Best double-play combo in history

[Victory Faust]

As an aside to an earlier post about who the best two teammates were, here's another one to have fun with: What was the best double-play combination in baseball history?

I know one thing: It wasn't Tinker-Evers-Chance. They were good, but we all know their fame was due to Franklin P. Adams.

My nomination for the best double-play combo of all time is Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker. They weren't the best players ever to appear at 2B/SS on the same team -- that distinction goes to Cal Ripkin and Roberto Alomar, IMHO.

But no double play combo did it as good and as long as Tram/Lou.

[Brian McKenna]

i guess we're talking fielding:

bill mazeroski/dick groat

[yest]

Bid Mcphee/John Reilly 1883-1891

[Jake83]

Best I have seen is Alomar/Vizquel but I am only in my early 20's

[Barnstormer]

Nellie Fox / Luis Aparicio

[Yankee Legend]

jeter-knoblach-martinez

[chiefpaddy]

Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson, and of course Gil Hodges on first.

[julusnc]

Mark Bellanger to Bobby Grich or

Brooks Robinson-Mark Bellanger-Bobby Grich-Boog Powell

[RuthMayBond]

Trying to balance quality/quantity, using six-year minimums:
Long/Lowe
McKean/Childs
Tinker/Evers weren't bad
JBarry/Collins
Rogell/Gehringer
Jurges/Herman
Cronin/Doerr
Reese/JRobinson
Aparicio/Fox
Groat/Maz
Concepcion/Morgan
Belanger/Grich
Trammell/Whitaker
Yount/Gantner
Dunston/Sandberg

[Barnstormer]

Trying to balance quality/quantity, using six-year minimums:

You wouldn't include OSmith / THerr in that list?

[RuthMayBond]

You wouldn't include OSmith / THerr in that list?

I better look into it h :noidea I may have been doing defense AND offense?

[chiefpaddy]

Trying to balance quality/quantity, using six-year minimums:
Long/Lowe
McKean/Childs
Tinker/Evers weren't bad
JBarry/Collins
Rogell/Gehringer
Jurges/Herman
Cronin/Doerr
Reese/JRobinson
Aparicio/Fox
Groat/Maz
Concepcion/Morgan
Belanger/Grich
Trammell/Whitaker
Yount/Gantner
Dunston/Sandberg

That isn't a bad list

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Weiss/Gallego, hands down

How about Vizquel/Alomar for a short span combo.

And a less popular selection: Lajoie/Turner

[Bill Burgess]

My Candidates for Best DP Combo Ever:

1. Jack Barry/Eddie Collins - 1909-14 - Athletics - top of elite duos. State of the art defense.

2. Herman Long/Bobby Lowe - 1890-1901 - Boston Nationals

3. Luis Aparicio/Nellie Fox - 1956-62 - White Sox - helped not only on defense, but offense as well.

4. Alan Trammel/Lou Whitaker - 1977-95 - Tigers - entitles to extra bonus points for longevity as duo, plus Trammel's nice offense, and Lou's nice walking.

5. Phil Rizzuto/Joe Gordon - 1941-42 - Yankees - worked too briefly together to rank at top.

6. Max Bishop/Joe Boley - 1927- 30 - Athletics - ably anchored one of very greatest teams.

7. Dick Groat/Bill Mazeroski - 1956-62 - Pirates

8. Glenn Wright/Rabbit Maranville - 1924 - Pirates - worked too briefly together to rank higher.

9. Frank Crosetti/Joe Gordon - 1938-41 - Yankees

10. Everett Scott/Aaron Ward - 1922-24 - Yankees

Honorable Mentions:

11. Tony Lazzeri/Mark Koenig - 1926-28 - Yankees - ably anchored one of very greatest teams.

12. Joe Tinker/Johnny Evers - 1903-12 - Cubs - not as good as the poem by Franklin P. Adams suggested, but still anchored fantastic team.

13. Billy Rogell/Charlie Gehringer - 1931-38 - Tigers

14. Dave Bancroft/Frankie Frisch - 1922 - Giants - '20-21 Dave wasn't their reg. SS.

15. Pee Wee Reese/Jackie Robinson - 1948-52 - Dodgers

16. Dave Concepcion/Joe Morgan - 1972-79 - Reds

17. Mark Belanger/Bobby Grich 1972-76 - Orioles

18. Lou Boudreau/Joe Gordon - 1947-50 - Indians

19. Vern Stephans/Bobby Doerr 1948-50 - Red Sox

20. Phil Rizzuto/Jerry Coleman - 1949-51 - Yankees - During 1952-54 Jerry Coleman wasn't the reg. 2B. Only utility 2B off bench.

21. Tony Kubek/Bobby Richardson - 1959-65 - Yankees


Many of the Honorable Mentions also made significant offensive contributions as well as their gloves, such as Gehringer, Robinson and Morgan.

[yanks0714]

My Candidates for Best DP Combo Ever:

7. Dick Groat/Bill Mazeroski - 1956-62 - Pirates

Very good list, Bill. Very good. You got some of the most renowed DP combo's listed here.

One I wanted to mention. Gene Alley/Bill Mazeroski. They were a magical tandem for a few years. They developed a play (or was it spontaneous?) where they could turn a DP of sorts without a runner on 1B.
I saw Maz go to his left, backhand a grounder, flip it Alley cutting across, who fired it to first to get the batter. I saw it once on TV. But I've since read that they did this on several occasions, at times with Alley shoveling to Max to throw out the runner.
The two seemed to have an innate sense of where the other was at all times. That exemplify's teamwork.