Baseball's All-Time Best Shortstop
 

do it

Ozzie Smith. nuff said. Although i noticed Russ Adams has been omitted from your list

Yeah I felt his career 175 hits left him just slightly out of the running. He's close though.

Shit I don't even know who to pick for this one.

Wagner IMO is in the top 10 of all-time. He had some terrific numbers in a picthers era and led his team to a few championships.

Now, A-ROD is right up there. Wait until the end of his career and I'll prob take A-Rod over Wagner.

Tough call between A-Rod and Honus Wagner. I'd say you can make the call on A-Rod as his career as a SS is over for the most part.

Defensively, it is probably Ozzie Smith. His offensive numbers don't justify making him the best of all time though.

Fuck, I wish I voted A-Rod now, especially since he isn't in the 3B poll.

I went with Honus Wagner. I gave serious consideration to A-Rod, but most of his success (and, likely, all of it for the rest of his career) came as a third baseman.

Really tough call, though, with guys like Ripken, Smith, and one of my all-time favorites Barry Larkin on the ballot.

Wagner is definitely the best.

Should have been Nomar Garciaparra :(

Little Louie

A-Rod has played almost 1300 games as a SS and 350 as a 3B. He's won an MVP, 2 gold gloves, and 7 silver sluggers as a SS. He's a SS.

why is A-Rod's name even being brought up in the same breath as some of these guys? Same goes for Jeter, Nomar, & Tejada

I gave it to Ozzie

Why not? Just because these guys didnt play 50 years ago doesn't mean they can't be brought up. They've all done some pretty good things in baseball

A-Rod is NOT one of the all time greats. He very well could be one of the greatest ever when he finally hangs 'em up... but no way in hell does he get to be in the same breath as guys like Ripken, Boggs, Yount & Aparicio at this point of his career.

btw - some names that could be on here...

Luke Appling
Alan Trammell
Johnny Pesky
Bert Campaneris
Dave Concepcion

lol you want Appling and Pesky but having A-Rod and Nomar is an outrage

To be called the "All Time Greatest ____ in Baseball" means much more than having a 50 home run season or batting .330 a year or two.

If this was "Greatest Offensive Shortstop", then maybe I'll tip my hat to A-Rod. But it's not. It's about defense, gold gloves, and replacement value... not JUST offense.

So yeah... I'd like to see guys like Appling and Trammell on the list instead of A-Rod (who does come in #17 on Bill James SS list) and Tejada.

Can't believe I am about to defend A-Rod but almost 2,000 hits, 440 HR, 230 SB, and a career .304 hitter

More than having a one 50 homerun year?
Year - HR
1996 - 36
1998 - 42
1999 - 42
2000 - 41
2001 - 52
2002 - 57
2003 - 47
2004 - 36
2005 - 48

And this is coming from a Red Sox fan

fine... when he retires he can be the greatest ever. maybe even the greatest player ever. i'll have no problem with that. just hard to call him the greatest ever right now.

What if he retired now

if he retired now... he's be in the top 10. not the greatest ever.

yeah, Johnny Pesky did retire and he is not one of the top ten SS ever. So I guess ARod > Pesky

I went with Cal Ripken Jr. on this. Only because he's one of the all time greats, and holds the record for consecutive games played. Anybody coming close on that 2,000+ mark yet?

retired or dead.... that's how you qualify for a "greatest of all time" list.

Why can't a current player be the greatest of all time though? That is almost unfair to current players, it is not fair fault they are still playing.

Do you think people didn't consider Michael Jordan the greatest player of all time while he was still playing?

Also the "greatest of all time" is strictly an opinion, so there really can't be criteria when it is a personal choice.

i know it's an opinion... that's the point of these polls isn't it? to get some discussion around here... like we are doing with this A-Rod thing.

I prefer great players who play 95% of the games than average ones who play 100% of the games

I wouldn't call Ripken average, but I know what you mean. (There were alot of games where he should of sat so the team would of had a better chance of winning)

You can't even compare those guys.

Pretty sure Honus Wagner showed up to games on the bicycle with the enormous front tire.

:lol:

My :heart: says Banks...my head says Honus.

The Wizard.

Pretty sure A-Rod won 2 gold gloves at SS.

Also, where's Mark Bellanger at if we're talking defensive SS? Or Omar Vizquel?

No Omar Vizquel?

Other (Name names)

do your own list if you're gonna cry about it

HOLY COW!