All-Defensive Team

[1905 Giants]

OK, if you were to make a team based on defensive capability, what would it look like?

Some possibilities:
-Mark Belanger
-Bill Mazeroski
-Jim Kaat
-Bob Gibson
-Roberto Clemente
-Greg Maddux
-Ivan Rodriguez
-Keith Hernandez
-Brooks Robinson
-Mike Schmidt
-Ozzie Smith
-Andruw Jones
-Don Mattingly

[PVNICK]

good list off the top of my head with OF by position

Bench
Hernandez
Mazeroski
Ozzie Smith
Brooks Robinson
Barry Bonds
Mays
Kaline
Shantz, just to be quirky.

some others including yours are Bill Bergen (partly by assumption and recalled readings), Ivan Rodriguez (much overrated IMO with whispers of pitch calling tailored to fastballs so as to throw runners out), Schalk also had a repiutation but really I am not so comfortable here

you could give a list of infielders but to me and the data I have looked at and recall each of these men are head and shoulders above their peers. I will give an HM to Bid McPhee an dmention Clete Boyer so I don't seem ignorant

OF is just a guess great LFers are who really?Yaz, McReynolds ...
CF certainly Andruw Jones, Ashburn, Speaker are the familiar names
RF Kaline just because he is described as being technically, fundamentally perfect or something along those lines

P any of the guys listed would be good as well

[Orioles5]

Disagree with Greg Maddox on this list. I know he won a lot of Gold Gloves but he was terrible at holding runners on which is a big defensive flaw.

[brett]

OK, if you were to make a team based on defensive capability, what would it look like?

Some possibilities:
-Mark Belanger
-Bill Mazeroski
-Jim Kaat
-Bob Gibson
-Roberto Clemente
-Greg Maddux
-Ivan Rodriguez
-Keith Hernandez
-Brooks Robinson
-Mike Schmidt
-Ozzie Smith
-Andruw Jones
-Don Mattingly

I don't think Mattingly was much better than average. Like Sandberg, and Alomar at second, he was a solid fielder who did things that Gold Glove voters like. Helton, Grace, Pujols, and Keith Hernandez are all well beyond him.

[1905 Giants]

So just as a relevant question, does anyone have any recollection of how good Belanger was? I'm too young to know but for some reason he sticks in my memory from a "Baseball Dynasties" (an excellent book) side bar on him.

[Joltin' Joe]

P: Kaat
C: Bench
1B: Keith Hernandez
2B: Grich
3B: Brooks Robinson
SS: Ozzie Smith
LF: Barry Bonds
CF: Andruw Jones
RF: Suzuki

[Jackaroo Dave]

So just as a relevant question, does anyone have any recollection of how good Belanger was? I'm too young to know but for some reason he sticks in my memory from a "Baseball Dynasties" (an excellent book) side bar on him.

He was the best before Ozzie. Quick and dirty: Among other post-war shortstops, up until his retirement, the highest number of WAR defensive runs for a shortstop was Aparicio's 147, followed by MacMillan's 92. Belanger had 240.

He was the consensus standard by which shortstops were judged in an era that included Concepcion and Campaneris, among other excellent glove men who couldn't hold a job because of their bats. He managed to play for 18 years with a .228 batting average and a .280 on base percentage.

[Orioles5]

So just as a relevant question, does anyone have any recollection of how good Belanger was? I'm too young to know but for some reason he sticks in my memory from a "Baseball Dynasties" (an excellent book) side bar on him.

I saw him play as a kid and he was one of the best defensive shortstops ever and was fortunate to play for Earl Weaver who put an emphasis on defense. Unfortunately he was pretty bad at the plate in fact Earl would pencil in a left handed hitting outfielder at the top of the line up in road games and substitute the outfielder for Belanger after he had an at bat. Belanger hated that.

[1905 Giants]

Toss another name out there: Clete Boyer

[JR Hart]

1B JT Snow
2B Frank White
SS Marty Marion
3B Brooks Robinson
LF Yaz
CF Richie Ashburn
RF Ichiro
C Pudge Rodriquez
P Bobby Shantz

[1905 Giants]

Throw another name out there: Amos Otis.

[BigRon]

Of players I've seen:

C Johnny Bench, Roy Campanella (partly on reputation, he was late in his career when I saw him)
1B Keith Hernandez, Vic Power
2B Bill Mazeroski, Frank White
SS Mark Belanger, Ozzie Smith, Roy McMillan
3B Clete Boyer, Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt
LF Barry Bonds, Carl Yastrzemski
CF Willie Mays, Gary Maddox, Andruw Jones
RF Al Kaline, Suzuki, Clemente
P Bobby Shantz, Jim Kaat

[Tyrus4189Cobb]

I never saw Hernandez play. Wish I did. Why is he so universally regarded as #1 (statistics and Gold Gloves aside)? Anyone know where I can find some of his defensive footage?

My lifetime is too short to compile my list based on experience. I'm also not aware of many players who excelled in defense yet played for a brief period. I'll throw in some other names that haven't been mentioned:

-Yadier Molina (I have seen him and his control of the field is masterful)
-Rabbit Maranville (baseball's Ozzie Smith before Ozzie Smith)
-Pie Traynor
-Mike Matheny
-Bid McPhee
-Bob Boone
-Dwight Evans
-Torii Hunter
-Vlad Guerrero (ok, maybe not fielding, but THAT ARM...)
-Paul Blair(?)
-Ken Griffey Jr.
-Adrian Gonzalez (also seen him)
-Mark Buehrle(?)
-Omar Vizquel
-Jim Edmonds
-Scott Rolen
-Tris Speaker
-Eric Chavez (best since Schmidt)
-Joe Tinker
-Johnny Evers

If I had to assemble the all-defensive team using the usual renowned guys (again I'm not familiar with brief defensive stints):

C- I. Rodrgiuez (I completely disagree with PVNick)
1B- K. Hernandez
2B- Mazeroski
3B- Robinson, Schmidt, or Traynor
SS- O. Smith or Maranville
LF- Yaz
CF- Mays, Griffey, Hunter, Speaker, or Maddox
RF- Suzuki or Clemente

[hwmongoose]

Of those I've actually seen in my lifetime:

C: Ivan Rodriguez
1B: Keith Hernandez
2B: Bobby Grich
3B: Brooks Robinson
SS: Mark Belanger
LF: Rickey Henderson
CF: Andruw Jones
RF: Roberto Clemente

[hwmongoose]

2B: Bobby Grich
3B: Brooks Robinson
SS: Mark Belanger

...and these 3 played togetherfor 5 years!