Future Hall of Fame Baseball Player Series:
- First Basemen
- Second Basemen
- Shortstops
- Third Basemen
- Outfielders – American League
- Outfielders – National League
- Catchers
- Starting Pitchers
- Closers
The are plenty of potential Hall of Fame first basemen currently in the big leagues, but at second base…. not so much. There are really only two active second basemen that have done enough in their careers to be a part of this conversation: Craig Biggio and Jeff Kent. Let’s take a look at their cases.
No Doubters
- Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio will go down as one of the best second basemen of all time. He has quietly put together some very impressive stats.
- 2,970 Hits – 28th all-time. In about a month, he will become the 27th player to reach 3,000 hits and if he gets another 100 hits this season, he’ll finish the season ranked 20th on the career hits list.
- 650 Doubles – 7th all-time. If he can collect 16 more doubles in his career, he’ll pass George Brett for 5th on the all-time list.
- 412 Stolen Bases – 61st all-time. Not super high on the leader list, but another very nice aspect to his well-rounded game.
- 1,802 Runs – 16th all-time.
He’s also got some other interesting “bullet-point” stats. If he gets hit by a pitch 4 more times, he will become the all-time leader in that category. He’s also the only player to be an all star both as a catcher and second baseman.
When you compare him to other HOF second basemen, there is no question he belongs. Take a look at his stats verses Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg:
Biggio Sandberg Hits 2,970 2,386 Runs 1,802 1,318 Doubles 650 403 Triples 55 76 Home Runs 284 282 RBI 1141 1061 Stolen Bases 412 344 Walks 1147 761 Batting Average .282 .285 On Base % .366 .344 Slugging % .435 .452 Biggio beats him in every category except for triples, batting average and slugging percentage. If the voters put Sandberg in, there really is no way they can deny Biggio entry into the Hall.
Really good chance
- Jeff Kent
As far as second basemen go, Kent is a bit of a one trick pony, but its not a bad trick. He’s the best power hitting second baseman ever. He’s got 351 career home runs, and 1,403 RBI’s. To go along with those power numbers, he’s also got 1,224 runs and 2,233 hits. He’s 38 years old, so he has maybe another couple of years of decent play left in him, which could put his RBI total over the important 1,500 mark. He also has won an MVP award, which not many second basemen can say. That always looks good on a resume. The only thing going against him is that he wasn’t know as a great defensive player, but that shouldn’t be enough to offset his offensive numbers.
Its pretty slim pickins at second base, but I think with Biggio, you’ve got a first-ballot inductee, and Kent should get in, although I’m not sure if he’ll make it his first year of eligibility.
