I have to agree about Schoendienst. I think he's actually a little underrated as far as Hall of Fame second basemen are concerned.
Between 1945 and 1957, his 162 game averages were outstanding at the keystone:
.291 AVG, 98 runs, 192 hits, 34 doubles, 7 triples, 7 home runs, 62 RBI.
People will look at his .732 OPS, and say he wasn't a producer. I disagree. I think that OPS can be a little overused. Red wasn't a power hitter, but he brought a lot of value. He was a very good hitter. Not a lot of power or speed. But he got on base. And he didn't strike out at all. Great teams need guys that will get on base, and keep the offense moving. He did that. When he came to the plate, you knew he was going to have a solid at bat. If he didn't get a hit, or a walk, his out was going to be productive if somebody was on. How anybody can play in 2,216 games, and only strike out 346 times in 9,224 plate appearances, is mind boggling.
He was the final piece of the puzzle for the 1957 Braves team that won the World Series. He came over from the Giants, and just rocked. He played 93 games for us in from mid June on, hitting .310 with a .348 OBP. And he only struck out 7 times in 426 plate appearances. He ended up leading the NL with 210 hits that year.
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03-20-2014, 07:15 PM
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