Slugging Shortstops

Nice article from SI LINK HERE

From slappies to sluggers

The abundance of good-hitting shortstops is one of the most compelling storylines in baseball, but it's not exactly new.

The trend began in earnest a decade ago with Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra and Edgar Renteria. Now, the 4Rs of National League East alone -- Renteria, Reyes, Ramirez and Rollins make for a dazzling collection. Add Carlos Guillen, Derek Jeter, Orlando Cabrera, Rafael Furcal, Michael Young and J.J. Hardy and the question must be asked: Is this the best crop of hitting shortstops in history?

According to a study done earlier this spring by Patrick Sullivan of The Baseball Analysts, the answer is yes. Naturally, with 30 teams, there are more shortstops to choose from than there was 50 years ago. But it's not just that.

"As strikeout rates have increased, the value of a great fielding shortstop has diminished," points out Rich Lederer of The Baseball Analysts. "As runs scored have gone up, it has become more important to get offense out of all positions, including shortstop. Add in the fact that athletes are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever and it makes sense that the position would morph over time."

"Teams won't tolerate offensive zeroes in the lineup the way they did in past eras," adds Steve Treder from The Hardball Times. From the '50s through the '70s, banjo-hitting, slick-fielding specialists such as Chico Carrasquel, Mark Belanger and Ozzie Smith were the norm; Ernie Banks was the exception.

Prior to and during the Deadball Era, shortstops were some of the most productive hitters in the game, including Honus Wagner, the greatest shortstop of all time. Later still, in the 1930s and '40s, shortstops such as Arky Vaughan, Luke Appling, Vern Stephens and Lou Boudreau were all outstanding hitters. Basically, you find good-hitting shortstops during offensive eras.

"The difference today," says historian Glenn Stout, "is that bigger, more offensively talented shortstops aren't being shifted to other positions. I suspect most were like Mickey Mantle and were moved to the outfield. As much as we hear about Mantle's scattershot arm, they gave up on him as an infielder by age 20. He never got to work through a 56-error season like Jeter did [in 1993 as minor leaguer]. Also, shortstop was considered the baseball equivalent of quarterback. Very few African-Americans were allowed to play the position and were moved elsewhere."

Consider the star players who were one-time shortstops, albeit mostly in the minors: Rogers Hornsby, Larry Doby, Jackie Robinson, Jimmy Wynn, Brooks Robinson, George Brett, Bobby Grich, Gary Sheffield, Chipper Jones and Troy Glaus. If A-Rod had played in the '60s or '70s, he would have been a third basemen; Jeter would have been a center fielder.

"The best players have almost always been shortstops," Lederer continues, "especially at the lower levels -- Little League, high school, college, and the minors. These guys were the best athletes on the team. They played shortstop because they were faster, more graceful and had better arms than everybody else on their club. But as they moved up the pyramid, the competition became stiffer and there were now other more specialized players who could field and throw even better. Ergo, the guys who could hit were moved off the position in favor of those who could field slightly better because teams didn't want to sacrifice defense back then."

That all changed with Cal Ripken Jr., who was immediately preceded by Robin Yount. Yount was in the big leagues at 18 in 1974. He was known for his speed, as a guy who hit singles, but in 1980 he came into his own as a power hitter, batting .293 with a.519 slugging percentage and 130 OPS-plus for the Brewers. Two years later, he slugged .578 as an integral member of the Harvey Wallbanger's team that won the AL pennant.

Which makes for a nice segue back to Ripken, who played his first full season in '82. Ripken, a pitcher and a shortstop when he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles, was big -- 6-foot-4. He started his minor-league career as a shortstop but was converted to third. The team traded away a solid 30-year old third baseman in Doug DeCinces -- who had the misfortune of succeeding Brooks Robinson -- after the '81 season to make room for Ripken.

Bob Bonner came up with Ripken in '82 and was expected to play short. But while Bonner was a gifted fielder, he was an even worse hitter than Belanger had been. Ripken played third through June and was moved to short at the beginning of July. Though he struggled offensively at the start of the season, Ripken finished the year with 28 homers and 93 RBIs, good for Rookie of the Year honors. The following season, Ripken was a monster (.318/.371/.517, 144 OPS-plus), winning the MVP and leading his team to a World Series championship.

"Ripken opened people's eyes as to what a shortstop could be offensively," says historian Mike Carminati. "He also came at the right time, just when hiding poor offensive players at short and in center could no longer be hidden. Ripken became a star just before the offensive boom of the 1985-87 seasons. He was the tipping point."

Yet, as good as he was, it was expected that Ripken would soon return to third base, even though he set the American League record for assists (583) in 1984 and led the league in that category in '83, '86 and '87. After the '85 season, Baltimore owner Edward Bennett Williams wanted Ripken moved to third. But manager Earl Weaver wouldn't budge. "He's a great athlete. He's smart. He goes back on pop-ups better than anyone I've ever seen. He's the All-Star shortstop and not just because of his bat."

Ripken was the new prototype at short. He was even bigger than Yount and Dctroit's Alan Trammell. In 1984, Kansas City manager Dick Howser said, "Primarily, it's the power that sets Ripken apart, his ability to drive in runs, more than his defensive ability. Trammell is a shade better with the glove and Yount's speed gives him an edge, but offensively, there's no question it's Ripken. I'm sure all three of their managers are satisfied with their situations."

These three, followed by Cincinnati's Barry Larkin, set the stage for today's bigger, offensive-minded shortstops. (Unfortunately, Trammell has been overlooked by the Hall of Fame; let's hope Larkin fares better.) Alex Rodriguez, now a third baseman, of course, Jeter and Hanley Ramirez are 6-foot-3; Bobby Crosby and Hardy are 6-foot-2; Guillen, Young, Jhonny Peralta and Jose Reyes are all 6-foot-1. But even the small, compact shortstops such as Miguel Tejada (5-foot-10) and Jimmy Rollins (5-foot-8) can mash.

"My first guess would be that this represents a change in the game that we don't yet understand," says historian Bill James, who admits that he hasn't studied the issue in detail, "rather than just a random collection of shortstops."

Whether you see this as the natural evolution of the position or a return to the norm, one thing is for sure: The slugging shortstop is not likely to disappear anytime soon.