Here (finally) is the finished Stats comparison of the HOF 3rd basemen plus some modern-day candidates who are probably just a little below the grade. To explain a few of the stats:
OPS+= On Base plus Slugging Percentage measured against the league average, and adjusted for ballpark factors. An OPS+ over 100 is better than average, less than 100 is below average.
HOF Monitor: A Bill James invention; I couldn't begin to explain the formula for it, but believe me, the guy knows what he's talking about. He's a likely future HOFer himself for his work in revolutionizing the way baseball people look at statistics.
MVP awards: For those who won at least 1, the number of MVPs is listed. For those who never did, their highest finish in voting is listed.
*Denotes still active
Gold Gloves were first awarded in 1957, and the first All-Star game was held in 1933. It's also important to note that my HOF list omits Negro League players, because of inconsistencies in the keeping of stats for them and the level of competition to compare, mainly for Ron Santo, whose case is the reason for this post. It also includes only players whom I subjectively considered to have been primarily 3B, thus omitting some names like Edgar Martinez and Paul Molitor.
Again, to state my finding: Ron Santo's numbers are about a half-tier below the greats of his era at the position, and thus did not warrant election on the normal ballot. His numbers are solid, though, especially when compared to some of the more old-timey players. Add that with his broadcasting career, humanitarianism and diabetes struggle, I say he should get in via the Vet's Committee (which my money says he will in 2 years). However, if he gets in, the VC will have to look at some other guys, too, namely Ken Boyer and Greg Nettles. It could also open the door (and this is what people fear), based on sheer numbers, for some debates over guys like Gary Gaetti and the others I've listed. Honest! Look at the numbers!
Wade Boggs 1982-‘99 | George Brett 1973-‘93 | Mike Schmidt 1972-‘89 |
BA: .328 | BA: .305 | BA: .267 |
SLG: .443 | SLG: .487 | SLG: .527 |
HR: 118 | HR: 317 | HR: 548 |
H: 3,010 | H: 3,154 | H: 2,234 |
RBI: 1,014 | RBI: 1,595 | RBI: 1,595 |
R: 1,513 | R: 1,583 | R: 1,506 |
BB: 1,412 | BB: 1,096 | BB: 1,507 |
OPS+: 130 | OPS+: 135 | OPS+: 147 |
FP: .962 | FP: .951 | FP: .955 |
2 Gold Gloves | 1 Gold Glove | 10 Gold Gloves |
N.h.t. 4th-MVP | 1 MVP | 3 MVPs |
12-time All-Star | 13-time All-Star | 12-time All-Star |
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Brooks Robinson 1955-‘77 | Eddie Mathews 1952-‘67 | Avg. post-‘57 |
BA: .267 | BA: .271 | BA: .288 |
SLG: .401 | SLG: .509 | SLG: .473 |
HR: 268 | HR: 512 | HR: 353 |
H: 2,848 | H: 2,315 | H: 2,712 |
RBI: 1,357 | RBI: 1,453 | RBI: 1,414 |
R: 1,232 | R: 1,509 | R: 1,469 |
BB: 860 | BB: 1,444 | BB: 1,264 |
OPS+: 104 | OPS+: 143 | OPS+: 132 |
FP: .971 | FP: .956 | FP: .959 |
16 Gold Gloves | 0 Gold Gloves | 6 Gold Gloves |
1 MVP | 0 MVPs-2 2nds | 1 MVP |
15-time All-Star | 9-time All-Star | 12 All-Star n/a |
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George Kell 1943-‘57 | Fred Lindstrom 1924-‘36 | Traynor, Pie 1920-’37 |
BA: .306 | BA: .311 | BA: .320 |
SLG: .414 | SLG: .449 | SLG: .435 |
