What a great rundown of the 70’s SS’s! I really learned a lot from your video that I had forgotten or never knew! Your videos are outstanding Steve!👍⚾️
Campaneris was my favorite player as a child. Once he led the game off with a triple. The next batter Bill North hit a sharp grounder to the 3rd-baseman near the line--Campy was trapped in a rundown. He kept it going until North cruised into 3rd with a 3-base fielder's choice. He looked like he could have kept it up all day, but just walked into the catcher when he saw North on 3rd.
I was surprised that Larry Bowa didn't make your list. I do have to say that Toby Harrah was probably was one of the only MLB shortstops to be the regular clean up hitter, that I can remember, from the 70's. He batted fourth for the Rangers in the mid 70's.
@@bernie2231 you’re not the only one that has asked about Bowa. His fielding was above average but his hitting wasn’t great, but that was the case with most of these guys. I would have made him 6th or 7th with Yount getting the other spot.
Great list! Learned about the channel from Pack Addict Rips. Awesome to see Mark Belanger get appreciation, especially from a Hall of Famer like Whitey Herzog.
Prior to watching this video, I knew absolutely no one on this list. I am now able to report to you, I learned a ton. Crazy how Bert was able to help the A’s win some hardware. Now the A’s are the laughing stock of the MLB 😂😅. Crazy how times/eras end. Have a great weekend!
Haha, love the photo of Reggie Jackson sliding into 2nd. Love Bert Campaneris probably my all time favorite SS. Belanger unbelievable fielding SS but couldn't hit a lick. You forgot one very very important SS and should be on the list & that's Larry Bowa!!
It used to bug me that there would only be 1 or so shortstops every year that could hits.300. Zero could hit for power. When Cal came along with ARod, Jeter, Chipper, a few years later, Oh my
@@sam4soph1 yes, I considered Templeton, and a few others too, like Robin Yount, but they didn’t seem like good choices to me. I don’t have my notes in front of me but I think that Templeton only played 3, maybe 4 seasons in the 70’s. I felt like others were more deserving. Thanks for watching and posting your opinion. 😎
@@tommayrant2279 someone else has suggested that Bowa should have been on the list also. I did consider him, along with others like Yount and Hendricks, but decided that the other guys were more deserving. Thanks for watching and especially for sharing your opinions!! Happy Friday. 👍
We need a date on that Whitey Herzog quote. I buy it if he said it in the late 70s, but if he said it at the end of his career, that's a heck of a compliment for Belanger from the guy who managed Ozzie Smith.
I always enjoy your lists and it’s fun to see who you include , but then I become “ that guy” and consider those that weren’t . I know Robin Yount came up in the 70’s and he was a SS that could hit too lots of these guys were more leather than lumber which was fine because that was the standard back then . Larry Bowa came to mind too that scrappy Philly . Also Bucky Dent or should I say Bucky F’in Dent? The scorn of Red Sox fans before Aaron F’in Boone . I get trimming it to 5 is hard and all the guys you picked are worthy like I said I can be “ that guy” sometimes.
@@petermiller564 I like hearing from the “other guys” because it keeps me on my toes and I like the discussion. I did consider Bowa and Yount and even Hendricks but I left them off. I learned that Yount was an above average fielder but really didn’t start hitting until the 80’s. Hendricks only played 3 or 4 seasons in the 70’s. I can’t remember what I saw about Bowa that left him off the list. I’ll confess that I never considered Dent. Now I’ll have to search him up and see if that was an over sight on my part. Thanks for your insight and happy Friday!!!!
It’s a great list however, the Phillies Larry Bowa will always be my favorite shortstop, he led the National League in fielding percentage six times and I refuse to believe there was any human being who hated to lose more than he did. In game, five of the 1980 NLCS, he got a single off of Nolan Ryan that sparked the Phillies come back, which led to their first World Series championship.
Belanger hit over .250 3 times, a .266, a .270 and a .287 season in '69...imo Bill Russell should take his place, almost as good on defense with a lot more stick.
I don’t see how Russell was as good on defense. The numbers that I’m looking at show him to be average, vs a guy that two HOF managers said was the best they had ever seen.
