Period’s greatest third basemen – by G. Scott Thomas

There was little question of Mike Schmidt’s excellence.

The longtime third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995, his first yr of eligibility. He was backed by 96.5 p.c of the corridor’s voters. Solely three inductees — Tom Seaver, Ty Cobb, and Henry Aaron — had obtained larger assist since Cooperstown’s first election in 1936.

Schmidt topped the Nationwide League in dwelling runs eight occasions, received 10 Gold Gloves, and earned three Most Priceless Participant Awards. He was “one of the best third baseman ever, baseball’s greatest participant for the final 20 years,” within the opinion of Sporting Information columnist Dave Kindred.

So it’s not precisely surprising that Schmidt is No. 1 on at present’s record of one of the best third basemen of baseball’s Fashionable Period, the interval since 1961.

Rounding out the highest 5 are Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves, Adrian Beltre of 4 golf equipment (notably the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers), George Brett of the Kansas Metropolis Royals, and Wade Boggs of three groups (primarily the Boston Purple Sox). Three of those 4 runners-up have been enshrined in Cooperstown with Schmidt. The exception, Beltre, will turn out to be eligible subsequent yr.

At the moment’s rankings cowl all 175 gamers who made a minimum of 2,500 plate appearances and spent a minimum of 40 p.c of that point as third basemen between 1961 and 2022. (Click on right here to be taught extra concerning the 10-part ranking method.)

Every participant’s total document was factored into the method, even these stats gathered at different positions. It’s vital to keep in mind that the rankings are restricted to the Fashionable Period, eliminating any seasons previous to 1961.

Schmidt, because the top-rated third baseman, was assigned a rating of 1,000 factors, whereas the (nameless) participant in a hundred and seventy fifth place was awarded zero factors. The scores for all different third basemen had been decided by their relative performances between prime and backside.

That is the fifth installment of my weekly assessment — posted each Thursday — of the Fashionable Period’s greatest gamers. Observe these hyperlinks to see the earlier tales about catchers, first basemen, second basemen, and shortstops.

Statistical breakdowns for the period’s 5 preeminent third basemen could be discovered under, adopted by an inventory of the following 15.

A brand new installment will arrive in your electronic mail every weekday morning

• Rating: 1,000 factors

• WAR: 106.8 whole, 5.3 per 500 PA, 18.4 defensive

• Averages: .267 BA, .527 SLG, .969 BPO

• Scoring: 2,553 R generated, 127 per 500 PA

• Totals: 2,404 G, 2,234 H

• Notes: Schmidt initially gave the impression to be a bust. He batted simply .196 in 1973, his first full season. He didn’t obtain a single vote for the Nationwide League’s Rookie of the Yr Award. But he completed sixth within the race for the following season’s MVP trophy, which he subsequently received 3 times. He completed his 18-year profession with 548 dwelling runs, at present placing him sixteenth in baseball historical past.

• Rating: 986 factors

• WAR: 85.3 whole, 4.0 per 500 PA, -0.9 defensive

• Averages: .303 BA, .529 SLG, .982 BPO

• Scoring: 2,774 R generated, 131 per 500 PA

• Totals: 2,499 G, 2,726 H

• Notes: Jones’s biggest season was 1999, when he walloped 45 homers, drove dwelling 110 runs, and received the NL’s MVP Award. But it wasn’t a very uncommon yr. Jones hit a minimum of 25 homers 9 different occasions, and he reached triple digits in RBIs on eight different events.

• Rating: 972 factors

• WAR: 93.5 whole, 3.9 per 500 PA, 27.0 defensive

• Averages: .286 BA, .480 SLG, .778 BPO

• Scoring: 2,754 R generated, 114 per 500 PA

• Totals: 2,933 G, 3,166 H

• Notes: Beltre is destined for Cooperstown, maybe as quickly as 2024. He rapped 3,166 hits throughout his 21-year profession, placing him in seventeenth place on the all-time record, wedged between a pair of Corridor of Fame infielders, Cal Ripken Jr. (3,184 hits) and George Brett (3,154). He additionally received 5 Gold Gloves.

• Rating: 948 factors

• WAR: 88.6 whole, 3.8 per 500 PA, 2.2 defensive

• Averages: .305 BA, .487 SLG, .850 BPO

• Scoring: 2,862 R generated, 123 per 500 PA

• Totals: 2,707 G, 3,154 H

• Notes: Brett posted a batting common higher than .300 in 11 of his 21 seasons, famously peaking with an awe-inspiring .390 mark in 1980. He received three American League batting titles, and he’s the one Fashionable Period third baseman to mix a lifetime BA above .300 with a complete of greater than 3,100 hits.

• Rating: 945 factors

• WAR: 91.4 whole, 4.3 per 500 PA, 13.9 defensive

• Averages: .328 BA, .443 SLG, .860 BPO

• Scoring: 2,409 R generated, 112 per 500 PA

• Totals: 2,439 G, 3,010 H

• Notes: Boggs put up one of the best profession batting common among the many 175 third basemen in at present’s research group, and it wasn’t even shut. He completed at .328. George Brett and Invoice Madlock had been joint runners-up at .305. Boggs took dwelling 5 AL batting crowns, together with 4 straight from 1985 by way of 1988.