Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the
More hit balls go to the shortstop than to any other position, as there are more
History
Doc Adams of the Knickerbockers created the concept of the shortstop position, according to baseball historian John Thorn and Baseball Hall of Fame researcher Freddy Berowski.[1][2] In the first five years the Knickerbockers played, the team fielded anywhere from eight to eleven players. The only infielders were the players covering each of the bases; if there were more than eight players, extra outfielders were sometimes used. The outfielders had difficulty throwing baseballs into the infield because of the balls' light weight. Adams's shortstop position, which he started playing at some time from 1849 to 1850, was used to field throws from the outfielders and throw to the three infielders.[1][3] The position, more of a fourth outfielder than an infielder, was also then called "short fielder" (a term still used in soft-pitch softball for the 10th player).[4]
With the advent of higher-quality baseballs, Adams moved to the infield, since the distance the balls could travel increased.[1] However, Dickey Pearce, primarily of the Brooklyn Atlantics, is credited as the first to have played the shortstop position as it is played now.[5] Adams had a long playing career with the Knickerbockers: he remained a player with the team until 1860.[6]
Positioning
Unlike the
The shortstop ordinarily is positioned near second base on the third-base side. Because right-handed hitters tend to hit the ball more toward third base, a shortstop will generally move closer to third base if the batter is batting right-handed, and more toward first base if the batter is batting left-handed. A shortstop typically has a strong throwing arm, because he has a relatively long throw to first base, and often has less time in which to make a throw, given that the
Shortstops are required to cover second base in double play situations when the ball is hit to the second baseman or first baseman. They also cover second when a runner is attempting a stolen base, but only when a left-handed hitter is batting because the infield will respond to a left-handed batter by shifting toward first base, resulting in the shortstop being the infielder who is closest to second base. Shortstops also must cover third at various times, including the rotation play; the latter occurs when there are runners on first and second and a sacrifice bunt is attempted toward third base, requiring the third baseman to move in away from third base in order to field it. Shortstops generally are given precedence on catching pop-ups in the infield as well, so they end up calling off other players many times, although on deep pop-ups they generally fall back when called off by an outfielder. They often become the cutoff man on balls to any part of the outfield that are being directed towards third base and all balls to left and center field that are destined for second base. Depending on the system the shortstop may cut balls from left field heading home; however, this is usually the job of the third baseman.
The emphasis on defense makes the position unusually difficult to fill. Historically, a strong shortstop did not have to be a good hitter. Some of the weakest hitters in Major League Baseball have played the position, including Mario Mendoza, for whom George Brett popularized the eponymous Mendoza Line to describe a batting average below .200. Since the 1960s, however, such mediocre hitting has become rarer as teams increasingly demand players with ability to both field and hit.[8]
In practice, a marginal fielder as a shortstop who hits well can be moved to almost any other position, especially second base or third base, whether early in their careers (examples: George Brett and
Significant shortstops
Shortstops inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame
The year in which the player was inducted is given in brackets after his name.
- Luis Aparicio (1984)
- Luke Appling (1964)
- Dave Bancroft (1971)
- Ernie Banks (1977)
- Lou Boudreau (1970)
- Joe Cronin (1956)
- George Davis (1998)
- Travis Jackson (1982)
- Hughie Jennings (1945)
- Derek Jeter (2020)
- Barry Larkin (2012)
- John Henry "Pop" Lloyd (1977)
- Rabbit Maranville (1954)
- Paul Molitor (2004) (Played some games at SS in 1978, 1979, and 1982)
- Pee Wee Reese (1984)
- Cal Ripken Jr. (2007)
- Phil Rizzuto (1994)
- Joe Sewell (1977)
- Ozzie Smith (2002)
- Joe Tinker (1946)
- Alan Trammell (2018)
- Arky Vaughan (1985)
- Honus Wagner (1936)
- Bobby Wallace (1953)
- John Montgomery Ward (1964)
- Willie Wells (1997)
- George Wright (1937)
- Robin Yount (1999)
Notes
- Negro leagues.
- George Wright was elected as a pioneer, but also starred as a shortstop in the 1860s and 1870s.
- Robin Yount started his career as a shortstop, and moved to the centerfielder in 1989.)
- Ernie Banks played shortstop for the first half of his career and first base for the remainder.
