Almost lost in the mists of baseball legend are the achievements of pre-World War II favorites Jimmy Collins and Pie Traynor, both reputed to have been brilliant with the glove and strong at the plate. Traynor, who played a complete career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1920's and 30's, hit .320 lifetime, while Collins, who began before 1900, had five seasons above .300 and finished at .294. Of course, Collins played in the "dead ball" era when charging home plate was not as dangerous as it later became. Respected for their baseball "smarts," both Collins and Traynor became managers and Collins was the winning skipper with the Boston Red Sox in the first World Series in 1903.
A might-have-been competitor of theirs was Judy Johnson, a contemporary of Traynor's but in the Negro Leagues, known for both his bat and awe-inspiring fielding.
Within MemoryEddie Matthews played for the National League's Braves in three different cities from 1952 to 1968, smashing 512 home runs while playing a steady third base. Overlapping Matthews's time was Brooks Robinson, whose modest .267 lifetime batting average was far outweighed by spectacular fielding which made him both a season and World Series Most Valuable Player, as well as a 16-time Gold Glove winner. The display of Robinson's talents at the hot corner on nationwide television during Baltimore Orioles postseason appearances made him the gold standard for his position.
George Brett was not quite as accomplished in the field, winning only one Gold Glove, but hit .305 lifetime with a high of .390 in his MVP year of 1980 among three batting titles. Wade Boggs, a two-time Gold Glove winner, had a lifetime batting average of .328 and five batting titles, including four in a row in the 1980's.
And of course, if there is anything resembling a consensus choice for top third baseman of the modern era, it would have to be Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies. A 10-time Gold Glove winner, Schmidt hit 548 home runs while leading the league eight times, and was MVP three times.
Today's Prospects for Greatness
Chipper Jones has already put in 15 seasons with the Atlanta Braves but may just be reaching his peak. He was last year's NL batting champion at .364, a career high, and now has a lifetime average of .310 with 408 home runs.
Showing great promise are five-year veteran David Wright of the New York Mets and Miguel Cabrera, who had five increasingly excellent seasons with the Florida Marlins before being traded to the Detroit Tigers for 2008. Both have batting averages above .300 and home run levels consistently in the 20-40 range while fielding well. Cabrera played most of last year at first base for the Tigers, so his future as a third-sacker is uncertain.
