Who are the best second basemen of all time? In the modern game second base is more primarily a defensive position when compared to first basemen.
Best Second Basemen of All Time
Second basemen often have quick hands and feet and need to be able to get rid of the ball quickly. They’re the cut-off position for balls hit to the right side of the outfield. Let’s take a look at the 10 best second basemen of all time.
10. Rod Carew
Rod Carew is one of the best second basemen of all time, earning 18 All-Star appearances in 19 seasons with the Minnesota Twins and California Angels.
One of the greatest hitters of all-time Carew was a seven-time AL batting champion. A phenomenal contact-hitter Rod Carew’s stats were 3,053 hits, a career batting average of .328 and 1,424 runs scored.
9. Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson broke down baseball’s color line in 1947 helping end 60 years of segregation. Across a 10-year career Robinson earned six All-Star selections. He was twice the National League leader for stolen bases and in 1949, was batting champion and MVP.
Robinson featured in the Brooklyn Dodgers first ever World Series championship in 1955. One of the best defensive second basemen ever, he was exceptionally quick around the bases, was tough and extremely intelligent.
8. Chase Utley
Chase Utley is one of the best second basemen of all time. In a 16-year career he earned six All-Star appearances and won the World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. Utley was a great batter winning the Silver Slugger Award four times.
He had 1,885 hits, 259 home runs and a batting average of .275. Defensively Utley was superb too and he had excellent instincts. In 2009 he stole 23 bases without getting caught, an MLB record in a single season.
On this day in 2007, Chase Utley helped this Phillies complete a crucial sweep of the Mets by delivering a walk-off single off of Billy Wagner.
For my money, this is the best regular season game ever at CBP. pic.twitter.com/izRXsnK4Zl
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) August 30, 2023
7. Craig Biggio
Houston Astros legend Craig Biggio began his career as a catcher before transitioning into a second baseman. He was versatile and had both power and speed, becoming one of the most well rounded second basemen in history.
Biggio earned 7 All-Star appearances, 5 Silver Slugger Awards and 4 Gold Glove Awards. He’s the only player in history to have at least 250 home runs, 3,000 hits, 600 doubles and 400 stolen bases.
The moment Craig Biggio joined the 3,000 hit club. #BiggioHOF #Astros pic.twitter.com/psN4wWwx0l
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 24, 2015
6. Charlie Gehringer
Charlie Gehringer is a Detroit Tigers legend and one of the best second basemen of all time. Defensively he was elite and retired in 1942 with a then-record 1,444 double plays. He also registered 7,068 assists and 5,369 putouts.
A six-time All-Star, Gehringer won the World Series in 1935 and was the AL batting champion in 1937. He finished his career with a .320 batting average, 2,839 hits and 184 home runs.
5. Ryne Sandberg
After initially starting his career as a shortstop for the Phillies, Ryan Sandberg became one of the best second basemen of all time and a Chicago Cubs legend. A 10-time All-Star, Sandberg earned the most Silver Slugger Awards in history for a second baseman with seven.
He had a career batting average of .285, had 2,386 hits and 282 home runs. Sandberg is also a nine-time Gold Glove winner and at the time of his retirement in 1997, held the MLB record for fielding percentage at second base with .989.
4. Roberto Alomar
Roberto Alomar is one the greatest defensive second baseman of all time and earned 10 Gold Glove awards during his career. During his 16-season career he became an All-Star 12 times.
Alomar was a switch-hitter and finished with a batting average of .300. He also had 2,724 hits, batted in 1,134 runs, hit 210 home runs and stole 474 bases.
3. Eddie Collins
Defensively Eddie Collins is the greatest ever first baseman in history. Despite his 5-foot-9 and 170-pound stature he was strong, agile, tenacious and had a massive fielding range. Collins was also one of the greatest at stealing bases and twice achieved six stolen bases in a single game, an MLB record.
He could do almost everything on the field however he lacked a power game. As most of his career was played during the deadball era it mattered little. Collins won six World Series with five of those while at the Philadelphia Athletics, and he retired with a career batting average of .333.
2. Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby was considered to be the quickest player of his era and is one of the best second basemen of all time. Many see Hornsby as the greatest ever right-handed hitter in MLB history. He achieved a Triple Crown twice in his career and had a career batting average of .358.
Only Ty Cobb and Oscar Charleston finished their careers with a better batting average than Hornsby. He won a World Series championship with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1926, was twice crowned NL MVP, and was a seven-time NL batting champion.
1. Joe Morgan
Two-time MVP and 10-time All-Star Joe Morgan is the best second baseman of all time. Morgan enjoyed 22 seasons in the MLB hitting 268 home runs, had a batting average of .271, and was renowned for his excellent base running.
Morgan spent the best years of his career with the Cincinnati Reds. While with the Reds he won back-to-back World Series in 1975 and 1976, both NL MVP years for Morgan. He also won the Gold Glove Award for five years straight between 1973 and 1977.