The top 8 Reds shortstops since 1900

There has been a lot of discussion of Cozart potentially being traded.  While I would disagree with the move, it's a good time to look at where he stands among Reds shortstops in terms of all-time productivity.

Let's compare a few statistics...

Baseball-reference Wins Above Replacement

1) Barry Larkin, in a landslide.  70.2 WAR in a career spanning 1986 to 2004.

2) Dave Concepcion.  39.8 WAR from 1970 to 1988.

3) Roy McMillan.  Earned 18.3 WAR from 1951 to 1960.

4) Leo Cardenas.  14.8 WAR from 1960 to 1968.

5) Billy Myers.  13.6 WAR from 1935 to 1940.

6) Zack Cozart.  12.3 WAR from 2011 to 2016.

7) Buck Herzog.  12.0 WAR in only 3 seasons, 1914 to 1916.

8) Eddie Miller.  10.6 WAR, mostly earned during his second stint in Cincinnati from 1943 through 1946.


Offensive WAR only

1) Larkin - 67.5

2) Concepcion - 32.3

3) Cardenas - 13.8

4) McMillan - 12.4

5) Myers - 10.7

6) Buck Herzog - 9.1

7) Felipe Lopez - 6.4

8) Zack Cozart - 6.1



Defensive WAR only

1) Concepcion - 20.9

2) McMillan - 14.4

3) Larkin - 13.8

4) Miller - 10.5

5) Cozart - 9.1

6) Cardenas - 8.5

7) Hod Ford - 7.6

8) Myers - 7.3


NOTE: oWAR and dWAR do not sum to WAR, for a couple different reasons not worth going into in this post.


So it's clear that Larkin and Concepcion were in a class by themselves, as far as all-time Reds shortstops.  Cozart falls into the next tier with guys like McMillan, Cardenas, and Myers.  But with his consistently solid defensive game, and dramatic improvements on offense, I have little doubt that Cozart would (have) move(d) into the top tier within the next couple seasons, and be a sure-fire Reds Hall of Famer. 

Top ten seasons of Cincinnati Reds shortstops

We continue around the horn to shortstop, where (near-)future Hall of Famer Barry Larkin reigns supreme. As usual, I examined players in history with at least 120 games played, and at least 50% of those as the position in question. I looked at a number of conventional stats, as well as WAR and any awards received. The final judgment was based on both objective rankings and subjective weighting, especially with respect to awards.

1) Barry Larkin, 1996. This wasn't his MVP season, but it was better in every way. 7.4 WAR (easily the best of his career or any Red SS in history). Ranks first in Red SS history for HR, runs, RBI, walks, and OPS. Won a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and finished 12th in MVP voting. Became the first 30-30 shortstop in MLB history, and is still the only Red SS to hit 30 homers.

2) Barry Larkin, 1995. NL MVP, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger. First in Red SS history for stolen bases and batting average. 5.9 WAR.

The best of the rest:
3) Barry Larkin, 1998. 5.9 WAR, second among Red SS in batting average and OPS
4) Barry Larkin, 1999. 5.2 WAR, second among Red SS in runs and walks
5) Barry Larkin, 1988. 6.2 WAR, second among Red SS in hits
6) Dave Concepcion, 1974. 5.1 WAR, Gold Glove winner
7) Barry Larkin, 1991.
8) Barry Larkin, 1992.
9) Barry Larkin, 1990.
10) Dave Concepcion, 1979.

Others worth mentioning:
Roy McMillan 1956
Leo Cardenas 1965
Dave Concepcion 1976
Eddie Miller 1974
Felipe Lopez 2005