Call to the pen
Fansided

MLB History: Top 25 third basemen in MLB history

By Bobby Mueller

NEW YORK, NY - UNDATED: Mike Schmidt #20 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a home run during a game against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, New York on an unspecified date. (MLB Photos)
NEW YORK, NY - UNDATED: Mike Schmidt #20 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a home run during a game against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, New York on an unspecified date. (MLB Photos) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
16 of 26
Next
MILWAUKEE, WI – CIRCA 1980’s: Infielder Paul Molitor #4 of the Milwaukee Brewers swings and watches the flight of his ball during a circa 1980’s Major League Baseball game at Milwaukee County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Molitor played for the Brewers from 1978-92. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – CIRCA 1980’s: Infielder Paul Molitor #4 of the Milwaukee Brewers swings and watches the flight of his ball during a circa 1980’s Major League Baseball game at Milwaukee County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Molitor played for the Brewers from 1978-92. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

MLB History Paul Molitor (#11)

“Complaining is like vomiting. You might feel better after you get it out, but you make everybody around you sick.”—Paul Molitor

There must have been something in the water near St. Paul, Minnesota, in the 1950s. Paul Molitor was born there in 1956, roughly five years after Dave Winfield and 15 months after Jack Morris. Molitor and Morris squared off against each other occasionally in youth leagues. With the induction of Morris into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer, there will be three Hall of Fame St. Paul natives born within five years of each other in Cooperstown.

Winfield and Molitor both went to the University of Minnesota. After three seasons playing for the Golden Gophers, Molitor was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers with the third overall pick of the 1977 Amateur Draft. The first two picks that year were also productive major leaguers, Harold Baines and Bill Gullickson.

It only took 64 minor league games for Molitor to make his way to the big leagues. He joined the Brewers in 1978 and was good enough his first year to finish second in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Lou Whitaker. Two years later he had his first of seven all-star seasons.

After making the all-star team in 1980, Molitor had a rough year in 1981. He was moved from his regular position at second base to center field. He didn’t hit. He was injured. And there was the player’s strike. It was the worst season of his career to that point. One bright spot was the Brewers making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Molitor bounced back in 1982 with the best season of his career, hitting .302/.366/.450 and leading the league in plate appearances and runs scored. He was worth 6.2 WAR (Baseball-Reference) and finished 12th in AL MVP voting. He continued his hot hitting in the Brewers’ five-game victory over the California Angels in the ALCS, then hit .355/.394/.355 in their seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

That offseason, Molitor signed a five-year, $5.1 million contract. Life seemed good, but it was not without problems. A wrist injury caused his numbers to drop that season. Off the field, his name and four others came out during a trial involving a cocaine dealer. The Brewers went from division leaders to fifth place.

Molitor played with the Brewers through the 1992 season, 15 years in all, but they never made it back to the postseason during the rest of his tenure. He made the all-star team four more times as a Brewer and was particularly good in 1991 when he led the league in hits, runs and triples. He also had a 39-game hitting streak in 1987.

After the 1992 season, he signed as a free agent with the Toronto Blue jays and had two more all-star seasons. He was a big part of the 1993 World Series winning team. After banging out nine hits in the six game ALCS, Molitor was 12-for-24 with 10 runs and eight RBI in the World Series. He was named MVP for his incredible performance.

After three years in Toronto, Molitor returned to Minnesota to play for his hometown Twins. He led the league in hits his first year with the Twins. More importantly, on September 16, 1996, he hit a triple into right field to reach the 3000 hit plateau. He was the first player in MLB history with a triple for his 3000th hit.

Coincidentally, Molitor reached the milestone exactly three years to the day after Dave Winfield picked up his 3000th hit. Winfield had done it for the Twins also and the two players made history by being the first to players born in the same town to have 3000 hits. Well done, St. Paul, Minnesota, well done.

Home/MLB History