@@pirate21 hmm, I don’t remember the exact numbers but he was predominately a short stop for 7 of the 10 years and still played a little SS those last few years. Thanks for watching and sharing your opinion. Happy Saturday. 😎
I come up with same five guys, but slightly different order. 5. Burleson 4. Belanger: 7 GG, 1x AS, .305 OBP, .67 SB efficiency 3. Harrah: 0 GG, 3x AS, .355 OBP, .70 SB efficiency 2. Campaneris: 0 GG, 5x AS, .310 OBP, .76 SB efficiency 1. Concepcion: 5 GG, 6x AS, .325 OBP, .78 SB efficiency I just couldn't give top spot to someone who didn't win even one Gold Glove. But that's just me.
@@ron88303 I love that you put forth metrics different from the ones that I used. There are so many different metrics to use in baseball it’s sometimes difficult to rank players ahead or behind each other. I’m certainly not going to argue your choice to put Concepcion in the top spot. Like I mentioned in the video I thought that he would wind up there, and even while I was recording it occurred to me that I should move him up, but I left him where he was. Thanks for watching and especially for your input!! Are you doing your research after you watch the videos or do you already have it mapped out?
The way it is pronounced here may be correct but I distinctly remember announcers pronouncing Belanger's name Ba-lan-ger, not Bell-an-ger. Either way, I don't see how he could be rated ahead of Concepcion who was one of the best offensive shortstops of his era, and was also an exceptional fielder. If Belanger was a better fielder, it can not have been by a wide margin. Concepcion on the other hand, was an infinitely better offensive player than Belanger.
@@FreeSportsCards-c8r Thanks for the video. It's weird that I can remember these players from the 70's, but have a hard time remembering the current players.
@@FreeSportsCards-c8r Yeah I understand. I still follow my local team, which happens to be the Reds, but the game today feels like a glorified softball game. It's just waiting around for somebody to hit a home run. And it's crazy how they use pitchers now. But times times change. I'm just glad I was a baseball fan in the 1970s.
Toby Harrah was a great hitter, but I would not list him as one of the best short stops of the 1970's. His defense was very suspect. Where's Robin Yount, Larry Bowa, Gary Templeton, even Bucky Dent and Louis Aparicio were much better fielders than Harrah.
@@joelong7501 you’re not the only one that wants to see Bowa. The numbers you posted aren’t there 70’s totals. Thanks for watching and sharing your opinion. 😎
I don't know who put this list together. Dave C. Was the best. He could do everything and should be in Cooperstown. The person that put this list together needs to clean their glasses. Get real. The next thing you will be saying John Bench is not the greatest catcher of all time.
When you consider everything Concepcion was the best of that era. Belanger may have been a bit better fielder. Harrah, a better pure hitter and I'd say Davy and Campy were about even as base runners ( you didn't even mention the fact that Concepcion was a serious stolen base guy, 321 career ) also Davey missed almost an entire season ( I think 1973 ) with a horrible ankle injury. I saw all these guys play and Davey & Belanger were the 2 best fielding SS's hands down. Concepcion also was the inventor of the Astroturf one - hop throw to 1st. In my opinion, Davey ( and Belanger ) are the best fielding SS, better than Ozzie ! Yeah, Ozzie made unreal plays....but I lot of the reasons Ozzie made unreal plays because he wasn't the best at playing hitters...Concepcion and Belanger were. The balls that Ozzie had to dive to get Concepcion and Belanger turned into routine plays because they knew how to play the hitters. Also, I think the Dodgers Bill Russell deserves a spot on this list as well or at least an honorable mention.
@@keithsowder4308 I was going to mention how Concepcion and Perez worked together to perfect that hop throw to first, but everything about artificial turf is a turn off to me, including bounce throws. I remember seeing Pete Rose bouncing a baseball off it like a basketball. 🤢 Thanks for watching the video. You are right about Concepcion being a good base stealer, as were others. It would be hard for me to argue about you placing Concepcion first. He was great.
