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Skooby, can you post the whole list please?
Top 10 infields in MLB history
Buster Olney's 'Top 10' Week
This week, Buster ranks the best ever:
Top 10 Rotations
Top 10 Bullpens
Top 10 Outfields
Top 10 Infields
Top 10 Lineups (Thurs)
Top 10 Teams (Fri)
In part four of our six-part series this week, we rank the top 10 infields in history.
1. 1976 Cincinnati Reds
1B Tony Perez, 2B Joe Morgan, SS Davey Concepcion, 3B Pete Rose
Start with this: Joe Morgan posted an OPS+ of 186 that year, which is the highest for any middle infielder after 1935.
Morgan was a Gold Glove winner at his position that year and won his second consecutive MVP award after posting a career-high OPS of 1.020, with 62 extra-base hits, 114 walks, 111 RBIs and 60 stolen bases in 69 attempts. That was the fifth of six consecutive seasons in which Morgan scored more than 100 runs.
Oh, by the way, the first baseman, Perez, had 57 extra-base hits and eventually would be voted into the Hall of Fame. Concepcion, the shortstop, also won the Gold Glove and hit .281, developing into a borderline Hall of Famer; I don't think it would surprise anyone if some veterans' committee sometime voted him into the Hall of Fame.
And, oh by the way, the third baseman hit .323, with a .404 on-base percentage, scored 130 runs -- and later became the all-time leader in hits. Pretty good.
If you argued that the Reds' infield performed even better in 1975, that would be more than reasonable.
2. 2009 New York Yankees
1B Mark Teixeira, 2B Robinson Cano, SS Derek Jeter and 3B Alex Rodriguez
The combined numbers for this group that season: 125 doubles, 112 homers and 391 runs. Cano had the lowest OPS+ of the four, at 121; Teixeira was at 141, Rodriguez 138 and Jeter 125. Teixeira hit 39 homers; Jeter hit .334 and generated a .406 on-base percentage, stole 30 bases in 35 attempts and scored 107 runs.
The Yankees won the World Series that year.
It's possible that all four members of that Yankees' infield will wind up being inducted into the Hall of Fame: Jeter's a lock, Rodriguez will get in if there is an evolution in how candidates linked to PEDs are considered by voters, and Teixeira (338 homers and four Gold Gloves) and Cano (three top-six finishes in the MVP voting) have put up really strong numbers in the first halves of their careers.
3. 1999 New York Mets
1B John Olerud, 2B Edgardo Alfonzo, SS Rey Ordonez, 3B Robin Ventura
Errors are often not a good barometer for infield play, but the '99 Mets were impossibly efficient -- the starting four combined for a total of 27 errors that year, which is the primary reason why the pitching staff allowed a total of 20 unearned runs that year. How good is that?
From Elias: Here are the teams with the fewest unearned runs allowed in a season since 1912 (Not counting 1918, which was a shortened season due to World War I; or 1981 and 1994, seasons that were shortened because of collective bargaining issues).
1999 Mets: 20
2012 White Sox: 30
1998 Orioles: 31
2010 Padres: 32
1995 Orioles: 33
2010 Twins: 33
2011 Braves: 33
2011 Philles: 34
2005 Braves: 35
2003 Mariners: 35
While their best work was on defense, the Mets' group stood out offensively, as well -- Olerud had a .427 on-base percentage, with 19 homers; Alfonzo hammered 27 homers and scored 123 runs; and Ventura hit 32 homers and drove in 120.
4. 2009 Tampa Bay Rays
1B Carlos Pena, 2B Ben Zobrist, SS Jason Bartlett, 3B Evan Longoria
As stats guru Mark Simon notes, that Rays team was one of 10 teams that had three infielders who each generated a WAR of at least 5 (using the Baseball Reference version) -- Zobrist, Bartlett and Longoria. Zobrist had a .405 on-base percentage and a .948 OPS; Longoria had 77 extra-base hits, 100 runs and 113 RBIs; Bartlett had the best year of his career, hitting .320 (with a .389 on-base percentage) while stealing 30 bases in 37 attempts. Pena's WAR was 2.8, but that was deceivingly low, considering his importance to the lineup that year: He hit 39 homers, drew 87 walks and scored 100 runs.
