MLB 2022: The Long and Winding Thread

Rogers Hornsby played second base. Never saw him but I heard he could hit a bit. So did HOFs Tony Lazzeri, Bobby Doerr and Joe Gordon. Charlie Gehringer. Lots of examples of offensive 2B. Shortstop was less so.

 

Arky Vaughan. Luke Appling. Some guy named Ernie Banks. Joe Cronin. Lou Boudreau. Vern Stephens. Jim Fregosi. Rico Petrocelli.

It wasn't really until the 1960s and 1970s that teams emphasized defense over offense at that position. Then Ripken revolutionized the position. (Robin Yount and Trammell were no slouches.)

 

There are few second basemen in the Hall compared to other positions.

 

The stunning thing is how few third basemen have been elected. (Catchers as well.)

Hall of Famers | Baseball Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame is comprised of 340 elected members. Included are 268 former major league players, as well as 40 executives/pioneers, 22 managers and 10 umpires. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America has elected 135 candidates to the Hall while the Committees on managers, umpires, executives and long-retired players (in all of its forms) has chosen 179 deserving candidates. The defunct “Committee on Negro Baseball Leagues” selected nine men between 1971-77 and the Special Committee on Negro Leagues in 2006, elected 17 Negro Leaguers. There are currently 75 living members. By position, there are: 84 pitchers, 19 catchers, 25 first basemen, 20 second basemen, 17 third basemen, 26 shortstops, 23 left fielders, 24 center fielders, 27 right fielders, 3 designated hitters, 22 managers, 10 umpires and 40 executives/pioneers. In 2020, players who appeared in seven specific Negro Leagues between 1920 and 1948 were designated with major league status.

 

Guess I should have specified that in the 1970s and 80s, for basically an entire generation, there was more of an emphasis on defense vs. offense at those positions and the guys like Cal Ripken or Ryne Sandberg who could regularly hit 25 home runs a season were unicorns.
Maybe it's just perception. When I think of the great shortstops of that era, I think of relatively light hitters like Ozzie Smith, Dave Concepcion and Larry Bowa. They had some decent average seasons but never struck fear in anyone as power threats. It wasn't until that 1990s/early 2000s generation of shortstops with A-Rod, Jeter, Nomar and Miguel Tejada that it started to feel like it could be a power position.

 

Showalter was handed a hugely talented team ready to win now, but it looks for all the world that they're going the way of Buck's D-backs and Yanks before them.

 

Showalter is the guy to get you from Point A to Point B. You need a new, better guy to get to Point C.

 

Darn good thing the Mets have big arms at the front of the rotation.

Because that eight-man lineup is one faceless bunch for a playoff team after Alonso and McNeil.

 

Every day they thank their lucky stars they won a title

 

Phillies went from 82 to 87 wins, entering today
Mets went from 77 wins to 98 wins, entering today

DeGrom and Scherzer combined to make 34 starts is the counter in dealing with injuries

 

Your second point is well taken. Back before Opening Day, however, the Mets were widely expected to be good, and the Phillies were not.