|
You're absolutely right. 1976 is a good snapshot of just how thin the position was.
Here's the lineup of 1976 All-Star second basemen:
| League |
Starter |
Backup(s) |
| NL |
Joe Morgan |
Dave Cash, Rennie Stennett |
| AL |
Bobby Grich |
Willie Randolph, Jorge Orta |
And you look at that list and think: One of these is not like the others.
Joe Morgan in 1976:
- .320 average, 27 HR, 111 RBI, 60 SB, 113 walks, .444 OBP
- 2nd MVP in a row
- Led the Reds to 102 wins and a World Series title
- One of the most complete seasons by any player in baseball history
The rest of the 1976 second basemen:
| Player |
1976 Stats |
Vibe |
| Davey Lopes |
.241 avg, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 63 SB |
Good, Speedster |
| Dave Cash |
.284 avg, 1 HR, 56 RBI, 10 SB |
Solid, unspectacular |
| Rennie Stennett |
.257 avg, 2 HR, 60 RBI, 18 SB |
Good defender, light-hitting |
| Bobby Grich |
.266 avg, 13 HR, 54 RBI, 14 SB |
Good, not great |
| Willie Randolph |
.267 avg, 1 HR, 40 RBI, 37 SB |
Steady, unspectacular |
| Frank White |
.229 avg, 2 HR, 46 RBI, 20 SB |
Great defensive player |
| Jorge Orta |
.274 avg, 14 HR, 72 RBI, 24 SB |
Solid bat, versatile |
Morgan was the only superstar - tiers above every other second baseman in the 1970s. The gap between Morgan and everyone else at second base in that decade was substantial, by virtually every measure.
From 1971 through 1977, Joe Morgan was the best second baseman in baseball. From 1972 to 1976, he was arguably the best player in baseball, period.
The 1970s were a dark age for second base, and Joe Morgan was the only bright light. It wasn't until Sandberg and Whitaker came along in the 1980s that the position started to see at least a little more depth of players. But even so, second base remained thin.
Note (640kb): It wasn't until the 1990s - with Alomar, Baerga, Kent, Biggio... that second base saw real depth in that position. I should look at the eras before 1970 to compare. I suspect, 2nd base didn't evolve fully until the 1990s.
|