MLB all-time list: Expansion-era battle at second base behind Joe Morgan
By Bill Felber
MLB all-time list: Cumulative career OPS+
This category, which is simply the sum of each second baseman’s OPS+ values, is different from the standard career OPS+, which is essentially the player’s career average. Cumulative career OPS+ is designed to reward longevity. It is essentially a counter-balance to the first, peak-performance oriented, category.
Here’s the top 10.
| Player | Cumulative OPS+ |
|---|---|
| 1. Joe Morgan | 2,632 |
| 2. Rod Carew | 2,463 |
| 3. Craig Biggio | 2,192 |
| 4. Lou Whitaker | 2,109 |
| 5. Jeff Kent | 2,057 |
| 6. Robinson Cano | 2,013 |
| 7. Roberto Alomar | 1,946 |
| 8. Bobby Grich | 1,885 |
| 9. Willie Randolph | 1,768 |
| 10. Chase Utley | 1,764 |
Rod Carew again comes home second, one spot ahead of Craig Biggio. They are followed in the category top 10 by a brace of Hall of Fame wannabees: Jeff Kent, Lou Whitaker, Bobby Grich and Willie Randolph. All those hopefuls kicked Ryne Sandberg down to 11th place in this category, eight spots behind Biggio and four behind Roberto Alomar.
Grich’s record includes nine seasons with an OPS+ of 125 or better, peaking at 165 in 1981. That’s not Barry Bonds level, but it’s very good. Kent produced six such seasons, five of them in succession topping out at 162 in his MVP season in 2000. Whitaker quietly had seven such seasons.