Best Shortstops in MLB History

All-Time Leaders by Games Played at Shortstop

Shortstop is widely considered the most demanding defensive position on the field, requiring elite range, arm strength, and the ability to anchor the entire infield. The all-time leaders in games played at shortstop span Major League Baseball from 1871 through 2025, representing the position's greatest defensive and offensive contributors. Omar Vizquel has played more games at shortstop than any player in MLB history with 2709 career appearances.

ALL-TIME TOP 3

#1

Shortstop

Omar Vizquel

2709 games at SS

1989-2012

80 career HR

#2

Shortstop

Derek Jeter

2674 games at SS

1995-2014

260 career HR

#3

Shortstop

Luis Aparicio

2582 games at SS

1956-1973

83 career HR

FULL RANKINGS – TOP 100

Rank Player Games at SS Years Active Career G H HR AVG
1 Omar Vizquel 2709 1989-2012 2968 2877 80 0.272
2 Derek Jeter 2674 1995-2014 2747 3465 260 0.310
3 Luis Aparicio 2582 1956-1973 2601 2677 83 0.262
4 Ozzie Smith 2511 1978-1996 2573 2460 28 0.262
5 Cal Ripken 2302 1981-2001 3001 3184 431 0.276
6 Jimmy Rollins 2227 2000-2016 2275 2455 231 0.264
7 Larry Bowa 2222 1970-1985 2247 2191 15 0.260
8 Luke Appling 2218 1930-1950 2422 2749 45 0.310
9 Dave Concepcion 2177 1970-1988 2488 2326 101 0.267
10 Rabbit Maranville 2153 1912-1935 2670 2605 28 0.258
11 Alan Trammell 2139 1977-1996 2293 2365 185 0.285
12 Bill Dahlen 2134 1891-1911 2444 2461 84 0.272
13 Edgar Renteria 2114 1996-2011 2152 2327 140 0.286
14 Bert Campaneris 2096 1964-1983 2328 2249 79 0.259
15 Barry Larkin 2084 1986-2004 2180 2340 198 0.295
16 Tommy Corcoran 2078 1890-1907 2205 2259 34 0.256
17 Royce Clayton 2053 1991-2007 2108 1904 110 0.258
18 Roy McMillan 2028 1951-1966 2093 1639 68 0.243
19 Pee Wee Reese 2013 1940-1958 2166 2170 126 0.269
20 Roger Peckinpaugh 1981 1910-1927 2012 1876 48 0.259
21 Elvis Andrus 1966 2009-2023 2059 2091 102 0.269
22 Garry Templeton 1964 1976-1991 2079 2096 70 0.271
23 Don Kessinger 1956 1964-1979 2078 1931 14 0.252
24 Miguel Tejada 1946 1997-2013 2171 2407 307 0.285
25 Mark Belanger 1942 1965-1982 2016 1316 20 0.228
26 Chris Speier 1900 1971-1989 2260 1759 112 0.246
27 Ozzie Guillen 1896 1985-2000 1993 1764 28 0.264
28 Honus Wagner 1888 1897-1917 2794 3420 101 0.328
29 Dick Groat 1877 1952-1967 1929 2138 39 0.286
30 Dave Bancroft 1873 1915-1930 1913 2004 32 0.279
31 Donie Bush 1867 1908-1923 1946 1804 9 0.250
32 Alfredo Griffin 1861 1976-1993 1962 1688 24 0.249
33 Orlando Cabrera 1843 1997-2011 1985 2055 123 0.272
34 Leo Cardenas 1843 1960-1975 1941 1725 118 0.257
35 Joe Cronin 1843 1926-1945 2124 2285 170 0.301
36 Bobby Wallace 1817 1894-1918 2383 2309 34 0.268
37 Herman Long 1795 1889-1904 1875 2129 91 0.277
38 Ed Brinkman 1794 1961-1975 1845 1355 60 0.224
39 Greg Gagne 1765 1983-1997 1798 1440 111 0.254
40 Bill Russell 1746 1969-1986 2181 1926 46 0.263
41 Joe Tinker 1745 1902-1916 1806 1690 31 0.262
42 Dick Bartell 1687 1927-1946 2016 2165 79 0.284
43 Monte Cross 1676 1892-1907 1684 1365 31 0.234
44 Germany Smith 1667 1884-1898 1712 1597 47 0.243
45 Phil Rizzuto 1646 1941-1956 1661 1588 38 0.273
46 Everett Scott 1643 1914-1926 1654 1455 20 0.249
47 Brandon Crawford 1635 2011-2024 1684 1404 147 0.249
48 Jack Glasscock 1629 1879-1895 1737 2041 27 0.290
49 George McBride 1627 1901-1920 1659 1203 7 0.218
50 Jose Reyes 1627 2003-2018 1877 2138 145 0.283
51 Mickey Doolin 1625 1905-1918 1728 1376 15 0.230
52 Freddie Patek 1587 1968-1981 1650 1340 41 0.242
53 Mike Bordick 1577 1990-2003 1720 1500 91 0.260
54 Tony Fernandez 1573 1983-2001 2158 2276 94 0.288
55 Ed McKean 1565 1887-1899 1655 2084 67 0.302
56 Marty Marion 1555 1940-1953 1572 1448 36 0.263
