Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>peter chao</b><p>Guys,<br /><br />It could be all Hall of Famers or an entire infield that should be in the Hall of Fame, what is the greatest infield of all-time, including the catcher. Which years did they play together? The number of years they played together and a card set which had all four members of the infield?<br /><br />Peter

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Gilbert Maines</b><p>And what is your pick, Peter?

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Bench<br />Perez<br />Morgan<br />Concepcion<br />Rose

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>sean</b><p>I know its cliched to say but:<br />chance - evers - tinker - steinfeldt - kling<br />Why Johnny Kling isnt in the hall of fame is beyond me. Presumably its his not very high lifetime BA. However, his catching was s uperb and his ability to throw out stealers in unparalleld. The infield was super tight and to have someone liek evers who was able to outsmart even john mcgraw with the merkle error is quite impressive.<br /><br /><img src="http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t85/milkit1/tinkerevers.jpg">

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Joe Drouillard</b><p>Neat question. If you choose an infield that all played together on the same team at the same time there is always a weak link at one position. I quess, it would be tough to top the Brooklyn Dodger infield of Gil Hodges, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Billy Cox and Roy Campanella who played together in the early 50s. Of course Cox is not a Hall-of-Famer, but he could hit pretty well, especially in the World Series.<br /><br />They are all featured on the 1952 Topps set.<br /><br />Best wishes,<br /><br />Joe

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>jay wolt</b><p>Bill Dickey's rookie season (1928) pared him w/<br />fellow Hall Of Famer's Lou Gehrig & Tony Lazzeri<br />as well as Mark Koenig & Joe Dugan

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>David</b><p>Thinking along vintage lines the first to pop into my head is the $100,000 infield of the 1910's Athletics.<br /><br />Baker<br />Collins<br />McInnes <br />Barry<br />Thomas<br /><br /><br />edited to add catcher

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>sean</b><p><img src="http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t85/milkit1/100000.jpg">

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Jay</b><p>Late 1880's New York Giants<br /><br />C-Buck Ewing<br />1B-Roger Connor<br />2B-Danny Richardson<br />SS-John Ward<br />3B-Jim O'Rourke<br /><br />Not bad--4 of the 5 are HOFers. The 1894 Baltimore Orioles also had 4 of the 5 infielders who became HOFers.

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>peter chao</b><p>I suppose I'm fudging:<br /><br />'64 Yankees and '64 Topps:<br /><br />1b- Mickey Mantle<br />2b- Bobby Richardson<br />SS- Tony Kubek<br />3b- Clete Boyer<br />C- Elston Howard<br /><br />Since Mantle didn't start playing 1b until later, it is definitely fudging. Only the Mick is in the Hall.<br /><br />Peter

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>David</b><p>Thanks Sean for the picture of the $100,000 infield. Who is that on the right? Is it Thomas? He sure looks like he feels left out. A good closeup of that picture on a card and he would be in the running for the ugliest pix on card thread.

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>peter chao</b><p>Barry,<br /><br />That Reds infield was pretty potent. I suppose Concepcion was the weak link because of his weak bat. But with the team the Reds had they could afford to have a weak bat at shortstop. There's a chance that Dave Concepcion will get in the Hall through the Veteran's Committee. His bat couldn't have been that weak.<br /><br />Peter

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>sean</b><p>Thats eddie collins. Ironically, his t205 (open mouth) IS possibly the ugliest picture of a player on a card ever. Certainly in the top 10 <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><br />Perhaps eddie knew he was gonna be on the crookedest (spell check) team ever in 7 years.<br /><br /><img src="http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t85/milkit1/collins.jpg">

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Peter- Concepcion wasn't really that bad a hitter. I think he even hit .300 one year. Bench is the greatest catcher ever, Perez and Morgan were superb, and of course Rose had no equal.

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Bob</b><p>Billy Cox possibly the greatest defensive 3rd baseman of the late 40's, early 50's. Brooks Robinson without Robinson's bat. <br />Pee Wee Reese HOF<br />Jackie Robinson HOF<br />Gil Hodges Should be in the HOF<br />Roy Campanella HOF

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>P Spaeth</b><p>Obviously the Reds. Two top tier HOFers (Bench and Morgan, each arguably among the top three ever at his position). All time great should be top tier HOFer at third. Borderline HOFer at first, and very solid star at shortstop. How the hell do you top that?