@@FreeSportsCards-c8r I wasn't a fan of the artificial turf either...2 of the best quotes about it. Bill "Spaceman" Lee was asked if he preferred grass to artificial turf. His answer "I don't know. I've never smoked artificial turf !" And the late, great Dick Allen who said "If a horse can't eat it, I don't want to play on it !" I just liked the fact that Concepcion figured out that bouncing the throw on the artificial turf got it there faster. I was shocked to see Belanger ranked that high. He was an unbelievable fielder....but as far as a hitter ( the 1970's Orioles had some good hitting Pitchers on those staffs ) there were many times when their starting pitcher was a better hitter, lol. But I'd still have to go with Concepcion for his all around game. Most of those SS's were one dimensional. Belanger great glove, Campy, great base runner, Harrah, great hitter for a SS in that era....but Davey was the ONLY one that could do all of that at a high level. The fact that he isn't in the HOF in a TRAVESTY !
@@fansince68 it is most certainly realistic. I saw them both play...did Campy steal more bases ? Yeah, he did, but there's much more to being a great base runner than that. For one, Campy hit lead off, Concepcion hit anywhere from 6th or 7th in the Reds lineup. Campy, had the greenlight to go whenever he felt like it....Concepcion didn't because the Reds lineup was STACKED and most of the time they didn't NEED to manufacture runs I'm not taking anything away from Campaneris he was a great player....but overall Concepcion was without a doubt the best SS of the 1970's !
You may rate Concepcion/Belanger above Smith defensively, but the numbers don't bear that out: Gold Gloves: Smith 13, Concepcion and Belanger 8 SS fielding %: Smith .978, Belanger .977, Concepcion .971 Range factor per 9 innings: Smith 5.22, Belanger 5.16, Concepcion 5.03 Had Smith really been misplaying batters, one would expect his fielding % to be lower than the other two. I saw plenty of all three, and would rank them Smith, Belanger, then Concepcion defensively, and Concepcion and Smith about even offensively. Although their OPS+ is within a point, Smith had 250 more stolen bases, while Concepcion was more efficient at driving in runners on base.
Steve you are really bringing the 70’s back! Good work!
Thanks. I still have 70's catchers to do and then I'll move onto something else.
Campy is one of my all time favorite players.
@@brianholthouse1426 I wish that I had been old enough to have been more engaged with these players when they were in their primes.
What a great rundown of the 70’s SS’s! I really learned a lot from your video that I had forgotten or never knew! Your videos are outstanding Steve!👍⚾️
@@markcarpenter4469 thank you very much!! I’m glad that you’re enjoying them. I enjoy making them. Happy Friday!!
@ HAPPY FRIDAY to you Steve as well!
Good stuff, my man. I grew up in the 70s loving baseball and watching these players.
Campaneris was my favorite player as a child. Once he led the game off with a triple. The next batter Bill North hit a sharp grounder to the 3rd-baseman near the line--Campy was trapped in a rundown. He kept it going until North cruised into 3rd with a 3-base fielder's choice. He looked like he could have kept it up all day, but just walked into the catcher when he saw North on 3rd.
@@MichaelMoore-no9ly great story. Thank you!!
I was surprised that Larry Bowa didn't make your list. I do have to say that Toby Harrah was probably was one of the only MLB shortstops to be the regular clean up hitter, that I can remember, from the 70's. He batted fourth for the Rangers in the mid 70's.
@@bernie2231 you’re not the only one that has asked about Bowa. His fielding was above average but his hitting wasn’t great, but that was the case with most of these guys. I would have made him 6th or 7th with Yount getting the other spot.
Great list! Learned about the channel from Pack Addict Rips. Awesome to see Mark Belanger get appreciation, especially from a Hall of Famer like Whitey Herzog.
@@Ripping4Rutschmans thanks for joining the channel. I’m glad that it sounds like it is informative. Jason at PackAddicts is a great guy!!
Prior to watching this video, I knew absolutely no one on this list. I am now able to report to you, I learned a ton. Crazy how Bert was able to help the A’s win some hardware. Now the A’s are the laughing stock of the MLB 😂😅. Crazy how times/eras end.
Have a great weekend!
@@PackAddictRips thanks for watching Jason!! It’s a bit sad with what is going on with the Athletics organization. Everyone is money hungry. 😞
Haha, love the photo of Reggie Jackson sliding into 2nd. Love Bert Campaneris probably my all time favorite SS. Belanger unbelievable fielding SS but couldn't hit a lick. You forgot one very very important SS and should be on the list & that's Larry Bowa!!