And the whole group was excellent defensively, as well, with Longoria winning a Gold Glove.
5. 1914 Philadelphia Athletics
1B Stuffy McKinnis, 2B Eddie Collins, SS Jack Barry, 3B Home Run Baker
The group was known as the "$100,000 Infield" in their time, and maybe in our time, players this great would be called the "$1 Billion Infield." Collins had an OPS+ of 176 that season, in the midst of a career in which he would accumulate 3,315 hits. Baker was something of a freak in that era, because -- well, you know his nickname. He led the American League in home runs in four consecutive seasons, and scored 412 runs in that four-year span. That season, Collins, McKinnis and Baker all finished in the top five in the AL in total hits.
6. 1982 Milwaukee Brewers
1B Cecil Cooper, 2B Jim Gantner, SS Robin Yount and 3B Paul Molitor
Yount won the first of his two MVP awards for his play that season, when he led the AL with an OPS+ of 166, and a slugging percentage of .578 -- and won a Gold Glove. The 26-year-old Yount had 210 hits, Molitor had 201 hits and scored 136 runs, and the always underrated Cooper had 73 extra-base hits, a .313 batting average and 104 runs. The left-handed hitting Gantner hit .295 in 132 games, a complementary piece on a team that would advance all the way to the seventh game of the World Series.
7. 1971 Baltimore Orioles
1B Boog Powell, 2B Davey Johnson, SS Mark Belanger, 3B Brooks Robinson
This group was pretty good for awhile and you really could pick the '69 infield or '70 infield. In 1971, Powell had an OPS+ of 138, and Johnson -- who had unusual power for a second baseman in that era -- had an OPS+ of 125. Belanger and Robinson were viewed as the best defensive players at their respective positions in their era; Robinson won the 12th of his 16 Gold Gloves that season, and Belanger won the second of his eight Gold Glove Awards.
8. 1996 Orioles
1B Rafael Palmeiro, 2B Roberto Alomar, SS Cal Ripken and 3B B.J. Surhoff
I covered this team for the Baltimore Sun, and for a lot of that season, there was so much drama that it was more like watching the "Househusbands of Hollywood." Ripken had lost a step defensively at shortstop and he and manager Davey Johnson scrapped early in that season, Alomar was often jealous of the attention that Ripken got, and the regular season closed with Alomar spitting in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck.
But in the first half of that season, Alomar was as good as any player I've ever seen, hitting .352, running the bases spectacularly and upgrading Baltimore's infield defense -- and by year's end, you couldn't argue with the numbers: The four of them combined for 150 doubles, 108 homers, 410 runs and 420 RBIs, and the Orioles scrambled to make the playoffs.
9. 1930 New York Giants
1B Bill Terry, 2B Hughie Critz, SS Travis Jackson, 3B Freddie Lindstrom
Terry hit .401 that season, Lindstrom .379 and Jackson .339; Terry and Lindstrom combined for 266 runs. Critz was viewed as a good defensive player -- not surprisingly, given his lack of offensive production; Hall of Fame manager John McGraw was playing him for a reason.
10. 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers
1B Gil Hodges, 2B Jackie Robinson, SS Pee Wee Reese, 3B Billy Cox
Robinson was a dominant player that year, hitting .338, scoring 106 runs and generating an OPS+ of 154. Hodges had an OPS+ of 138, built on his 40 homers and 93 walks; he scored 118 runs. Reese was one of the better shortstops in the game, and he scored 94 runs. Cox was regarded as a really good glove man in his time.
Others considered:
1979 Los Angeles Dodgers: 1B Steve Garvey, 2B Davey Lopes, SS Bill Russell, 3B Ron Cey. They played together for a record nine seasons, and although the Dodgers didn't make the playoffs in 1979, that was probably the best statistical season for this group. Garvey, Lopes and Cey each hit 28 homers that year; Lopes scored 109 runs and, in keeping with his reputation for understanding how to steal bases as well as anyone in the game, he swiped 44 bases in 48 attempts.
The 1999 Cleveland Indians: 1B Jim Thome, 2B Roberto Alomar, SS Omar Vizquel, 3B Travis Fryman. Alomar had an OPS+ of 142, Thome blasted 32 homers and Vizquel won the seventh of his 11 Gold Gloves.