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Max Weder</b><p>c-Ron Brand<br />1b-Ron Fairly<br />2b-Gary Sutherland<br />ss-Bobby Wine<br />3b-Coco Laboy <img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/54/118283558_17fb7a3518.jpg"><br /><br />... oh wait, that's when I was 10.<br /><br />The Reds infield was superb. Concepcion was a solid hitter and was certainly not a weak link in the line-up. They get my vote.<br /><br />[edited to add image of Coco for Barry]

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Coco Laboy- how can you forget a name like that. He sounds like a fan dancer!

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Ken W.</b><p>The Famous Stonewall Infield:<br /><br /><img src="http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s290/triwak/17.jpg">

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>MVSNYC</b><p>i'm at my aunt's having a BBQ today...my dad and uncle are with me, and here are their opinions...<br /><br />yankees (1962?)<br /><br />boyer 3b<br />kubek ss<br />richards 2b<br />pepitone 1b<br />howard c<br /><br />honorable mention:<br /><br />dodgers 48-49<br /><br /><br />i'm partial to recent yankees teams (jeter, a-rod, cano, soriano, giambi, posada)...

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Anonymous</b><p>The reason Kling isn't in the hall is that his career was really short and he didn't play for Giants, so he was long forgotten by the time the HOF was formed. But he does have my favorite nickname of all time: 'Noisy" because he was actually very quiet.<br /><br />I am a Wally Schang guy myself. He should be in the hall.<br /><br />I like the 1934 Tigers infield of <br />1B Hank Greenberg<br />2B Charlie Gehringer<br />SS Billy Rogell<br />3B Marv Owen<br />C Mickey Cochrane.<br /><br />Also the 2000 Indians with:<br />1B Jim Thome<br />2B Roberto Alomar<br />SS Omar Vizquel<br />3B Travis Fryman<br />C Sandy Alomar Jr<br /><br />Each has 3 HOF calibre guys and two other very good guys.

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>sean</b><p>he actually played more than long enough to be considered - 10 1/2 full seasons. Also, the only early deadball cather in the hall of fame is roger bresnahan and they have very comparable records.<br />My guess is it has something to do with him sitting out the 1909 season. It says something when the cubs made it to the series every year between 1906-1910 EXCEPT 1909. THAT's how much Kling contributed to the great cubs dynasty.

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Mark Lutz</b><p>These guys could hit and catch.<br /><br /><br />C-Frank Snyder/ Oil Smith<br />1b_George Kelly<br />2b_Frank Frisch<br />3b-Heine Groh<br />ss-Dave Bancroft <br /><br />or a couple years later<br /><br />C-Frank Snyder<br />1b-George Kelly<br />2b-Frank Frisch<br />3b-Freddie Lindstrom<br />ss-Travis Jackson

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Stone</b><p>1919 Chicago White Sox:<br />c-Ray Schalk<br />1st-C. Gandil<br />2nd-E.Collins<br />3rd-Buck Weaver<br />ss S. Risberg

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Bill- that's a lot of cheaters in one infield!

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Paul S</b><p>Peter, with exceptions, Concepcion came up in an era when shortstops still weren't really expected to be killer with a bat -- if one was an execellent fielder than just being adequate with a bat was often overlooked. (think Mark Belanger.) It wasn't really until the final few years of Concepcion's career that the "Ripken model" took hold. Again with exceptions, used to be a time when the infield clout came from lefties at 1st and righties at 3rd.

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Stone</b><p>Greatest infield --not the most honest --although Eddie Collins was devoutly religious and Ray Schalk was always an upright kind of guy who was well respected in later years. He was a founder of an organization to help indigent ballplayers.

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>JimB</b><p>Maybe they weren't the all-time greatest, but they were pretty darn good and the ones I grew up with. And they were all cultivated in the Dodgers' farm system! What team can make that claim today?<br />JimB<br /><br />1B Steve Garvey<br />2B Davey Lopes<br />SS Bill Russel<br />3B Ron Cey<br />C Steve Yeager<br />

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Jim- wasn't that the longest that any group of infielders ever played together? I think they hold the record.

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Bob</b><p>Harkens back to the 87 WS champion Twins with all home grown players in their infield:<br />Kent Hrbek<br />Steve Lombardozi<br />Greg Gagne<br />Gary Gaetti<br />Tim Laudner<br />Not the greatest I've ever seen but all went through the minor leagues together along with Kirby Puckett, Tom Brunansky, Frank Viola SP, Bert Blyleven SP, Les Straker SP, and the rest. A truly home grown team with a couple of exceptions (Don Baylor DH and Jeff Reardon RP)...