@@mikesbaseballcards you’re not the only one that mentions Bowa. Thanks for watching.
great list. I would of put Larry Bowa on this list though.
@@rayfromphilly6969 many others would agree with you. Thanks for watching.
Fun list tonight. I knew a couple of those guys! Great stuff!
@@thefootballguyusa7941 thank you. I was only familiar with 3 of them before I started digging into the project.
How did Mario Mendoza not make the list?
@@scottstevens9533 the Mendoza Line!!
It used to bug me that there would only be 1 or so shortstops every year that could hits.300. Zero could hit for power. When Cal came along with ARod, Jeter, Chipper, a few years later, Oh my
@@michaelderose397 they changed the expectations for that position.
I remember Belanger going years without hitting a home run.
Burleson? Garry Templeton would like a word.
@@sam4soph1 yes, I considered Templeton, and a few others too, like Robin Yount, but they didn’t seem like good choices to me. I don’t have my notes in front of me but I think that Templeton only played 3, maybe 4 seasons in the 70’s. I felt like others were more deserving. Thanks for watching and posting your opinion. 😎
Great list! Glad to see Belanger. Bowa had more hits than any SS in the 1970s.
@@tommayrant2279 someone else has suggested that Bowa should have been on the list also. I did consider him, along with others like Yount and Hendricks, but decided that the other guys were more deserving. Thanks for watching and especially for sharing your opinions!! Happy Friday. 👍
Bowa was better than 3 of those guys.
@ Bowa was very good. I likely would have put him 6th or 7th along with Yount.
We need a date on that Whitey Herzog quote. I buy it if he said it in the late 70s, but if he said it at the end of his career, that's a heck of a compliment for Belanger from the guy who managed Ozzie Smith.
@@big8dog887 I’ll look it up. It was definitely before Ozzie came along.
@@big8dog887 he said that when Belanger was still in the minors, so at some point in the 1960’s.
Larry Bowa couldn't hit a lick but there was nobody better defensively
@@paullake2736 I would have put him 6th or 7th, with Yount getting the other spot. Thanks for watching. 😎
I always enjoy your lists and it’s fun to see who you include , but then I become “ that guy” and consider those that weren’t . I know Robin Yount came up in the 70’s and he was a SS that could hit too lots of these guys were more leather than lumber which was fine because that was the standard back then . Larry Bowa came to mind too that scrappy Philly . Also Bucky Dent or should I say Bucky F’in Dent? The scorn of Red Sox fans before Aaron F’in Boone . I get trimming it to 5 is hard and all the guys you picked are worthy like I said I can be “ that guy” sometimes.
@@petermiller564 I like hearing from the “other guys” because it keeps me on my toes and I like the discussion. I did consider Bowa and Yount and even Hendricks but I left them off. I learned that Yount was an above average fielder but really didn’t start hitting until the 80’s. Hendricks only played 3 or 4 seasons in the 70’s. I can’t remember what I saw about Bowa that left him off the list. I’ll confess that I never considered Dent. Now I’ll have to search him up and see if that was an over sight on my part. Thanks for your insight and happy Friday!!!!
It’s a great list however, the Phillies Larry Bowa will always be my favorite shortstop, he led the National League in fielding percentage six times and I refuse to believe there was any human being who hated to lose more than he did. In game, five of the 1980 NLCS, he got a single off of Nolan Ryan that sparked the Phillies come back, which led to their first World Series championship.
@@Scaredycat-dad even though he’s not on my list, Bowa was great.
Don't forget Mario Mendoza...namesake of the Mendoza line! He lives in infamy!
It's "Bel AN ger."
Well if I was a GM I'd take Concepcion. He was the best all around player of the bunch I don't care what the #'s say.
Belanger hit over .250 3 times, a .266, a .270 and a .287 season in '69...imo Bill Russell should take his place, almost as good on defense with a lot more stick.
I don’t see how Russell was as good on defense. The numbers that I’m looking at show him to be average, vs a guy that two HOF managers said was the best they had ever seen.
@@mrlafayette1964 thanks for watching and for sharing your opinion.
