The Top 10 Shortstops in Baseball's Hall of Fame

There are presently 23 Shortstops in the Hall of Fame. Two of them are not included in these computations: Pop Lloyd and Willie Wells, both great players, both from the Negro Leagues with no irrefutable or credible statistics to be found anywhere.

Therefore we have a group of 21 being narrowed to 10 by the very statistics they played a career to accumulate.

Don’t everybody start right off telling me that Cal Ripken is the best shortstop ever. I don’t believe it and neither should you. All of these players are great; there should never be a question about that.

There should also be no question that some are, or were obviously better than others. The only meaningful and fair way of creating a Top 10 list is by the numbers they amassed.

It would be easy just to say here is my Top 10, according to my favorites: Banks, Wagner, Vaughan, Boudreau, Cronin, Ripken, Yount, Appling, Jennings and Davis.

All that would give us; however is a perfect portrait painted by me. What is that worth? Not much, therefore I plod ahead.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Sports World unite. Here is the Top 10 Shortstops who are currently in the Hall of Fame.

10. Lucius Benjamin “Luscious Luke” Appling

10. Lucius Benjamin “Luscious Luke” Appling

Luke Appling played 20 seasons in the major leagues all with the Chicago White Sox, from 1930 to 1950.

He was born April 2, 1907 in High Point, NC.

Appling held down the shortstop position for nearly 20 years. In that time, he established ML shortstop records for games played and double plays and AL records for putouts and assists; all were later broken by his successor Luis Aparicio.

Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964, Appling worked as a batting instructor for the Atlanta Braves in the 1980s and rekindled memories with a home run off Warren Spahn in the first Cracker Jack Old-Timers' Game.

He batted .300+ 13 times in complete seasons. He drove in over 100 runs once, had over 200 hits once, and scored 100 runs once.

Appling was named to seven All Star teams batting .444 with two RBI in nine AB.

Here are his career statistics:
AB: 8856
AVG: .310
HR: 45
HR/YR: 3
RBI: 1116
RBI/YR: 75
OBP: .339
SLG: .398
OPS+: 112
TB: 3528
TB/YR: 236
HITS: 2749
HITS/YR: 184
RUNS: 1319
RUNS/YR: 88
RC/YR: 94
FLD+: 99.7
SB: 179

9. Calvin Edward Ripken, Jr. “Iron Man”

9. Calvin Edward Ripken, Jr. “Iron Man”

Cal Ripken played 21 seasons in his illustrious major league career. He came up as a Baltimore Oriole in 1981 and played there until he retired in 2001.

He was born Aug. 24, 1960 in Havre De Grace, MD.

As a minor leaguer, Cal hit .280 in a four year career hitting 56 HR and 161 RBI.

Baseball's tallest full-time shortstop (6'4"), he combined power and defense in a way rivaled by few of his predecessors.

Ripken was originally drafted as a pitcher, but made it to the big leagues for good as a third baseman in 1982. Moved to short by manager Earl Weaver on July 1, he finished the campaign as AL Rookie of the Year, hitting .264 with 28 HR and 93 RBI.

He finally passed Lou Gehrig's record 2,130 games played consecutively on September 6, 1995 in Baltimore's Camden Yards. When the game became official after the bottom of the fifth, Ripken took a spontaneous lap around the stadium to shake hands with his adoring fans.

The highlighting of Ripken's season came on June 13 at Atlanta's Turner Field, when he produced the first six-hit game in Orioles history during a nationally televised Sunday night contest.

The performance saw him blast two home runs and tie a club record with 13 total bases. After the season, Ripken joined Ernie Banks as one of two shortstops honored with a selection to Major League Baseball's All Century team.

Ripken won two Most Valuable Player Awards, the first in 1983 followed up his Rookie of the Year Award the preceding year. His second MVP Award came in 1991.

In 1983 Ripken batted .318 with 27 HR and 102 RBI, league bests with 211 hits, 47 doubles and 121 runs scored. In his 1991 MVP year he batted .323 with 34 HR and 114 RBI and 210 hits.

