who is the best 3rd basemen ever?

Question

all around....

Answer 1

Probably Mike Schmidt. 500+ home runs and 10 gold gloves is hard to beat.

Answer 2

This is pretty much a no-brainer. Michael Jack Schmidt is the greatest all-around 3rd baseman of all-time.

Mike Schmidt won 3 MVPs, a World Series MVP, 10 Gold Gloves, 6 Silver Sluggers, 8 times he led his league home runs, 4 times in RBIs, 12 time All-Star, 548 HR (509 at 3rd), 1595 RBIs, 1506 runs, 1507 BBs. All from a guy who hit .196 as a rookie.

Schmidt was also an excellent baserunner, and as a younger player had terrific speed. He once swiped 29 bases in a season. Even though he had some knee problems, he still was a great baserunner into his late 30s

Other players in the mix include the vastly underrated Eddie Matthews, George Brett & Brooks Robinson, but when you take offense, defense & base running into account, there really is only one choice as the greatest 3rd baseman: Mike Schmidt.

Answer 3

Brooks Robinson was a slightly better fielder than Mike Schmidt, but not by much. Schmidt was definitely the superior hitter. George Brett was a high-average hitter, but lacked Schmidt's power, and not as good a fielder. These are your top three third basemen, and Schmidt was the best of them.

Ron Santo was decent but second tier compared to the above three.

A-Rod has only been at a 3B for a couple of years so he doesn't count.

Answer 4

We won't know on Rodriguez for awhile, especially if he goes back to shortstop.

But Schmidt is the furthest from his competition of anyone staking a claim to #1 at any position.

He was a far better hitter than Robinson and an excellent fielder. (10 Gold Gloves, even though those can be iffy, show some skill.
He was a far better fielder than Brett, who was only okay.
He had almost twice the home runs and more runs scored and driven in than BR in a shorter career.
He had far better fielding numbers than Brett while still being a superior hitter.
His OPS is 43 points better than Robinson’s, 12 better than Brett’s.
He created almost 2.5 more runs per “game” (27 outs) than Robinson, and still almost ½ more per than Brett.
Black ink (Schmidt/Robinson/Brett) 74/10/39
Grey ink (Schmidt/Robinson/Brett) 225/133/159

In other words, no matter how you slice it, Schmidt is easily the top choice. He’s a clearer choice than Ruth over Aaron or Mays over Mantle or Cobb. And since they all played at roughly the same time, you can’t even make much of a time-line argument.

Answer 5

Mike Schmidt. There are those who would say Pie Traynor, but ol' Pie was before my time. Seriously, Schmidt combined glove work with slugging and leadership in a way that no third baseman ever has. Amongst his accomplishments - 3 time NL MVP, and 10 Gold Gloves. Led the NL in HRs 8 times, RBIs 4 times, Slugging Pct. 5 times, and On Base Pct. 3 times. Pete Rose, in speaking about Schmidt said, "He was the greatest player I ever played with: and I played with Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Tony Perez." (Rose didn't say so, but he also played with a guy named Steve Carlton). That's some pretty high praise.

Answer 6

Mike Schmidt.

Most positions can be narrowed down to a very short list, and then debated as to whom goes where, number one through three or five or whatever.

Not so, third base. It's Schmidt.

If Alex Rodriguez puts in enough years at 3B, maybe someday it'll make for an interesting discussion. Not today.

Answer 7

It's Brooks Robinson.

Answer 8

Hands down Brooks Robinson

Answer 9

say what you want but for now brooks robinson and ron santo were the best all around 3rd basemen

Answer 10

Tough call. Brooks Robinson was great, os was Schmidt and George Brett for that matter. But, when all is said and done A-Rod will be remembered as the best