He hit .333 in 1965.....going 1-3 😄
Where is Larry Bowa? When he retired he had the highest fielding percentage of any shortstop in MLB history.
@@dominicromano1611 he would have been 6th or 7th on my list, with Yount likely getting the other spot.
Conception . Also remember harrellson metzger speire
I don’t think you can count Harrah as a SS due to the fact he only had a total of five seasons where he even played 80 games at the position.
@@pirate21 hmm, I don’t remember the exact numbers but he was predominately a short stop for 7 of the 10 years and still played a little SS those last few years. Thanks for watching and sharing your opinion. Happy Saturday. 😎
BELL AN GER.
@@ChrisBerry-ew2yx thank you.
✨👍✨
What about Larry bowa?
@@christownsend1129 I would have put him 6th or 7th with Yount getting the other spot.
I come up with same five guys, but slightly different order.
5. Burleson
4. Belanger: 7 GG, 1x AS, .305 OBP, .67 SB efficiency
3. Harrah: 0 GG, 3x AS, .355 OBP, .70 SB efficiency
2. Campaneris: 0 GG, 5x AS, .310 OBP, .76 SB efficiency
1. Concepcion: 5 GG, 6x AS, .325 OBP, .78 SB efficiency
I just couldn't give top spot to someone who didn't win even one Gold Glove. But that's just me.
@@ron88303 I love that you put forth metrics different from the ones that I used. There are so many different metrics to use in baseball it’s sometimes difficult to rank players ahead or behind each other. I’m certainly not going to argue your choice to put Concepcion in the top spot. Like I mentioned in the video I thought that he would wind up there, and even while I was recording it occurred to me that I should move him up, but I left him where he was. Thanks for watching and especially for your input!! Are you doing your research after you watch the videos or do you already have it mapped out?
@@FreeSportsCards-c8r I have to do it after, since I need to collate the data to fit the specific time period you are using.
I agree. Shortstop is a key defensive position. IMO the top shortstops of this era were the two you picked.
The way it is pronounced here may be correct but I distinctly remember announcers pronouncing Belanger's name Ba-lan-ger, not Bell-an-ger. Either way, I don't see how he could be rated ahead of Concepcion who was one of the best offensive shortstops of his era, and was also an exceptional fielder. If Belanger was a better fielder, it can not have been by a wide margin. Concepcion on the other hand, was an infinitely better offensive player than Belanger.
@@RodericSpode I was worried that I would mispronounce some of these names. Thank you for the information and your opinion regarding Concepcion.
@@FreeSportsCards-c8r Thanks for the video. It's weird that I can remember these players from the 70's, but have a hard time remembering the current players.
@ I don’t even follow the modern game anymore.
@@FreeSportsCards-c8r Yeah I understand. I still follow my local team, which happens to be the Reds, but the game today feels like a glorified softball game. It's just waiting around for somebody to hit a home run. And it's crazy how they use pitchers now. But times times change. I'm just glad I was a baseball fan in the 1970s.
Toby Harrah was a great hitter, but I would not list him as one of the best short stops of the 1970's. His defense was very suspect. Where's Robin Yount, Larry Bowa, Gary Templeton, even Bucky Dent and Louis Aparicio were much better fielders than Harrah.
The greatest was the wizard of oz
@@JohnnyCleary-m3m he came around in the 80’s. Thanks for watching my video.
bowa??
@@adnelson63 Bowa was great. 10 full seasons, 2 gold gloves, 5 x all star. Either he or Yount would have been 6th on my list.
Eddie?
Checked on line to be sure. Campy had the bat throwing incident with
LARIN LAGROW
You're pronouncing Belanger's name wrong ...
Accent on the SECOND syllable ; )
@@notacynic1 I was afraid of that. Thank you.
Bowa was better than Belanger. Change that list my man. Belanger had 1300 hits, Bowa had over 2000
@@joelong7501 you’re not the only one that wants to see Bowa. The numbers you posted aren’t there 70’s totals. Thanks for watching and sharing your opinion. 😎
70's on base percentage: Belanger .308, Bowa .299
70s gold gloves: Belanger 7, Bowa 2
Who cares how many home runs these guys hit.That is not what they went to bat to do. That wasn't there game.. but when it happened it would.
robin yount was as good a player as any of them.