He batted .300+ five times, hit 20+ HR 12 times, knocked in over 100 runs four times, had 200+ hits twice and scored over 100 runs three times.

Ripken was named to 19 All Star teams consecutively and batted .265 with two HR and eight RBI in 52 plate appearances. He also won two Gold Glove Awards and eight Silver Slugger Awards.

He was the MVP of the 1991 and 2001 All Star games, the 1992 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award and the 1992 Roberto Clemente Award.

He played in the 1983 World Series as the Orioles beat the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. His World Series statistics are .167 BA, 0 HR and one RBI.

Ripken was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Here are his career statistics:
AB: 11151*
AVG: .276
HR: 431
HR/YR: 23
RBI: 1695
RBI/YR: 91
OBP: .340
SLG: .447
OPS+: 112
TB: 5168*
TB/YR: 269
HITS: 3184
HITS/YR: 172
RUNS: 1647
RUNS/YR: 89
RC/YR: 93
FLD+: 102.9*
SB: 36
* Leads all Shortstops in the Hall of Fame

8. Robin R. Yount

8. Robin R. Yount

Robin Yount was born in Danville, IL on Sept. 16, 1955.

Yount played his entire 20 year MLB career with the Milwaukee Brewers (while they were in the American League), beginning 1974 and retiring after the 1993 season.

Robin Yount was just 18 years old when he was first called up to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1974, immediately becoming one of the youngest regulars in baseball history.

Shoulder surgery after the 1984 season threatened to end Yount's career before his 30th birthday, but he held on, moving to center field to put a little less pressure on his throwing arm.

Yount became only the third player—Hank Greenberg and Stan Musial were the others—to win an MVP award at two different positions.

His first MVP award came in 1982 when he batted .331 with 29 HR and 114 RBI, a league high 210 hits and 129 runs scored. His second MVP was won in 1989 as a center fielder when he batted .318 with 21 HR and 103 RBI, 195 hits and 101 runs scored.

He batted over .300 six times, hit over 20 HR four times, had over 100 RBI three times and scored 100+ runs five times.

Unbelievably, Yount was named to just three All Star teams where he went hitless in seven AB, with one RBI. He won one Gold Glove Award and three Silver Slugger Awards.

Yount was in the 1982 World Series when the Brewers lost to the St, Louis Cardinals in seven games. He batted .414 with one HR and six RBI in 29 AB.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.

Here are his career statistics:
AB: 11008
AVG: .285
HR: 251
HR/YR: 14
RBI: 1406
RBI/YR: 80
OBP: .342
SLG: .430
OPS+: 115
TB: 4730
TB/YR: 268
HITS: 3142
HITS/YR: 178
RUNS: 1632
RUNS/YR: 93
RC/YR: 94
FLD+: 101.3
SB: 271

7. Joseph Edward Cronin

7. Joseph Edward Cronin

Joe Cronin was born on Oct. 12, 1906 in San Francisco, CA. For 14 years, Joe Cronin's signature appeared on all the baseballs used in the American League, as League President.

His career lasted 20 seasons. A former bank clerk, Cronin came up as a slow and clumsy shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1926 and was traded to the Washington Senators in 1928.

After the 1934 season, owner Clark Griffith sold his manager-player, now “nephew-in-law” to the Boston Red Sox for $225,000, the most ever at that time.

Cronin’s best season was 1930 when there was no Most Valuable Player voting in either league. He batted .346 with 13 HR and 126 RBI, 203 hits and 127 runs scored.

He batted over .300 10 times, knocked in 100+ runs eight times, and scored over 100 runs four times. He was named to seven All Star teams batting .280 with 0 HR and four RBI in 27 plate appearances.

Cronin was in the 1933 World Series where the Senators lost to the New York Giants in five games. He batted .318 with no HR and two RBI.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1956.

