 25.66 277 82 5.70 14.39 110.4
Billy Herman 25-33 1935-43 8.56 217 25.35 298 81 5.70 14.21 110.9
Barry Larkin 27-35 1991-99 8.57 217 25.32 347 130 10.00 13.00 101.3
Nellie Fox 23-32 1951-60 9.51 240 25.24 304 64 8.80 7.27 103.2
Pee Wee Reese 27-36 1946-55 9.51 237 24.92 314 77 5.70 13.51 100.8
Chuck Knoblauch 23-30 1992-99 7.57 188 24.83 231 43 4.00 10.75 110.9
Luke Appling 26/42 1933/49 14.26 354 24.82 378 24 4.75 5.05 100.3
Bobby Doerr 22/32 1940/50 9.51 232 24.40 281 49 3.80 12.89 107.7
Joe Gordon 23/34 1938/49 9.51 230 24.19 242 12 0.95 12.63 106.1
Bobby Grich 23-35 1972-84 12.67 296 23.36 329 33 4.00 8.25 99.5
Alan Trammell 22-32 1980-90 10.67 248 23.24 318 70 8.60 8.14 99.1
Lou Whitaker 26-35 1983-92 10.00 228 22.80 351 123 8.27 14.87 102.6
Ozzie Smith 30-37 1985-92 8.00 179 22.38 325 146 10.27 14.22 84.4
Tony Fernandez 23-31 1985-93 9.00 198 22.00 280 82 7.60 10.79 90.0
Tony Lazzeri 22-32 1926-36 10.46 230 21.99 252 22 2.85 7.72 105.6
Davey Concepcion 26-34 1974-82 8.67 189 21.80 269 80 9.95 8.04 85.9
Jay Bell 25-33 1991-99 8.57 183 21.35 245 62 9.00 6.89 99.5
Jim Gilliam 24-34 1953-63 10.60 219 20.66 247 28 3.00 9.33 84.3
Willie Randolph 21-32 1976-87 11.67 238 20.39 312 74 6.00 12.33 85.6
Bert Campaneris 23-34 1965-76 11.95 241 20.17 280 39 6.68 5.84 80.5
Ray Durham 26-34 1998-06 9.00 174 19.33 231 57 3.90 14.62 93.8
Davey Johnson 24-31 1967-74 8.00 147 18.38 171 24 5.00 4.80 86.7
Luis Aparicio 25-36 1959-70 11.85 212 17.89 293 81 5.80 13.97 76.2
Marty Marion 23-31 1941-49 8.56 153 17.87 177 24 3.80 6.32 66.8
Bill Mazeroski 20-31 1957-68 11.75 195 16.60 219 24 4.91 4.89 71.9
Frank White 27-36 1978-87 9.67 148 15.31 211 63 8.00 7.88 72.3

As you can see, Frisch, Cronin, Smith and Larkin – as befits their reputations – all go up the list by this measure, while Lazzeri, Whitaker, Bell and Durham go down (you will note, amusingly, that this puts Whitaker and Trammell together).
Two small data inconsistencies with the article, which was written after the 2006 season. One, I added Derek Jeter’s 2007 (but not 2008) to complete his prime years; two, I adjusted Miguel Tejada’s age.

Player Age Years Seasons WS WS/162 Career WS Rest Rest Yrs Avg WS Rate
Jackie Robinson 29-33 1948-52 4.75 162 34.11 257 95 4.75 20.00 135.6
Robin Yount 24-28 1980-84 4.67 144 30.84 423 279 15.00 18.60 129.2
Ernie Banks 24-30 1955-61 6.65 194 29.17 332 138 11.90 11.60 135.3
Rod Carew 25-29 1971-75 4.95 129 26.06 384 255 13.68 18.64 120.7
Miguel Tejada 26-32 2000-06 7.00 182 26.00 239 57 5.00 11.40 115.9
Eddie Stanky 28-34 1945-51 6.65 164 24.66 191 27 3.80 7.11 98.2
Nomar Garciaparra 23-29 1997-03 7.00 169 24.14 218 49 6.00 8.17 109.4
Gil McDougald 23-29 1951-57 6.65 157 23.61 194 37 2.85 12.98 94.8
Dave Bancroft 29-35 1920-26 6.65 156 23.46 269 113 8.28 13.65 93.2
Maury Wills 27-33 1960-66 6.90 160 23.19 253 93 6.91 13.46 80.4
Phil Rizzuto 29-35 1946-52 6.65 154 23.16 231 77 5.70 13.51 87.0
Davey Lopes 28-34 1973-79 7.00 158 22.57 240 82 8.64 9.49 93.0
Alvin Dark 26-32 1948-54 6.65 150 22.56 226 76 6.65 11.43 96.8
Julio Franco 26-32 1985-91 7.00 155 22.14 280 125 15.70 7.96 105.3
Red Schoendienst 28-34 1951-57 6.65 147 22.11 262 115 11.51 9.99 97.3
Travis Jackson 22-27 1926-31 5.70 126 22.11 211 85 8.56 9.93 89.0
Cecil Travis 21-27 1935-41 6.65 146 21.95 169 23 4.75 4.84 96.8
Omar Vizquel 29-35 1996-02 7.00 119 17.00 267 148 12.59 11.76 82.4

As discussed in the article, Carew and Yount – like A-Rod – have other seasons that are “prime” but not as middle infielders (I looked at Carew’s broader prime in the article on the tablesetters).

5 thoughts on “The Middle Infielders Revisited”

  1. It is interesting to see Trammell and Whitaker listed just above Ozzie Smith. Smith strolled into the HoF on his first ballot with around 95% of the vote. Whitaker fell off the ballot after one look and Trammell just doesn’t seem to get any traction with the voters. I’m not from Detroit, but I can understand their fan’s concern here (I don’t see Jack Morris as a HoF’r but that’s another story). Smith was a great defensive player who did a cute backflip. Trammell and Whitaker were both very good with the glove as well as being better than the norm offensively for their position. Was Smith that much better than those players with the glove to account for the disparity in the voting? I don’t see it.

  2. Bill, the best answer I can give you about Ozzie is from Herzog. He knew he had to get rid of Templeton, and he also knew he had to improve his pitching staff. So he did both (his words). He cut a half run off the ERA by getting Ozzie. Plus he made a journeyman John Tudor, who specialized in giving up ground ball singles up the middle, an ace. Because all of a sudden, those singles became outs. Lots of them. And the Cards won big in the 80s.
    I never saw Marion, but I did see Belanger (now that left Oriole side was some infield), Aparacio and Vizguel. I do think Ozzie Smith was the best I ever saw. He was a linchpin in a team that won (I think) 3 pennants and a ring–just by memory, not looking it up now. So yes, to me a first ballot for him is just. And I would vote for Morris in the Hall.

  3. You really have to put your head in the sand to not consider Jeff Kent a hall of famer.

  4. Ozzie simply feels like an HOFer. He has the stats, rep, highlight reels and team accomplishments. Does Sweet Lou have that feel? Not really. Nice player but he doesn’t have that quality that Ozzie does. Trammel is closer but is likely just on the outside looking in.

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