There have been five great second basemen of the 21st century (so far), when we (rightfully) include Jose Altuve, who is still smashing chest-high fastballs. But at almost exactly the same time, four second basemen entered the American League and forged superb careers, though injury and controversy was also wrapped up in some of them.
In 2005, Robinson Canó made his MLB debut in the pinstripes of the New York Yankees. Ultra-cool and immensely talented, Canó emerged as the superstar to succeed the Jeter Era and the Core Four. The following year in 2006, Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia, and Ben Zobrist arrived in the American League. Quickly, that quartet became formidable All-Star middle infielders, each with personal and team success.
At no other time in baseball history have so many excellent second basemen came into the major leagues at the same time. Each of these men: Pedroia, Canó, Kinsler, and Zobrist, rank in the top 25 all-time at the position, according to our Greatest Second Baseman Rankings.
Yet, it’s likely that none of this group of four will enter the Baseball Hall of Fame. Altuve undoubtedly will, in spite of the conspiracy theories and the cheating scandal that surrounded his Astros. But Altuve is a subject of another analysis I will perform at a later time.
Let’s look at the four great second basemen who entered the American League in 2005 and 2006, through excerpts from the forthcoming book Ballplayers: Baseball’s Greatest Players Remembered, Ranked, and Revealed.
Dustin Pedroia
Pedroia was only 5’9 and he never looked like he could bench press more than 80 pounds. But he was a ballplayer. Other than possibly Fred Lynn, no Red Sox player had a greater first act. He was Rookie of the Year in 2007, and hit two home runs in the postseason as Boston won the World Series. He added to his legend the following year when he had 213 hits, 54 doubles, 17 home runs, stole 20 bases, batted .326, and won the Gold Glove Award. He was named Most Valuable Player, and in the League Championship Series, Pedroia did everything he could to beat the Rays, hitting three home runs.
At his peak, Pedroia was better than Kinsler and Canó, his contemporaries. But Pedroia only put on “The Laser Show” for about seven years before he fell apart. A champion twice as a regular, and once as walking wounded, his place in Red Sox history is secure, but a Hall of Fame nod is unlikely with only 1,805 hits and 1,512 games on his ledger. But for a while, the little man at second defied his size and lifted himself to superstar status.
“People always ask me if I wish I were bigger. I tell them no. I always wanted to be a miniature badass,” Pedroia said.
Ian Kinsler
Kinsler came into the American League nearly simultaneously with Pedroia and Canó, and while the latter two gained more notoriety (positive and negative), Kinsler might have been the better player. It basically comes down to this: Kinsler was healthier than Pedroia, and far better with the glove than the uninterested Canó. Our formula places Kinsler just behind Pedroia (the raw number is 257 to 252 in our numerical ratings system).
Kinsler played in three World Series, Pedroia played in two, and Canó one. They each played about the same number of postseason games (48, 51, and 51 respectively). But Kinsler was the best performer on the big stage: he had a 786 OPS in the playoffs, while Pedroia came in at 687 and Canó 686. In his first postseason series, for the Rangers in 2010, Kinsler hit three home runs in five games.
If you wanted to characterize the three contemporary second basemen: Pedroia was the teammate who rankled you, Canó was the teammate who made you scratch your head, and Kinsler was the guy who pulled the team together through the force of his positivity and leadership.
“He’s always dirty, plays hard, and brings energy every single game,” said teammate J.D. Martinez of Kinsler. “He simply causes chaos. Defensively he makes unbelievable plays, and offensively he’ll drive the ball or steal second. He’s just one of those grimy, hard-nosed players.”
In 2004, when Kinsler was still in the Texas minor league system, the Rangers offered him to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for veteran outfielder Larry Walker. But Walker, having 10-and-5 trade rights vetoed the deal.
When he was traded to the Tigers, Kinsler, who is Jewish, was mindful of cultural history, and wanted to wear Hank Greenberg’s uniform number. But, the team had retired Greenberg’s No. 5, so Kinsler asked former Tiger shortstop Alan Trammell for permission to wear his No. 3.
Ben Zobrist
Sort of the Tony Phillips of his era, Zobrist played every position except pitcher and catcher. He was most comfortable at second base and in right field, where he had his best seasons for Tampa Bay. He quickly became Joe Maddon’s pet, who nicknamed him “Zorilla.”
Maddon capitalized on Zobrist’s flexibility by using aggressive defensive shifts. With Zobrist on the field, Maddon could pull his versatile defender into over-shift infield roles from the outfield or move him into the shallow outfield without fear of losing effectiveness. The Rays used those shifts more than most teams in baseball, winning the 2008 pennant after years of futility.
At the age of 35, Zobrist signed a free agent contract with the Cubs. It was a homecoming for Zobrist, who grew up in Eureka. He paid quick dividends: hitting 18 homers in the regular season and winning the MVP award in the Fall Classic.
Robinson Canó
“He couldn’t drive home Miss Daisy if he tried. He couldn’t get a hit when it mattered. He played the worst defense I’ve ever seen at second base. Robinson Canó cost the GM his job. The hitting coach got fired because of Canó. And the manager and the coaches got fired because of Canó.” — Seattle coach Andy Van Slyke, on Canó’s impact on the Seattle Mariners
In 2018, Canó failed a drug test prior to the season and then failed another in May for a substance that is used to mask performance-enhancing drugs. He was suspended for 80 games. Following the 2020 pandemic-shortened season, he was caught cheating again, this time testing positive for stanozolol, a synthetic steroid. Canó’s penalty was to miss the entire 2021 season. This was while he was playing under a 10-year, $240 million contract.
Canó was 39 when he was eligible to play again in 2022. The Mets still owed him $48 million, and couldn’t get rid of him fast enough. New York paid him to play for the Padres and Braves in 2022, but without banned substances, Canó was an empty jersey.
The suspensions will almost certainly keep Canó out of the Baseball Hall of Fame, as one more superstar who tried to beat the system. Hall of Fame voters have been stingy with players who failed tests. But that’s not the only blemish on his career.
Prior to his needle-related problems, Canó already had a smudge on his character for being lazy. He never seemed to care as much about baseball as he cared about getting paid to play baseball.
Canó’s two suspensions, totaling 242 games, force us to treat him like every other player who was caught cheating. We marked him down about 15 percent. Seeing as he probably didn’t have a good “clean” season since he was in his 20s, it’s appropriate to lump him into a group of very good second basemen, rather than the great ones.
Canó, who was named for Jackie Robinson, has a pretty left-handed swing that some compared to that of Hall of Famer Rod Carew.
