Aparicio, and Omar Vizquel who have excelled at the position, no other player could quite match Smith’s acrobatic play and wizardry in the field. As spectacular as he was, though, he was also extremely consistent, setting a record for National League shortstops in 1991 by committing only eight errors in 150 games. His 13 Gold Gloves are a record for shortstops.
Offensively, while Smith’s numbers are not on a par with many of the other players in the Hall of Fame, he was able to turn himself into an above-average offensive player, totaling 2,460 hits, 1,257 runs, and 580 stolen bases during his career. Although, among major league shortstops, Cal Ripken Jr.’s hitting made him a better all-around player, Smith was clearly the National League’s best shortstop during the 1980s. He was also unquestionably one of the ten greatest shortstops in baseball history, thereby justifying his place in Cooperstown.
John Henry “Pop” Lloyd/Willie Wells
As the two greatest shortstops in Negro League history, both Lloyd and Wells clearly earned their places in Cooperstown.
Although he was never given a chance to play in the major leagues because of the color of his skin, John Henry “Pop” Lloyd was clearly one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history. Generally considered to be the greatest Negro League player of the Deadball Era, Lloyd was regarded by some as the finest player in all of baseball during his playing days. Babe Ruth once stated that he believed Lloyd to be the greatest player he ever saw.
Lloyd spent more than a quarter of a century playing in the black professional leagues, for 12 different teams. He began to establish his reputation as one of the game’s great players in 1910 when he joined Rube Foster’s Chicago Leland Giants. That year, the Giants won 123 games and Lloyd hit .417. Also that season, Lloyd spent some time playing in Cuba for the Havana Reds. While there, he played five exhibition games against Ty Cobb and his Detroit Tigers. Against Detroit, Lloyd batted .500, getting 11 hits in 22 at-bats, out-hitting Cobb by 131 points, and causing the latter to proclaim that he would never again play against black players.
Lloyd was a complete player who could hit, run, field, and throw. An exceptional lefthanded line-drive hitter, Lloyd usually batted fourth in his team’s lineup. Different sources have him batting either .337 or .368 over the course of his career. In the field, Lloyd positioned himself wisely, got a good jump on the ball, and possessed both outstanding range and sure hands. Among Negro League shortstops, only Dick Lundy drew favorable comparisons to him as a fielder, and Lloyd was widely regarded as the greatest shortstop in the history of black baseball. Indeed, he was frequently referred to as “the black Honus Wagner” for his tremendous all-around ability. Aside from Wagner, no other major league shortstop of the first half of the 20th century was considered to be his peer by those who saw him play. Wagner, himself, after being told of the comparisons being made between himself and Lloyd, commented: “After I saw him play, I felt honored that they should name such a great ballplayer after me.”
Long before Cal Ripken Jr. set the standards for major league shortstops by combining exceptional fielding with home-run power, Willie Wells was doing the same in the Negro Leagues. Besides having great range, soft hands, and an extremely accurate throwing arm, Wells also possessed outstanding power that enabled him to set a Negro Leagues single-season record for home runs by a shortstop, with 27. Over his 25-year career, he also batted .334.
Negro League legend Buck O’Neill said in his 1996 autobiography, “If I had to pick a shortstop for my team, it would be Willie Wells. He could hit to all fields, hit with power, bunt, and stretch singles into doubles. But it was his glove that truly dazzled…” O’Neill then went on to compare Wells favorably to the great Ozzie
Offensively, while Smith’s numbers are not on a par with many of the other players in the Hall of Fame, he was able to turn himself into an above-average offensive player, totaling 2,460 hits, 1,257 runs, and 580 stolen bases during his career. Although, among major league shortstops, Cal Ripken Jr.’s hitting made him a better all-around player, Smith was clearly the National League’s best shortstop during the 1980s. He was also unquestionably one of the ten greatest shortstops in baseball history, thereby justifying his place in Cooperstown.
John Henry “Pop” Lloyd/Willie Wells
As the two greatest shortstops in Negro League history, both Lloyd and Wells clearly earned their places in Cooperstown.
Although he was never given a chance to play in the major leagues because of the color of his skin, John Henry “Pop” Lloyd was clearly one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history. Generally considered to be the greatest Negro League player of the Deadball Era, Lloyd was regarded by some as the finest player in all of baseball during his playing days. Babe Ruth once stated that he believed Lloyd to be the greatest player he ever saw.
Lloyd spent more than a quarter of a century playing in the black professional leagues, for 12 different teams. He began to establish his reputation as one of the game’s great players in 1910 when he joined Rube Foster’s Chicago Leland Giants. That year, the Giants won 123 games and Lloyd hit .417. Also that season, Lloyd spent some time playing in Cuba for the Havana Reds. While there, he played five exhibition games against Ty Cobb and his Detroit Tigers. Against Detroit, Lloyd batted .500, getting 11 hits in 22 at-bats, out-hitting Cobb by 131 points, and causing the latter to proclaim that he would never again play against black players.
Lloyd was a complete player who could hit, run, field, and throw. An exceptional lefthanded line-drive hitter, Lloyd usually batted fourth in his team’s lineup. Different sources have him batting either .337 or .368 over the course of his career. In the field, Lloyd positioned himself wisely, got a good jump on the ball, and possessed both outstanding range and sure hands. Among Negro League shortstops, only Dick Lundy drew favorable comparisons to him as a fielder, and Lloyd was widely regarded as the greatest shortstop in the history of black baseball. Indeed, he was frequently referred to as “the black Honus Wagner” for his tremendous all-around ability. Aside from Wagner, no other major league shortstop of the first half of the 20th century was considered to be his peer by those who saw him play. Wagner, himself, after being told of the comparisons being made between himself and Lloyd, commented: “After I saw him play, I felt honored that they should name such a great ballplayer after me.”
Long before Cal Ripken Jr. set the standards for major league shortstops by combining exceptional fielding with home-run power, Willie Wells was doing the same in the Negro Leagues. Besides having great range, soft hands, and an extremely accurate throwing arm, Wells also possessed outstanding power that enabled him to set a Negro Leagues single-season record for home runs by a shortstop, with 27. Over his 25-year career, he also batted .334.
Negro League legend Buck O’Neill said in his 1996 autobiography, “If I had to pick a shortstop for my team, it would be Willie Wells. He could hit to all fields, hit with power, bunt, and stretch singles into doubles. But it was his glove that truly dazzled…” O’Neill then went on to compare Wells favorably to the great Ozzie
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