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Joe Drouillard</b><p>If your looking for power out of your infield the 1936 Yankees socked 110 homeruns and as a group hit well over .300.<br /><br />1b Gerhrig 49 homers .354<br />2b Lazzeri 14 homers .287<br />ss Crosetti 15 homers .288<br />3b Rolfe 10 homers .319<br />c Dickey 22 homers .362<br /><br />and they still had Dimaggio in the outfield.<br /><br />Best wishes,<br /><br />Joe

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Andrew</b><p>1B Steve Garvey<br />2B Davey Lopes<br />SS Bill Russel<br />3B Ron Cey<br />C Steve Yeager<br /><br />Throw in Reggie Smith (RF), Dusty Baker (CF), Rick Monday (LF), Manny Mota (PH) and Don Sutton (SP) and that was an incredible lineup.<br><br>"Take your life in your own hands and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame." -- Erica Jong

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>peter chao</b><p>Andrew,<br /><br />A Dodger infield with Roy Campanella catching has a big edge over a Dodger's infield with Steve Yeager catching.<br /><br />Peter

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Al C.risafulli</b><p>I'm a big fan of those who voted Big Red Machine or Brooklyn Bums - two great infields. Also like the 1930s Tigers.<br /><br />One I may have glossed over, but don't recall seeing mentioned:<br /><br />Davis/Delancey, Collins, Frisch, Durocher, Martin - the Gas House Gang.<br /><br />Another one that's not too shabby: Dickey, Gehrig, Gordon, Crosetti, Rolfe - 1938 Yankees.<br /><br />Berra, Henrich, Coleman, Rizzuto, Brown - 1949 Yankees - was also pretty nice.<br /><br />I'd be willing to build a franchise with any of the above.<br /><br />-Al<br /><br />Edit for spelling out of respect for Frankie Cro.

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>CN</b><p> On 9/6/99 Sports Ilustrated ran a cover with the Title The Best Infield of All Time? it featured John Olerud, Edgardo Alfonzo, Ray Ordonez and Robin Ventura. If you add in Mike Piazza's stats for one year they would give any infield a run for there money. The Mets erred in not resigning Olerud and Ordonez got hurt in 2000 or else they might have strung several seasons together CN

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Joe_G.</b><p>How about the 1886/87 Detroit Wolverines . . .<br /><br />C - Charlie Bennett<br />1b - Dan Brouthers<br />2b - Hardy Richardson<br />SS - Jack Rowe<br />3b - Deacon White<br /><br />All but Charlie put up solid offensive numbers, many times 3 of them taking posession of top 5 in the League for hits, runs, etc. Charlie was sufficient batter but absolutely excelled defensively. In fact as a team, Detroit posted best fielding percentage in 1886 & 1887. So they are my obvious choice <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><br /><br />Best Regards,<br />Joe Gonsowski

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Andrew</b><p>Andrew,<br /><br />A Dodger infield with Roy Campanella catching has a big edge over a Dodger's infield with Steve Yeager catching.<br /><br />Peter<br /><br />_____________<br /><br />That's profound Peter, but I thought we were listing lineups that played together, and I don't remember Campanella on the '76-'79 Dodger team. Now if you prefer a Dodger lineup from '48-'57 over the ones from the late '70s, then I see your point.<br><br>"Take your life in your own hands and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame." -- Erica Jong

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>boxingcardman</b><p>Chambliss-Randolph-Dent-Nettles-Munson. No HOFers there (maybe one marginally) but damn, that was a great team. 1977-1978 were great years.

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>peter chao</b><p>I was making a general comment about the Dodger infields from different eras. But people have listed some pretty potent infields.<br /><br />From what I have seen, I have a couple of observations. Since we are discussing the best of all-time it will be difficult for an infield with any weak links to make the list.<br /><br />Most of the infields listed were part of great overall teams.<br /><br />Peter

Including the Catcher What Is the Best Infield of All-Time
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Stone</b><p>Keith Hernandez<br />George Costanza<br />Bette Midler<br />Paul O'Neill<br />Jerry Seinfeld<br />Oh sorry --I was posting in the wrong place --I thought I was at the All-time TV softball dream team.