Defense is first priority: solid glove work continues to be the essential standard by which shortstops are measured, even in the current era that has produced strong hitters at the position

Baseball Digest, May, 2003 by Al Doyle

LIFE WAS SIMPLER--AND STARTING jobs were more plentiful--for slick-fielding, weak-biffing shortstops prior to 1990.

In many cases, managers asked for nothing more than solid defense and good fundamental play from everyday shortstops. That line of reasoning made a certain amount of sense, as fielding this demanding position requires the highest level of concentration and skill.

Since most teams were willing to concede some offense at short, having a weak bat in the lineup wasn't a huge handicap. Pinch-hitters were used in crucial late-inning situations, and the starter was replaced by another infielder--usually someone with a similar mix of skills and weaknesses.

Shortstop George McBride appeared in 150 or more games for seven consecutive seasons (1908-1914) despite his .218 lifetime average. The deadball-era shortstop spent most of his career with the Washington Senators, and McBride's offensive high point was a .235 average in 1911. He is one of the worst hitters to rack up more than 5,000 major league at-bats.

Hall of Famer Rabbit Maranville often hit under .250 in an era (the 1920s and 1930s) when league batting averages were in the .280s and .290s.

His solid defense at short and second base kept Maranville in the majors until he broke a leg at age 43. The .258 lifetime hitter was the hero of another weak-hitting shortstop from Massachusetts--Leo Durocher--whose .247 lifetime average was dragged down by seasons of .227, .217, .203 and .219.

Frank Crosetti enjoyed a long career (193248) and seven World Series with the Yankees despite his subpar bat. Crosetti led the American League in at-bats (656) in 1939 despite a .233 average. He followed that performance by hitting .194 in 145 games in 1940, 77 points below the A.L. average of .271.

Roy McMillan was a better offensive player than other shortstops mentioned, but he was primarily a defensive star.

Winner of Gold Gloves in the first three years the award was presented (1957-1959), McMillan hit under .230 in six seasons from 1951 to 1966. He played more than 2,000 games at short and finished with a .243 career average.

Johnny Sain once described Ray Oyler as the best-fielding shortstop he saw in a half century as a pitcher and pitching coach. It was Oyler's .175 career batting average (the worst ever for a post-1920 player with more than 1,000 career ABs) that prevented him from becoming an everyday player.

Dal Maxvill played with four pennant winners despite a .217 lifetime average, and he was especially weak at the plate in 1969.

Most players feasted on diluted pitching in that expansion season, but Maxvill hit just .175 in 372 at-bats. The following seasons, 1970, wasn't significantly better, as Maxvill hit just .201 with seven extra-base hits in 399 ABs. Despite his woes at the plate, Maxvill was an asset on defense, as proven by his 1968 Gold Glove.

Ed Brinkman's .224 career batting mark would have been even worse if it wasn't for Ted Williams.

That's because Brinkman hit .266 and .262 under the guidance of the all-time hitting expert when Williams managed the Washington Senators. Subtract the 1969 and 1970 results, and Brinkman's lifetime average tumbles to .214.

It was his dependable glove that made Brinkman a major leaguer from 1961 to 1975. He commited a then-record low seven errors in 156 games for the division-winning Tigers in 1972. Even with a .203 average, Brinkman was hailed as one of the team's most valuable players, and he won a Gold Glove that season.

Mark Belanger is the ultimate example of how a light-hitting shortstop can enjoy a long career through defensive, excellence.

An eight-time Gold Glover (1969, 1971, 1973-78), Belanger played in four World Series with the Orioles. He combined with Brooks Robinson to make the left side of the Baltimore infield virtually leak-proof.

Even though he hit .287 in 1969 and .270 in 1976, yearly totals of .208, .218, .186, .226, .206 and .213 were more indicative of Belanger's offense. He hit .228 lifetime with just 20 home runs in 5,784 at-bats, but Belanger saved countless runs with the leather. Orioles pitchers gladly took a little less hitting to have his defense at short. During his 13 seasons as the everyday shortstop in Baltimore, the Orioles had a 20-game winner in each of those seasons.

Slender (5-11, 150 pounds) Bud Harrelson hit just seven homers in 4,744 career ABs with a .236 average, but his defense, base running and emphasis on fundamentals kept the switch-hitter in the majors from 1965 to 1980.

Unlike many slap hitters, Harrelson learned to work the count for walks, drawing a career-high 95 bases on balls in 1970. He compared shortstops of the '60s and '70s with today's power hitters such as Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Tejada, Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra.

"With all the strength training and conditioning, today's shortstops are so much bigger and stronger," Harrelson declared. "When I played, little switch-hitting guys like Maury Wills were more popular. There are big guys who can run and cover ground today."