Here are his career statistics:
AB: 7579
AVG: .285
HR: 170
HR/YR: 13
RBI: 1424
RBI/YR: 109*
OBP: .390
SLG: .468
OPS+: 119
TB: 3546
TB/YR: 270
HITS: 2285
HITS/YR: 174
RUNS: 1233
RUNS/YR: 94
RC/YR: 104
FLD+: 100
SB: 87
*=Leads all Shortstops in the Hall of Fame

6. George Stacey Davis

6. George Stacey Davis

George Davis was born in Cohoes, NY on Aug. 23, 1870.

He played in the major leagues for 20 years, beginning in 1890 with the Cleveland Spiders. He went to the New York Giants in 1893 and remained there until 1901 when he went to the Chicago White Sox.

He played one year in Chicago before moving back to the Giants for one year and finished his career with the White Sox in 1909.

Primarily a third baseman his first four years in New York, he became a full-time shortstop in 1897.

He was the Giants' player-manager for part of 1895, and again from mid-1900 through 1901.

Davis led the National League in RBI in 1897 with 136. He batted over .300 nine consecutive years, knocked in over 100 runs three times, and scored over 100 runs five times. In 1894 he fanned only 10 times in 547 plate appearances.

He was in the 1903 World Series with the White Sox as they beat cross town rival Chicago Cubs in three games. Davis batted .308 with no HR and six RBI.

Davis was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998 by the Veteran’s Committee.

Here are his career statistics:
AB: 9031
AVG: .295
HR: 73
HR/YR: 5
RBI: 1437
RBI/YR: 98
OBP: .361
SLG: .405
OPS+: 121
TB: 3656
TB/YR: 250
HITS: 2660
HITS/YR: 182
RUNS: 1539
RUNS/YR: 105
RC/YR: 91
FLD+: 98.8
SB: 616

5. Louis Boudreau

5. Louis Boudreau

Lou Boudreau was born on July 17, 1917 in Harvey, IL.

His 15-year career began in 1938 with the Cleveland Indians where he played until 1951 when he joined the Boston Red Sox, and remained there until he retired during the 1952 season.

In 1939, he started with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League under manager Steve O'Neill. Originally a third baseman/catcher, Boudreau was moved to shortstop and teamed with second baseman Ray Mack.

The young keystone combo gained attention for solid batting and adept fielding, particularly in turning double plays. Both were called up to Cleveland in the second half of the season.

In 1940, Boudreau's first full season, he was named to the American League All-Star team and hit .295 with 101 RBI. Cleveland struggled through a lackluster 1941 season, and in 1942 Boudreau was named player-manager.

At 24, he was the youngest ever to manage a major-league team from the outset of the season.

Boudreau had little success in later seasons as a bench manager, but did become a popular baseball broadcaster in Chicago. One of the greatest shortstops in Cleveland history, he saw his No. 5 retired and the street bordering Municipal Stadium renamed Boudreau Boulevard.

In 1948, Boudreau was named the American league’s Most Valuable Player. He batted .355 with 18 HR and 106 RBI, 199 hits and scored 116 runs.

He won the American League batting title in 1944 with an average of .327. He hit over .300 four times, drove in over 100 runs twice, and led the league in doubles three times.

He was named to eight All Star teams where he batted .333 with one HR and three RBI.

Boudreau was in the 1948 World Series when the Indians beat the Boston Braves in six games. In World Series play he batted 273 with three RBI in 24 plate appearances.

After a bout with circulatory problems at the age of 84, Boudreau died when he suffered from cardiac arrest on Aug. 10, 2001.

Boudreau was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970.

