The MLB's Top 10 Shortstops Since 1980

Part six in my Top 10...Since 1980 series was shortstop, and for me it was actually the easiest so far in terms of picking a top ten. As for where to rank them, that was a bit tougher.

A guy like Alex Rodriguez and a guy like Ozzie Smith are so vastly different they are tough to compare.

As was case with past lists, 1,000 career games played were needed to qualify, so no Jose Reyes or Hanley Ramirez for this one. Also Robin Yount will be considered a center fielder for this list.

Only stats from 1980 on were considered, and players have been ranked accordingly with both offensive and defensive stats considered.

I look forward, as always, to arguing my case so I encourage you to comment with any proposed changes.

So let's start with number 10...

No. 10: Edgar Renteria

.289 BA, 129 HR, 830 RBI, 281 SB
All-Star Appearances: 5 (three starts)
Silver Sluggers: 3
Gold Gloves: 2
.300+ BA Seasons: 4
100+ Run Seasons: 2
30+ SB Seasons: 4

The tenth spot came down to Renteria and Jimmy Rollins, but Renteria's full body of work at this point is a little better than Rollins.

Also Rollins has never hit over .300 in a season, despite putting up consistently solid numbers.

One of the most memorable moments of the last 20 years was Renteria's two out, bottom of the eleventh single, to win Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.

No. 9: Nomar Garciaparra

.313 BA, 227 HR, 927 RBI, 93 SB
All-Star Appearances: 6 (one start)
Silver Sluggers: 1
.300+ BA Seasons: 7
20+ HR Seasons: 7
100+ Run Seasons: 6
1997 AL ROY

Nomar burst onto the scene in 1997 with a .306, 30, 98 rookie season, and won the Rookie of the Year unanimously.

He won the AL batting title in 1999 with a .357 average, and then again in 2000 with a career best .372 average.

No. 8: Miguel Tejada

.287* BA, 273* HR, 1115* RBI, 74* SB
All-Star Appearances: 5 (one start)
Silver Sluggers: 2
.300+ BA Seasons: 4
20+ HR Seasons: 8
100+ RBI Seasons: 6

Tejada is known as much for his power as he is for his longevity as he has played in all 162 games in six straight seasons.

He led the AL in RBI in 2004 with a whopping 150, the 43rd highest single season total of all-time.

No. 7: Omar Vizquel

.273 BA, 77 HR, 898 RBI, 387 SB
All-Star Appearances: 3
Gold Gloves: 11
.300+ BA Seasons: 1
100 Run Seasons: 2
30+ SB Seasons: 4

One of the slickest fielding shortstops in the history of the game, Vizquel's 11 Gold Gloves are second only to Ozzie Smith at the position.

Always known for his glove, Vizquel had a 14 home run, 72 RBI season in 2002.

No. 6: Alan Trammell

.288 BA, 177 HR, 919 RBI, 236 SB
All-Star Appearances: 6
Silver Sluggers: 3
Gold Gloves: 4
.300+ BA Seasons: 7
20+ HR Seasons: 2
100+ Run Seasons: 3
30+ SB Seasons: 1
1984 WS MVP

Trammell and Lou Whitaker formed one of the best double play tandems of all-time as they played together for a staggering 19 seasons.

Always a solid hitter, Trammell had a stellar 1987 season with a .343, 28, 105 line, all of which were career highs. He finished second in the AL MVP voting that season.

No. 5: Barry Larkin

.295 BA, 198 HR, 960 RBI, 379 SB
All-Star Appearances: 12 (five starts)
Silver Sluggers: 9
Gold Gloves: 3
.300+ BA Seasons: 7
20+ HR Seasons: 2
100+ Run Seasons: 2
30+ SB Seasons: 5
1995 NL MVP

Larkin, in my opinion, is a Hall of Famer. His stats across the board are stellar. He was a good fielder and a great hitter.

His 1996 season was certainly a memorable one as he hit .298, 33, 89. That was a full 13 home runs and 20 RBI higher than any other season of his career.

No. 4: Derek Jeter

.315 BA, 210 HR, 1015 RBI, 282 SB
All-Star Appearances: 9 (five starts)
Silver Sluggers: 3
Gold Gloves: 3
.300+ BA Seasons: 10
20+ HR Seasons: 3
100+ Run Seasons: 11
30+ SB Seasons: 3
1996 AL ROY

Jeter has been the face of the Yankees since he burst onto the scene in 1996 and helped lead them to a World Series title.

I have never seen anyone better at hitting the pitch he is given, and flaring the ball out into right field. He is the best opposite field hitter of his time, and possibly of all-time.

No. 3: Ozzie Smith

.262 BA, 28 HR, 793 RBI, 580 SB
Hall of Fame
All-Star Appearances: 15 (eleven starts)
SIlver Sluggers: 1
Gold Gloves: 13
.300+ BA Seasons: 1
100 Run Seasons: 1
30+ SB Seasons: 11

He nearly had as many All-Star appearances as he did career home runs. That speaks volumes for what a superior fielder he was.

But for all that is made of his defense, he was also one of the better clutch hitting shortstops out there, and even took home a Silver Slugger in 1987 without hitting a home run the entire season.

Ozzie was one of the most well liked players in the history of baseball, and he deserved every bit of it.

No. 2: Alex Rodriguez

.306* BA, 554* HR, 1609* RBI, 283* SB
All-Star Appearances: 12 (ten starts)
Silver Sluggers: 10
Gold Gloves: 2
.300+ BA Seasons: 9
20+ HR Seasons: 13
100+ RBI Seasons: 12
30+ SB Seasons: 1
2003 AL MVP
2005 AL MVP
2007 AL MVP

The numbers as well as the asterisks speak for themselves on this one.

A-Rod is one of the most fun players to watch, and one of the most productive players to ever play the game, but there is no way you can give him the number one spot.

No. 1: Cal Ripken

.276 BA, 431 HR, 1695 RBI,
Hall of Fame
3,184 Career Hits
2,632 Consecutive Games Played
Silver Sluggers: 8
Gold Gloves: 2
.300+ BA Seasons: 4
20+ HR Seasons: 12
100+ RBI Seasons: 5
1982 AL ROY
1983 AL MVP
1991 AL MVP

Take away the consecutive games streak that defined his career, and Ripken was still an incredible shortstop. At a time when the position was not known as a source of power, Ripken broke the mold.

He is one of only eight players with 400 career home runs and 3,000 career hits.

As a fan of baseball, I simply could not give A-Rod the top spot here and I feel good about myself.

Honorable Mention

Jay Bell: Pirates
Jimmy Rollins: Phillies
Michael Young: Rangers
John Valentin: Red Sox
Royce Clayton: Giants
Garry Templeton: Padres
Tony Fernandez: Blue Jays
Shawon Dunston: Cubs
Rafael Furcal: Dodgers