57 Maury Wills 1555 1959-1972 1942 2134 20 0.281
58 Rafael Furcal 1554 2000-2014 1614 1817 113 0.281
59 Alex Gonzalez 1548 1998-2014 1609 1418 157 0.245
60 J. J. Hardy 1544 2005-2017 1561 1488 188 0.256
61 Billy Jurges 1541 1931-1947 1816 1613 43 0.258
62 Lou Boudreau 1539 1938-1952 1646 1779 68 0.295
63 Tim Foli 1523 1970-1985 1696 1515 25 0.251
64 Jay Bell 1515 1986-2003 2063 1963 195 0.265
65 Frankie Crosetti 1514 1932-1948 1683 1541 98 0.245
66 Francisco Lindor 1513 — 1557 1682 280 0.272
67 Leo Durocher 1507 1925-1945 1637 1320 24 0.247
68 Arky Vaughan 1485 1932-1948 1817 2103 96 0.318
69 Alcides Escobar 1484 2008-2022 1554 1486 45 0.258
70 Xander Bogaerts 1483 — 1687 1843 200 0.287
71 Robin Yount 1478 1974-1993 2856 3142 251 0.285
72 Walt Weiss 1462 1987-2000 1495 1207 25 0.258
73 Jhonny Peralta 1459 2003-2017 1798 1761 202 0.267
74 Art Fletcher 1448 1909-1922 1533 1534 32 0.277
75 Wally Gerber 1447 1914-1929 1522 1309 7 0.257
76 Al Dark 1402 1946-1960 1828 2089 126 0.289
77 Bud Harrelson 1399 1965-1980 1533 1120 7 0.236
78 Jim Fregosi 1395 1961-1978 1902 1726 151 0.265
79 Eddie Miller 1395 1936-1950 1510 1270 97 0.238
80 Rafael Ramirez 1387 1980-1992 1539 1432 53 0.261
81 Bucky Dent 1382 1973-1984 1392 1114 40 0.247
82 Johnny Logan 1380 1951-1963 1503 1407 93 0.268
83 Spike Owen 1373 1983-1995 1544 1211 46 0.246
84 George Davis 1372 1890-1909 2372 2665 73 0.295
85 Shawon Dunston 1363 1985-2002 1814 1597 150 0.269
86 Dick Schofield 1348 1983-1996 1368 989 56 0.230
87 Erick Aybar 1337 2006-2017 1454 1402 58 0.271
88 Vern Stephens 1329 1941-1955 1720 1859 247 0.286
89 Travis Jackson 1323 1922-1936 1656 1768 135 0.291
90 Ivan de Jesus 1303 1974-1988 1371 1167 21 0.254
91 Eddie Joost 1303 1936-1955 1574 1339 134 0.239
92 Cristian Guzman 1295 1999-2010 1406 1459 62 0.271
93 Dansby Swanson 1275 — 1304 1200 169 0.250
94 Jack Wilson 1274 2001-2012 1370 1294 61 0.265
95 Alex Rodriguez 1272 1994-2016 2784 3115 696 0.295
96 Troy Tulowitzki 1268 2006-2019 1291 1391 225 0.290
97 Zoilo Versalles 1265 1959-1971 1400 1246 95 0.242
98 Alex Gonzalez 1262 1994-2006 1396 1209 137 0.243
99 Chico Carrasquel 1243 1950-1959 1325 1199 55 0.258
100 Craig Reynolds 1241 1975-1989 1491 1142 42 0.256

BROWSE BY POSITION

Catcher First Base Second Base Third Base Shortstop Left Field Center Field Right Field Pitcher

RELATED LEADERBOARDS

Career Home Runs → Career Batting Average → Single-Season HR → PIV Career Leaders → Career RBI → Career ERA →

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who has played the most games as a Shortstop in MLB history?

Omar Vizquel holds the all-time record with 2709 games played at Shortstop during a career spanning 1989-2012. Derek Jeter (2674) and Luis Aparicio (2582) rank second and third all-time.

What makes a great shortstop in baseball?

Shortstop requires the most athleticism of any infield position, combining elite range, a strong and accurate arm, soft hands for fielding, and adequate offensive production. Modern shortstops like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez elevated the offensive expectations for the position dramatically.

How far back does this historical data go?

Baseball Data Hub covers Major League Baseball history from 1871 through 2025, drawing on the Lahman Baseball Database and supplemental data sources. This includes the National League (founded 1876), American League (founded 1901), and other recognized major leagues. Negro Leagues statistics are tracked and reported separately.

EXPLORE MORE

All MLB Players → Active Players 2025 → Hall of Fame → All MLB Seasons → Career Leaders → PIV Leaderboard → Players by Country → Baseball by Decade →