Cardinals History: Is Ozzie Smith the best defensive shortstop of all time?

The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer has a reputation for being the best defensive shortstop of all time. But does that hold up under scrutiny? The Wizard of Oz certainly looked the part during his playing days, but not everyone saw him play, so the eye test isn't always the best measure. To try to answer this question, I've looked at a variety of different defensive metrics that I've broken down into three categories: old-school, more modern, and modern.

I'm going to look at five great defenders throughout history at the shortstop position. Of course... Ozzie is one! Then there is one of the original holders of the "best defensive SS" title — Luis Aparicio. For younger fans, the slick-fielding Omar Vizquel. And to round out the list, Orioles greats Cal Ripken, Jr. and Mark Belanger.

Old-school defensive metrics

The "old school" defensive metrics are Gold Gloves and fielding percentage. These have been used for many decades as the measure of defensive prowess. Ozzie holds up well with Gold Gloves, with 13, more than any of the competition. He's a little behind, though, in fielding percentage. Comparing statistics over time is tricky, so I've split fielding percentage into three categories: overall percentage, difference compared to peers, and black ink. The "difference compared to peers" category is looking at how many percentage points better a player is than the average shortstop's fielding percentage over their careers. Black ink is how many years they led the league in fielding percentage at shortstop.

Statistical side note: For math people, I know that number listed is the decimal and not the percentage, but that's how it's always shown in baseball. The "compared to peers" category is the difference in percentage between a player's fielding percentage and the league average when he played.

Solely on the ability to limit errors on balls that a player fielded, Ozzie doesn't seem to show up as the top defender. For those that look at Vizquel and think he's the greatest defensive SS of all time, here is your case! Yet this only looks at fielded balls by a player, NOT range. Which brings us to...

More modern defensive metrics

Range factor per 9 innings! It sounds intimidating, but it's actually just how many successfully fielded balls a player has over a game. The formula adds putouts plus assists. Then it multiplies them by 9 and divides it by innings played. Basically, it tells you how many plays per game they make. This incorporates range into the equation, as a player with less range will make fewer plays. Simple enough idea, but a real game-changer for how baseball people started incorporating range into defensive analysis.

Much like with fielding percentage, I split up the categories into the overall career number, the difference compared to peers, and black ink.

And here is where the Wizard of Oz is the big difference maker: RANGE! Belanger and Aparicio are in the ballpark, but this is a decisive win for Ozzie. It doesn't matter if you compare over time or against peers, Ozzie Smith has the best range of any shortstop by a clear margin.

Why not merge the range with the ability for fielded balls? That's essentially what modern defensive metrics try to do!

Modern defensive metrics

The best measure of defensive ability over time would be Total Zone. This defensive metric tries to incorporate all aspects of defense into one tidy number (as well as other ballpark and era factors). I split this one into three slightly different categories than before: total zone overall score, TZ per year, and black ink. Will the Wizard hold up against some fancy formula the computer nerds have whipped up?

This one is a little closer, with Ozzie and Belanger clearly ahead of the pack. You could make a case for Mark Belanger over Ozzie if longevity doesn't matter. I think it does. Regardless, those two are close, with the other three far behind. (These statistics are only at the shortstop position, so I'm not counting anything that Ripken did at 3B.)

Who is the best defensive shortstop of all time?

To put a tidy bow on things, I ranked the players according to their finish in each category analyzed (plus Gold Gloves), and the end result was...

OZZIE SMITH IS THE GREATEST DEFENSIVE SHORTSTOP EVER!

That would have been a real bummer for Cards fans if he weren't, huh? The only player that was moderately close when comparing across all the categories was Mark Belanger. I think he is clearly second-best. Ripken, Aparicio, and Vizquel all had their strong points, but overall couldn't quite match up to the top dogs.

Now, when your friends argue with you over who the best defensive shortstop of all time is, you can show them this! Also, if your friends are having a heated debate over Ozzie vs. Mark Belanger, I would like to be in your friend group — sounds like my people!