The 1993 Tigers, of Cecil Fielder, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell.
The 1998 Yankees, of Tino Martinez, Chuck Knoblauch, Jeter and Scott Brosius; Brosius hit ninth in the lineup on a lot of days that season and drove in 98 runs.
The 1977 Texas Rangers: 1B Mike Hargrove, 2B Bump Wills, SS Bert Campaneris, 3B Toby Harrah.
1991 Reds: 1B Hal Morris, 2B Bill Doran, SS Barry Larkin, 3B Chris Sabo.
The 1935 Tigers, of Hank Greenberg and Charlie Gehringer.
D-backs drama
The Arizona Diamondbacks want resolution with their outfield surplus, sources say, and they want it sooner rather than later. They've got to deal at least one of their veterans and believe they could find a landing place for Jason Kubel, if they chose to go that route; one rival official sees the Orioles as a viable spot, if Kubel is the guy who gets dealt. But if Kubel is traded, that probably means that Justin Upton will stay, and the Diamondbacks want to know if their relationship with him can be repaired. They want to know if he can be happy playing for them, and given all that has happened -- two straight offseasons of effort by the team to move him -- it may be that he just wants out. Some interested teams feel as though they can put together a good package of players to land Upton -- although the Diamondbacks say haven't seen an offer that would match the proposed Seattle deal that Upton rejected.
There have been reports that the Mariners had a four-for-one whopper in place, including pitcher Taijuan Walker, but a Seattle source indicates some of that has been overstated; the deal also would've included John Jaso being shipped to Oakland, so at the very least, the Upton/Seattle trade would have had more moving parts than have been reported.
The Diamondbacks want this settled. And perhaps very soon.
Dealing Upton spells trouble for the Diamondbacks, writes Scott Bordow.
The Diamondbacks agreed to terms with shortstop Cliff Pennington on a two-year deal.
Moves, deals and decisions
1. Domonic Brown turned 25 last September, so he's not really regarded as a young player anymore, and in 492 plate appearances in the big leagues, over 147 games, he has hit .236, with a .388 slugging percentage. When the news first surfaced Tuesday that the Phillies were talking with Delmon Young, a rival executive diagnosed this as bad news for Brown. Young was signed and will play right field when he's healthy, writes Jim Salisbury.
Young needs to mend his image, writes Bob Brookover. He also needs to improve his physical condition in order to play in the outfield regularly. Some talent evaluators regarded his defense last year as unplayable -- and in fact, the Tigers stopped using him in the outfield in the last month of the regular season.
2. Mike Napoli's deal is done, as Tim Britton writes.
3. Mark DeRosa signed with the Blue Jays.
4. The Cardinals signed closer Jason Motte.
5. Corey Hart's knee surgery was postponed.
6. The Rays signed a bunch of guys.
7. Brandon Phillips says he'd keep Aroldis Chapman at closer.
8. It was a really good day for the Dodgers: L.A. worked out a deal to bring back Sandy Koufax to their organization. The Dodgers are going to make a lot of money with their television deal, as Bill Shaikin writes.
9. The Dodgers turned down a suggestion by manager Don Mattingly to extend his contract, writes Bill Plaschke.
Other stuff
The left-handed Francisco Liriano has a broken right arm.
Kenny Williams is easing into his new role with the White Sox.
Earl Weaver was a master of bluster and brilliance, writes Terry Pluto.
Dave George writes that Bud Selig was right to deny Miami of an All-Star Game.
Craig Kimbrel wants to be even better.
Hunter Pence wants to be better this season, writes John Shea.
Terry Francona did an ESPN.com chat.
Jeff Seidel writes about what it's like to be coached by the Tigers' Jeff Jones. He has a perfect personality for a pitching coach: He's relatively low key, doesn't overreact, relates well to others and has a good sense of humor.
Ken Griffey Jr. will be added to the Mariners' Hall of Fame.
Elijah Dukes was arrested again.
Joba Chamberlain and Kevin Youkilis haven't spoken yet, writes Anthony McCarron.
The world will be a better place because of this bobblehead.
And today will be better than yesterday.
Kenny Rogers
