WHY I THINK PLACIDO POLANCO SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK PLACIDO POLANCO SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Placido Polanco is best remembered as perhaps the greatest fielding infielder who has ever lived. He is the all time career leader in fielding percentage at both second base and third base (minimum 500 games). He also did what most would have labeled impossible in 2007: he fielded perfectly at second base, not making a single error across the entire season. Although he was a legendary fielder, his hitting skills were also no slouch. A .297 lifetime hitter, Polanco hit over 100 career home runs, almost 350 doubles, and four times was the hardest batter in his league to strike out. Placido Polanco started his career with the Cardinals in 1998, playing in 45 games as a 22 year old rookie. He impressed in 88 games in 1999 and was a regular .316 hitter by 2000. Polanco batted over .300 again as the St. Louis third baseman in 2001 and split the 2002 season between the Cards and the Phillies, producing another very good season. He batted .293 with 31 home runs in 2003 and 2004, setting the MLB record for fielding at second base for the first time in 2004, and had a career season at the plate in 2005. That season Polanco batted .331 and led the MLB in at bats per strikeout. He spent 2005 between the Phillies and the Tigers and in 2006 played the entire season in Detroit, helping the Tigers all the way to the World Series. Polanco batted .412 in the ALDS and .529 as the ALCS MVP, but failed to carry the momentum into the Series, as he went 0-for-17 against his former team, the Cardinals. At age 31, Polanco had a season for the ages in 2007, batting .341 with 200 hits, 105 runs scored, and his perfect season at second base. After another .300 season at second base, Polanco returned to third base in 2009, batting .285 with ten home runs, and followed that up in 2010 with a .298 mark as a returning member of the Phillies. He was an all-star again in 2011 but slumped to .257 in 90 games in 2012. Polanco got a job with the Miami Marlins in 2013, batting .260 in 118 games, before retiring. Placido Polanco was a great fielder, a fine hitter, and one of the most underestimated players in baseball history. In my opinion, he is absent from the Hall of Fame because he doesn’t measure up very well against the era’s best hitters, plenty of whom were juiced. If not for him enjoying his prime in the midst of the steroid era, Polanco may very well be in the Hall of Fame today. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 1,927 season high: 153 in 2009 

At Bats career: 7,214 season high: 618 in 2009 

Hits career: 2,142 season high: 200 in 2007 

Doubles career: 348 season high: 36 in 2007 

Triples career: 32 season high: 4 in 2001 and 2009 

Home Runs career: 104 season high: 17 in 2004 

Runs career: 1,009 season high: 105 in 2007 

Runs Batted In career: 723 season high: 72 in 2009 

Stolen Bases career: 81 season high: 14 in 2003 

Walks career: 429 season high: 42 in 2003 and 2011 

Strikeouts career: 538 season high: 47 in 2010 

Batting Average career: .297 season high: .341 in 2007 

On Base Percentage career: .343 season high: .388 in 2007 

Slugging Percentage career: .397 season high: .447 in 2003 and 2005 

Total Bases career: 2,866 season high: 269 in 2007 

Sacrifice Hits career: 86 season high: 14 in 2001 

Fielding Percentage career: .990 season high: 1.000 in 2007 led NL 2B: .995 in 2004 led AL 2B: 1.000 in 2007, .997 in 2009 led NL 3B: .986 in 2010, .977 in 2011, .990 in 2013 

Double Plays career: 914 season high: 112 in 2009 

Putouts career: 2,767 season high: 323 in 2008 led AL 2B: 323 in 2008 

Assists career: 4,505 season high: 439 in 2009 led NL 3B: 259 in 2011 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-nicknamed “Polly” 

-had a career fielding percentage 25(!) points above the league average 

-holds MLB records for the most consecutive errorless games and chances for second basemen 

-was the 2007 MLB This Year in Baseball Awards Defensive Player of the Year 

-his 2,000th career hit was a home run 

-finished 17th in the AL MVP Award voting in 2007 and 25th in 2009 

-batted .300 in the 2000 NLDS 

-hit one of his home runs off of future Hall of Famer CC Sabathia and one off of Jered Weaver 

-also played 122 games at shortstop, five in leftfield, one at first base, three as a DH, and 110 as a pinch hitter