GREAT DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF ALL TIME

When you think of ‘stats’ you think of hitting, when there should be an equal part to the equation: defense. The truly great players are those that can do it from the batter’s box to playing the field and around the bases. Arm strength, speed and consistency are all important and part of the ‘5-tool’ player concept. The following are what I consider the greatest defensive players of their time.

Greg Maddux

Considered by many as the best fielding pitcher of all time.  Won 10 Gold Gloves with Atlanta and 18 total over his career, the most all-time at any position.

Luis Aparicio

Won six Gold Gloves and was consistently at the top of the league in fielding percentage, assists and put outs. Aparicio was part of one of the best double-play combinations in history with second basemen Nellie Fox. His Chicago White Sox teams were known for their speed and strong defense.

He was a 13-time All-Star and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

Johnny Bench

Bench won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves between 1968 and 1977, and is also famous for his unique catching style that saw him pick balls in the dirt with his mitt rather than dropping onto his knees and getting in front of the ball.

Brooks Robinson

16 straight Gold Gloves from 1960-1975, which are the most ever for a third basemen, Robinson was also named to the Rawlings All-Time Gold Glove Team, and his No. 5 was retired by the Orioles. He is also a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Al Kaline

He was an 18-time All-Star, mainly as a right fielder. He was best known for his very strong throwing arm and won an amazing 10 Gold Gloves in his career.

 

Keith Hernandez

One of the truly best defensive first basemen of all time, Hernandez had a strong, accurate throwing arm, making the Mets decide to have him handle all of the cutoff throws. He also would squat in foul territory to make a tag on the base runner more quickly on pickoff attempts. The umpires had to change the rule because of Hernandez's technique.

Hernandez played with the Mets from 1983 to 1989 and won six consecutive Gold Gloves.

 

Roberto Clemente

To go along with his impressive offensive numbers, Clemente was stellar in the field. He won 12 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1961 to 1972 and made plays look effortless. A 5-tool player and one of the greatest of all time.

 

Willie Mays

Defensively, the ‘Say hey kid’ Mays played center field. A Gold Glove winner 12 times even though the award wasn't introduced until six seasons into his career. It is clear he would have added a few more Gloves if the award had been around when he started playing six years earlier.

Ozzie Smith

Set a record for number of games played at his short, broke the records for assists and double plays, Smith won a Gold Glove in 11 straight seasons.

Roy Campanella

A Hall of Fame member in 1969, his career ended prematurely: 242 HR, .276 BA, 856 RBI and three time MVP, an eight time All Star, Campy had a strong accurate arm, to any base. Knew how to handle pitchers.

Yogi Berra

A contemporary of Campanella, Yogi had a career: 358 HR .285 BA, 1430 RBI and elected in 1972 to the Hall of fame, A three time MVP, 18 All Star elections, know as a bad ball hitter with a great arm defensively.

That's all I wrote, folks!