Games played (most often abbreviated as G or GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game, are included on a starting lineup card or are announced as ex ante substitutes, whether or not they play; [1] however, in Major League Baseball, the application of this statistic does not extend to consecutive games played streaks. A starting pitcher, then, may be credited with a game played even if he is not credited with a game started or an inning pitched. In baseball and softball, the second baseman is a fielding position in the infield, commonly stationed between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must be able to make the pivot on a double play. In addition, second basemen are almost always right-handed. Only four left-handed throwing players have appeared as second basemen in the major leagues since 1950; one of the four, Gonzalo Márquez, was listed as the second baseman in the starting lineup for two games in 1973, batting in the first inning, but was replaced before his team took the field on defense, and none of the other three players lasted even a complete inning at the position. [2] In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the second baseman is assigned the number 4.
The second baseman is frequently the smallest player on the team, and the ability of such smaller players to absorb the impact of play has contributed to many long careers at the position throughout major league history; three-quarters of the second basemen elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame have been under 6' tall. Eddie Collins, the first major league player to appear in 2,500 games at a single position, is the all-time leader with 2,650 career games as a second baseman. [3] [4] [5] Joe Morgan [6] (2,527), Roberto Alomar [7] (2,320), Lou Whitaker [8] (2,308), Nellie Fox [9] (2,295), Charlie Gehringer [10] (2,206), Robinson Canó [11] (2,165), Willie Randolph [12] (2,152), Frank White [13] (2,151), Bid McPhee [14] (2,129), Bill Mazeroski [15] (2,094), Nap Lajoie [16] (2,035), and Jeff Kent [17] (2,034) are the only other second baseman to play over 2,000 games at the position.
Rank | Rank amongst leaders in career games played. A blank field indicates a tie. |
Player (2024 Gs) | Number of games played during the 2024 Major League Baseball season |
MLB | Total career games played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball |
* | Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame |
---|---|
Bold | Denotes active player [lower-alpha 1] |
Rank | Player (2024 Gs) | Games as second baseman | Other leagues, notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MLB | American League | National League | |||
1 | Eddie Collins* | 2,650 | 2,650 | 0 | |
2 | Joe Morgan* | 2,527 | 100 | 2,427 | |
3 | Roberto Alomar* | 2,320 | 1,636 | 684 | |
4 | Lou Whitaker | 2,308 | 2,308 | 0 | |
5 | Nellie Fox* | 2,295 | 2,179 | 116 | |
6 | Charlie Gehringer* | 2,206 | 2,206 | 0 | |
7 | Robinson Canó | 2,178 | 2,025 | 153 | |
8 | Willie Randolph | 2,152 | 1,893 | 259 | |
9 | Frank White | 2,151 | 2,151 | 0 | |
10 | Bid McPhee* | 2,129 | 0 | 1,218 | Includes 911 in American Association; held major league record, 1891-1923 |
11 | Bill Mazeroski* | 2,094 | 0 | 2,094 | Held National League record, 1968-1980 |
12 | Nap Lajoie* | 2,035 | 1,720 | 315 | Held American League record, 1911-1920 |
13 | Jeff Kent | 2,034 | 26 | 2,008 | |
14 | Ryne Sandberg* | 1,995 | 0 | 1,995 | |
15 | Craig Biggio* | 1,989 | 0 | 1,989 | |
16 | Bobby Doerr* | 1,852 | 1,852 | 0 | |
17 | Ray Durham | 1,843 | 1,135 | 708 | |
18 | Red Schoendienst* | 1,834 | 0 | 1,834 | Held National League record, 1961-1968 |