Here are his career statistics:
AB: 6029
AVG: .295
HR: 68
HR/YR: 7
RBI: 789
RBI/YR: 78
OBP: .380
SLG: .415
OPS+: 120
TB: 2500
TB/YR: 246
HITS: 1779
HITS/YR: 175
RUNS: 861
RUNS/YR: 85
RC/YR: 93
FLD+: 102.3
SB: 51

4. Hugh Ambrose “Ee-yah” Jennings

4. Hugh Ambrose “Ee-yah” Jennings

Hughie Jennings playing career lasted 17 seasons, beginning with the Louisville Colonels in 1891 and ending in 1918 in Detroit. Between, he had stops with the Baltimore Orioles, Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and the Brooklyn Superbas.

The redheaded, freckled firebrand wore a major league uniform for more than three decades as a player, coach, and manager. He also earned a law degree and built a successful offseason legal practice.

During his five full seasons in Baltimore, Jennings never batted below .328 and achieved a high of .398 in 1896, the ML record for shortstops. In addition, he stole as many as 70 bases in a season and was the leader in fielding average and putouts three times each.

He was often hit by pitches; a then-record 49 times in 1896 alone. Two skull fractures, one the result of an accidental dive into an empty swimming pool, slowed but did not stop him. A nervous breakdown after the 1925 season, however, brought his baseball days to an end.

In 1896 he batted .401 with 121 RBI, 209 hits and 125 runs scored. Besides the .401 year Jennings also batted over .300 five times, had more than 100 RBI three times, had over 200 hits twice and scored over 100 runs five times.

From 1894-87 he batted .370 with an average of three HR, 139 RBI, 236 hits and 176 runs scored.

Jennings died in Scranton, PA on Feb. 1 at the age of 58.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945 by the Veteran’s Committee.

Here are his career statistics:
AB: 4904
AVG: .311
HR: 19
HR/YR: 2
RBI: 840
RBI/YR: 106
OBP: .390
SLG: .406
OPS+: 117
TB: 1989
TB/YR: 251
HITS: 1527
HITS/YR: 193
RUNS: 994
RUNS/YR: 125*
RC/YR: 92
FLD+: 96.9
SB: 359
*= Leads all Shortstops in the Hall of Fame

3. Ernest “Mr. Cub” Banks

3. Ernest “Mr. Cub” Banks

Ernie Banks began his 19-year career with the Chicago Cubs in 1953 and remained there until he retired in 1971.

The first black player on the Cubs, Banks came up as a shortstop, where he won consecutive MVP awards, but actually played more games at first base. He is also one of a handful of Hall of Famers never to get into postseason play.

At the age of 17, he signed on to play baseball with a Negro barnstorming team for $15 a game. Cool Papa Bell later signed him for the Kansas City Monarchs.

From 1955 to 1960, Banks hit more homers than anyone in the majors, including Mantle, Mays, and Aaron. On May 12, 1970, he hit his 500th homer, the most avidly anticipated event in Wrigley Field history, with the possible exception of the first night game.

After Banks' retirement in 1971, the Cubs hoisted a pinstriped pennant with his No. 14 atop the left field foul pole at Wrigley Field. He was the first Cubs player to have his number retired.

Banks was the National League Most Valuable Player in 1958 and 1959.

From 1955-60 he batted .294 and averaged 44 HR and 123 RBI, 184 hits and 107 runs scored, with an OPS+ of 148.

He batted over .300 twice, hit over 40 HR five times, drove in over 100 runs eight times, and scored over 100 runs twice. Banks won two HR titles, two RBI crowns and led the league in SLG and Total Bases once.

Banks was named to 14 All Star teams and batted .303 with one HR and three RBI in the Mid-Summer Classics.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

Here are his career statistics:
AB: 9421
AVG: .274
HR: 512*
HR/YR: 33*
RBI: 1636
RBI/YR: 105
OBP: .330
SLG: .500*
OPS+: 122
TB: 4706
TB/YR: 302*
HITS: 2583
HITS/YR: 166
RUNS: 1305
RUNS/YR: 84
RC/YR: 97
FLD+: 101.9
SB: 50
*= Leads all Shortstops in the Hall of Fame

2. Joseph Floyd Vaughan

2. Joseph Floyd Vaughan

Arky Vaughan began his 14-year career in 1932 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He stayed there until 1942 when he went to finish his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948.