Multiple Gold Glove Award winners
- Ozzie Smith: 13
- Omar Vizquel: 11
- Luis Aparicio: 9
- Mark Belanger: 8
- Dave Concepción: 5
- Derek Jeter: 5
- Tony Fernández: 4
- Jimmy Rollins: 4
- Alan Trammell: 4
- Brandon Crawford: 3
- J. J. Hardy: 3
- Barry Larkin: 3
- Roy McMillan: 3
- Rey Ordóñez: 3
- Andrelton Simmons: 3
- Gene Alley: 2
- Larry Bowa: 2
- Orlando Cabrera: 2
- Don Kessinger: 2
- Francisco Lindor: 2
- Édgar Rentería: 2
- Cal Ripken Jr.: 2
- Alex Rodriguez: 2
- Troy Tulowitzki: 2
- Zoilo Versalles: 2
- Maury Wills: 2
All-time single season assist leaders among shortstops
- Ozzie Smith: 621 (San Diego Padres, 1980)
- Glenn Wright: 601 (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1924)
- Dave Bancroft: 598 (Philadelphia Phillies/New York Giants, 1920)
- Tommy Thevenow: 597 (St. Louis Cardinals, 1926)
- Iván DeJesús: 595 (Chicago Cubs, 1977)
- Cal Ripken Jr.: 583 (Baltimore Orioles, 1984)
- Whitey Wietelmann: 581 (Boston Braves, 1943)
- Dave Bancroft: 579 (New York Giants, 1922)
- Rabbit Maranville: 574 (Boston Braves, 1914)
- Don Kessinger: 573 (Chicago Cubs, 1968)
Source:[11] (does not list teams)
All-time single season putout leaders among shortstops
- Donie Bush: 425 (Detroit Tigers, 1914)
- Hughie Jennings: 425 (Baltimore Orioles [National League], 1895)
- Joe Cassidy: 408 (Washington Senators, 1905)
- Rabbit Maranville: 407 (Boston Braves, 1914)
- Dave Bancroft: 405 (New York Giants, 1922)
- Eddie Miller: 405 (Boston Braves, 1940)
- Monte Cross: 404 (Philadelphia Phillies, 1898)
- Dave Bancroft: 396 (New York Giants, 1921)
- Mickey Doolan: 395 (Philadelphia Phillies, 1906)
- Buck Weaver: 392 (Chicago White Sox, 1913)
All-time single-season fielding percentage leaders among shortstops
- Mike Bordick: .9982 (Baltimore Orioles, 2002)
- Cal Ripken Jr.: .9956 (Baltimore Orioles, 1990)
- Omar Vizquel: .9954 (Cleveland Indians, 2000)
- Rey Sánchez: .9941 (Kansas City Royals, 2000)
- Rey Ordóñez: .9938 (New York Mets, 1999)
- Omar Vizquel: .9933 (San Francisco Giants, 2006)
- Omar Vizquel: .9931 (Cleveland Indians, 1998)
- J. J. Hardy: .9923 (Baltimore Orioles, 2012)
- Tony Fernández .9919 (Toronto Blue Jays, 1989)
- Rey Sánchez: .9915 (Kansas City Royals, 2001)
Number of seasons with 100+ double plays turned at shortstop (among Hall of Fame shortstops)
- Cal Ripken Jr.: 12
- Phil Rizzuto: 8
- Lou Boudreau: 6
- Ozzie Smith: 5
- Luke Appling: 4
- Luis Aparicio: 3
- Ernie Banks: 3
- Travis Jackson: 3
- Pee Wee Reese: 2
- Arky Vaughan: 2
- Dave Bancroft: 1
- Joe Cronin: 1
- Derek Jeter: 1
- Rabbit Maranville: 1
- Joe Sewell: 1
- Alan Trammell: 1
- Robin Yount: 1
Source: baseballreference.com
See also
- Gold Glove award winners: List of Gold Glove Award winners at shortstop
- List of Gold Glove middle infield duos
References
- ^ a b c Thorn, John. "Doc Adams". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ^ Miller, Robert (September 26, 2009). "The Ridgefield man who helped invent baseball". The News-Times. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
- ^ Miller, Robert (September 26, 2009). "'Doc' Adams legacy; The position of shortstop". The News-Times. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
- ISBN 9780816017416. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ McKenna, Brian. "Dickey Pearce". Society for American Baseball Research. SABR. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-7432-9403-4.
- ^ Baseball Explained, by Phillip Mahony. McFarland Books, 2014. See www.baseballexplained.com Archived 2014-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Seminara, Dave (2010-07-06). "Branded for life with 'The Mendoza Line'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "George Brett Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ "Mike Schmidt Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Assists as SS". Baseball-Reference.com. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 7 August 2012.