I don't know who put this list together. Dave C. Was the best. He could do everything and should be in Cooperstown. The person that put this list together needs to clean their glasses. Get real. The next thing you will be saying John Bench is not the greatest catcher of all time.
@@bobgray4858 I’m going to do catchers within the next few days. I’ll let you know where Bench lands. 🤣😂
Not convinced Bench was the greatest. Berra's numbers are better.
@ I can’t wait to get into the weeds with guys like Berra. Off the top of my head I wonder if Bill Dickey would be competitive with him.
When you consider everything Concepcion was the best of that era. Belanger may have been a bit better fielder. Harrah, a better pure hitter and I'd say Davy and Campy were about even as base runners ( you didn't even mention the fact that Concepcion was a serious stolen base guy, 321 career ) also Davey missed almost an entire season ( I think 1973 ) with a horrible ankle injury. I saw all these guys play and Davey & Belanger were the 2 best fielding SS's hands down. Concepcion also was the inventor of the Astroturf one - hop throw to 1st. In my opinion, Davey ( and Belanger ) are the best fielding SS, better than Ozzie ! Yeah, Ozzie made unreal plays....but I lot of the reasons Ozzie made unreal plays because he wasn't the best at playing hitters...Concepcion and Belanger were. The balls that Ozzie had to dive to get Concepcion and Belanger turned into routine plays because they knew how to play the hitters. Also, I think the Dodgers Bill Russell deserves a spot on this list as well or at least an honorable mention.
@@keithsowder4308 I was going to mention how Concepcion and Perez worked together to perfect that hop throw to first, but everything about artificial turf is a turn off to me, including bounce throws. I remember seeing Pete Rose bouncing a baseball off it like a basketball. 🤢
Thanks for watching the video. You are right about Concepcion being a good base stealer, as were others. It would be hard for me to argue about you placing Concepcion first. He was great.
With all due respect, as good as a baserunner as Concepcion was, to say that he was even with Campy in baserunning is not realistic.
@@FreeSportsCards-c8r I wasn't a fan of the artificial turf either...2 of the best quotes about it. Bill "Spaceman" Lee was asked if he preferred grass to artificial turf. His answer "I don't know. I've never smoked artificial turf !" And the late, great Dick Allen who said "If a horse can't eat it, I don't want to play on it !" I just liked the fact that Concepcion figured out that bouncing the throw on the artificial turf got it there faster. I was shocked to see Belanger ranked that high. He was an unbelievable fielder....but as far as a hitter ( the 1970's Orioles had some good hitting Pitchers on those staffs ) there were many times when their starting pitcher was a better hitter, lol. But I'd still have to go with Concepcion for his all around game. Most of those SS's were one dimensional. Belanger great glove, Campy, great base runner, Harrah, great hitter for a SS in that era....but Davey was the ONLY one that could do all of that at a high level. The fact that he isn't in the HOF in a TRAVESTY !
@@fansince68 it is most certainly realistic. I saw them both play...did Campy steal more bases ? Yeah, he did, but there's much more to being a great base runner than that. For one, Campy hit lead off, Concepcion hit anywhere from 6th or 7th in the Reds lineup. Campy, had the greenlight to go whenever he felt like it....Concepcion didn't because the Reds lineup was STACKED and most of the time they didn't NEED to manufacture runs
I'm not taking anything away from Campaneris he was a great player....but overall Concepcion was without a doubt the best SS of the 1970's !
You may rate Concepcion/Belanger above Smith defensively, but the numbers don't bear that out:
Gold Gloves: Smith 13, Concepcion and Belanger 8
SS fielding %: Smith .978, Belanger .977, Concepcion .971
Range factor per 9 innings: Smith 5.22, Belanger 5.16, Concepcion 5.03
Had Smith really been misplaying batters, one would expect his fielding % to be lower than the other two.
I saw plenty of all three, and would rank them Smith, Belanger, then Concepcion defensively, and Concepcion and Smith about even offensively. Although their OPS+ is within a point, Smith had 250 more stolen bases, while Concepcion was more efficient at driving in runners on base.