His best years were spent in Pittsburgh, where his mentor, Honus Wagner, roomed with Vaughan while a Pirate coach. Vaughan's 1935 marks, a .385 batting average and .607 slugging average, remain team records.

Named for his home state of Arkansas, Vaughan was a quiet, gentlemanly ballplayer whose demeanor was rarely disturbed.

Vaughan’s best season was 1935 when he won the batting title with an average of .385 with 19 HR and 99 RBI, 192 hits and 108 runs scored. His OPS+ that season was a league best 190.

He batted .300 or better 12 times (10 consecutively), and scored over 100 runs five times, leading the league three times.

Vaughan was named to nine consecutive All Star games where he batted .364 with two HR and four RBI in 25 plate appearances.

He was in the 1947 World Series with the Brooklyn Dodgers when they lost to the New York Yankees in seven games. Vaughan batted .500 with one double in three plate appearances.

Vaughan drowned on Aug. 30, 1952 in Eagleville, CA, just 40 years old, when a boat from which he was fishing capsized.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985 by the Veteran’s Committee.

Here are his career statistics:
AB: 6622
AVG: .318
HR: 96
HR/YR: 9
RBI: 926
RBI/YR: 83
OBP: .406*
SLG: .453
OPS+: 136
TB: 3003
TB/YR: 268
HITS: 2103
HITS/YR: 187
RUNS: 1173
RUNS/YR: 105
RC/YR: 108
FLD+: 100
SB: 118
*= Leads all Shortstops in the Hall of Fame

1. John Peter “Flying Dutchman” Wagner

1. John Peter “Flying Dutchman” Wagner

Honus Wagner was born Feb. 24, 1870 in Chartiers, PA.

His 21-year MLB career began in 1897 with the Louisville Colonels where he played for three years before moving to the Pittsburgh Pirates where he played the remainder of his career, retiring in 1917.

For 56 years, Wagner was a fixture in Pittsburgh, as a player for 17 years and as a coach for 39 more. Seven months before he died, he saw a statue of himself erected outside Forbes Field. After he died, Branch Rickey declared that Wagner was the greatest player he had ever seen.

It was said that Wagner threw out runners lying on his back. In one instance, he was caught with his glove hand in his back pocket reaching for a tobacco chaw, so he fielded a sharp grounder in his bare throwing hand and calmly threw the runner out, literally, with one hand behind his back.

After winning the batting title in 1909, he was pitted against the Tigers and Ty Cobb, the AL batting champ, in the 1909 World Series. In Game Two, Cobb notified the "krauthead" of his intention to steal second on the next pitch.

Wagner's message-laden tag in Cobb's mouth resulted in three stitches and Cobb's lasting respect. In Game Three, Wagner drove in three runs and stole three bases. The Pirates won the Series in seven games with Wagner batting .333 and stealing six bases, including home.

Wagner was loyal and liked Pittsburgh, despite failing ever to earn more than $10,000 a year. Cobb and Nap Lajoie offered him $1,000 a week for a barnstorming tour, but he turned it down.

Supposedly, Wagner didn't want his picture on the now-famous baseball card because the sponsor was a tobacco company, and he didn't want to seem to condone smoking, although he chewed tobacco.

The story goes that he sent the tobacco company the money it would have earned from the card, which had already been printed.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936 and died on Dec. 6, 1955 in Carnegie, PA at the age of 81.

Here are his career statistics:
AB: 10430
AVG: .327*
HR: 101
HR/YR: 6
RBI: 1732*
RBI/YR: 100
OBP: .391
SLG: .466
OPS+: 150*
TB: 4862
TB/YR: 282
HITS: 3415*
HITS/YR: 198*
RUNS: 1736*
RUNS/YR: 101
RC/YR: 109*
FLD+: 98.8
SB: 722*
*= Leads all Shortstops in the Hall of Fame