This VAVEL writer has been making a countdown prior to pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training. This humble correspondent and Missy Metz have been making this ultimate roster from February 1 until now, beginning with the pitchers, both starting and bullpen, first baseman, and catcher written already. Feel free to check those out after reading this.
The best second baseman in baseball history according to Missy Metz and this humble correspondent is the one the only Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson impacted baseball, but -- even more -- his impact on America as a country continues today.
Robinson was the first African-American player in MLB history, being signed by Branch Rickey and the Brooklyn Dodgers to begin playing in 1947. He first played in the Negro Leagues for one year for the Kansas City Monarchs. Robinson played in the Major Leagues for 10 years, all of which were with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
More than being a great ball player, Jackie Robinson was a trailblazer. Robinson made an impact outside of baseball; he also made an impact in America. With his breaking of the color barrier in Major League Baseball, he made an impact on African-Americans across the country during his career.
One legendary story of support from fellow players in the Majors includes Hank Greenberg, a former Detroit Tigers first baseman. The legend goes that during one game when Robinson was on first, Greenberg, who is Jewish, told him to ignore the hecklers because Greenberg had previously been the subject of anti-Semitic heckles. The story is described in Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story, which this humble correspondent recommends highly. Here is an excerpt.
Over the course of his career, Robinson played in 1,382 games with 1,518 hits, 137 home runs, and 734 runs batted in.
Robinson was also a speedster on the base paths, stealing 197 bases. One of his most famous steals was in Game 1 of the 1955 World Series against the rival New York Yankees. He stole home on a tightly-contested play in which then-Yankees catcher Yogi Berra still insists that Robinson was out.
In 1947, Robinson won the Rookie of the Year; his rookie season was the inaugural year for the award. He compiled a .297 batting average with 12 home runs, 48 RBI, and 29 stolen bases. In 1949, he won the MVP with a .342 average, 37 stolen bases, 16 home runs, and 203 hits. Robinson was also named to the MLB All Century Team, adding to the number of members on that team who are now on the VAVEL MLB Ultimate Roster. In 1962, Jackie Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Bob Feller, getting 77.5 percent of the vote.
On April 15, 1997, commissioner Bud Selig retired Jackie Robinson’s #42 throughout Major League Baseball. This was the first number to be retired league-wide in any of the four major sports in the United States. However, players who wore the number prior to that date were grandfathered in to allow them to wear the number until they retired or changed teams. Yankees legendary closer Mariano Rivera was the last one to wear number 42 until he retired at the end of the 2013 season. Since 1997, the only other league to retire a number league-wide was the NHL with 99, Wayne Gretzky’s number.
On Jackie Robinson Day every April 15, every Major League player now wears number 42, in honor of the great Jackie Robinson.