HR: 78 | HR: 103 | HR: 58 |
H: 2,054 | H: 1,747 | H: 2,416 |
RBI: 870 | RBI: 779 | RBI: 1,273 |
R: 881 | R: 895 | R: 1,183 |
BB: 621 | BB: 334 | BB: 472 |
OPS+: 111 | OPS+: 110 | OPS+: 107 |
FP: .969 | FP: .959 | FP: .947 |
Gold Gloves n/a | Gold Gloves n/a | Gold Gloves n/a |
N.h.t. 4th-MVP | 0 MVPs-1 2nd | N.h.t. 6th-MVP |
10-time All-Star | 0 All-Star | 2-time All-Star |
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Frank Baker 1908-‘22 | Jimmy Collins 1895-1907 | Avg. pre-‘57 |
BA: .307 | BA: .294 | BA: .308 |
SLG: .442 | SLG: .409 | SLG: .434 |
HR: 96 | HR: 65 | HR: 80 |
H: 1,838 | H: 2,000 | H: 2,344 |
RBI: 987 | RBI: 1,006 | RBI: 1,192 |
R: 887 | R: 1,180 | R: 1,123 |
BB: 473 | BB: 426 | BB: 465 |
OPS+: 135 | OPS+: 113 | OPS+: 115 |
FP: .943 | FP: .929 | FP: .950 |
Gold Gloves n/a | Gold Gloves n/a | Gold Gloves n/a |
N.h.t. 3rd-MVP | MVP n/a | MVP n/a |
All-Star n/a | All-Star n/a | All-Star n/a |
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Ron Santo 1960-‘74 | Gary Gaetti 1981-‘00 | Vinny Castilla 1991-‘06 |
BA: .277 | BA: .255 | BA: .276 |
SLG: .464 | SLG: .434 | SLG: .476 |
HR: 342 | HR: 360 | HR: 320 |
H: 2,254 | H: 2,280 | H: 1,184 |
RBI: 1,331 | RBI: 1,341 | RBI: 1,105 |
R: 1,131 | R: 1,130 | R: 902 |
BB: 1,108 | BB: 634 | BB: 423 |
OPS+: 125 | OPS+: 96 | OPS+: 95 |
FP: .954 | FP: .968 | FP: .965 |
5 Gold Gloves | 4 Gold Gloves | 0 Gold Gloves |
N.h.t 4th-MVP | N.h.t. 10th-MVP | N.h.t.11th-MVP |
9-time All-Star | 2-time All-Star | 2-time All-Star |
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Ken Boyer 1955-‘69 | Bobby Bonilla 1986-‘01 | *Chipper Jones 1993-‘06 |
BA: .287 | BA: .279 | BA: .304 |
SLG: .462 | SLG: .472 | SLG: .542 |
HR: 282 | HR: 287 | HR: 357 |
H: 2,143 | H: 2,010 | H: 1,944 |
RBI: 1,141 | RBI: 1,173 | RBI: 1,197 |
R: 1,104 | R: 1,084 | R: 1,188 |
BB: 713 | BB: 912 | BB: 1,070 |
OPS+: 116 | OPS+: 124 | OPS+: 142 |
FP: .952 | FP: .931 | FP: .953 |
5 Gold Gloves | 0 Gold Gloves | 0 Gold Gloves |
1 MVP | N.h.t. 2nd-MVP | 1 MVP |
7-time All-Star | 6-time All-Star | 5-time All-Star |
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Ron Cey 1971-‘87 | Matt Williams 1987-‘03 | *Scott Rolen 1996-‘06 |
BA: .261 | BA: .268 | BA: .285 |
SLG: .445 | SLG: .489 | SLG: .515 |
HR: 316 | HR: 378 | HR: 253 |
H: 1,168 | H: 1,878 | H: 1,454 |
RBI: 1,139 | RBI: 1,218 | RBI: 954 |
R: 977 | R: 997 | R: 899 |
BB: 1,102 | BB: 469 | BB: 681 |
OPS+: 121 | OPS+: 113 | OPS+: 129 |
FP: .961 | FP: .963 | FP: .966 |
0 Gold Gloves | 4 Gold Gloves | 7 Gold Gloves |
N.h.t. 8th-MVP | N.h.t. 2nd-MVP | N.h.t. 4th-MVP |
6-time All-Star | 5-time All-Star | 5-time All-Star |
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Greg Nettles 1967-1988 | Robin Ventura 1989-‘03 | *Eric Chavez 1998-‘06 |
BA: .248 | BA: .267 | BA: .271 |
SLG: .421 | SLG: .444 | SLG: .489 |
HR: 390 | HR: 294 | HR: 212 |
RBI: 1,314 | H: 1,885 | H: 1,143 |
H: 2,225 | RBI: 1,182 | RBI: 716 |
R: 1,193 | R: 1,006 | R: 667 |
BB: 1,088 | BB: 1,075 | BB: 516 |
OPS+: 110 | OPS+: 115 | OPS+: 118 |
FP: .961 | FP: .958 | FP: .968 |
2 Gold Gloves | 6 Gold Gloves | 6 Gold Gloves |
N.h.t. 5th-MVP | N.h.t. 6th-MVP | N.h.t. 14th-MVP |
6-time All-Star | 2-time All-Star | 0-time All-Star |
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