19 | Brandon Phillips | 1,831 | 157 | 1,674 | |
20 | Ian Kinsler | 1,828 | 1,756 | 72 | |
21 | Billy Herman* | 1,813 | 0 | 1,813 | Held National League record, 1946-1962 |
22 | Bobby Grich | 1,765 | 1,765 | 0 | |
23 | Bret Boone | 1,763 | 809 | 954 | |
24 | Frankie Frisch* | 1,762 | 0 | 1,762 | Held National League record, 1936-1946 |
25 | Chase Utley | 1,743 | 0 | 1,743 | |
26 | Johnny Evers* | 1,735 | 1 | 1,734 | Held National League record, 1914-1936 |
27 | José Altuve (116) | 1,734 | 1,387 | 347 | |
28 | Larry Doyle | 1,728 | 0 | 1,728 | |
29 | Del Pratt | 1,688 | 1,688 | 0 | |
30 | Luis Castillo | 1,683 | 227 | 1,456 | |
31 | Steve Sax | 1,679 | 609 | 1,070 | |
32 | Kid Gleason | 1,585 | 254 | 1,331 | |
33 | Rogers Hornsby* | 1,561 | 19 | 1,542 | |
34 | Julián Javier | 1,552 | 0 | 1,552 | |
35 | Fred Pfeffer | 1,538 | 0 | 1,414 | Includes 124 in Players' League; held National League record, 1891-1908 |
36 | Miller Huggins* | 1,530 | 0 | 1,530 | |
37 | Joe Gordon* | 1,519 | 1,519 | 0 | |
38 | Frank Bolling | 1,518 | 779 | 739 | |
Manny Trillo | 1,518 | 124 | 1,394 | ||
40 | Tony Taylor | 1,498 | 190 | 1,308 | |
41 | Dustin Pedroia | 1,492 | 1,492 | 0 | |
42 | George Cutshaw | 1,486 | 175 | 1,311 | |
43 | Claude Ritchey | 1,479 | 0 | 1,479 | Held National League record, 1908-1914 |
44 | Tony Lazzeri* | 1,456 | 1,441 | 15 | |
45 | Cupid Childs | 1,455 | 0 | 1,330 | Includes 125 in American Association |
46 | Hughie Critz | 1,453 | 0 | 1,453 | |
47 | Félix Millán | 1,450 | 0 | 1,450 | |
48 | Jim Gantner | 1,449 | 1,449 | 0 | |
49 | Cookie Rojas | 1,446 | 789 | 657 | |
50 | Davey Lopes | 1,418 | 265 | 1,153 | |
51 | Tom Herr | 1,416 | 73 | 1,343 | |
52 | Delino DeShields | 1,392 | 189 | 1,203 | |
53 | Chuck Knoblauch | 1,381 | 1,381 | 0 | |
54 | Lou Bierbauer | 1,366 | 0 | 723 | Includes 510 in American Association, 133 in Players' League |
55 | Mark Ellis | 1,364 | 1,021 | 343 | |
56 | Bill Doran | 1,359 | 17 | 1,342 | |
57 | Adam Kennedy | 1,347 | 1,053 | 294 | |
58 | Buddy Myer | 1,340 | 1,340 | 0 | |
59 | Harold Reynolds | 1,339 | 1,339 | 0 | |
Bobby Richardson | 1,339 | 1,339 | 0 | ||
61 | Glenn Hubbard | 1,332 | 152 | 1,180 | |
62 | Dave Cash | 1,330 | 0 | 1,330 | |
63 | Bobby Lowe | 1,316 | 163 | 1,153 | |
Ski Melillo | 1,316 | 1,316 | 0 | ||
65 | Johnny Temple | 1,312 | 277 | 1,035 | |
66 | Don Blasingame | 1,310 | 371 | 939 | |
67 | Joe Quinn | 1,307 | 66 | 1,108 | Includes 133 in Players' League |
68 | Brian Roberts | 1,304 | 1,304 | 0 | |
69 | Eric Young | 1,295 | 21 | 1,274 | |
70 | Ted Sizemore | 1,288 | 34 | 1,254 | |
71 | Dan Uggla | 1,283 | 0 | 1,283 | |
72 | Orlando Hudson | 1,279 | 588 | 691 | |
Robby Thompson | 1,279 | 0 | 1,279 | ||
74 | Johnny Ray | 1,277 | 363 | 914 | |
75 | Tito Fuentes | 1,275 | 164 | 1,111 | |
76 | Ron Hunt | 1,260 | 0 | 1,260 | |
77 | Bucky Harris* | 1,253 | 1,253 | 0 | |
78 | Mickey Morandini | 1,245 | 35 | 1,210 | |
79 | Glenn Beckert | 1,242 | 0 | 1,242 | |
80 | Otto Knabe | 1,239 | 0 | 1,001 | Includes 238 in Federal League |
81 | Max Bishop | 1,230 | 1,230 | 0 | |
82 | Aaron Hill | 1,210 | 750 | 460 | |
83 | Tony Cuccinello | 1,205 | 6 | 1,199 | |
Bill Wambsganss | 1,205 | 1,205 | 0 | ||
85 | Davey Johnson | 1,198 | 947 | 251 | |
86 | Mark McLemore | 1,197 | 1,178 | 19 | |
87 | Ronnie Belliard | 1,190 | 383 | 807 | |
Juan Samuel | 1,190 | 30 | 1,160 | ||
89 | Howie Kendrick | 1,183 | 967 | 216 | |
90 | Jerry Priddy | 1,179 | 1,179 | 0 | |
91 | Jimmy Williams | 1,176 | 1,176 | 0 | Held American League record, 1908-1911 |
92 | Damion Easley | 1,172 | 989 | 183 | |
93 | Ron Oester | 1,171 | 0 | 1,171 | |
94 | Bobby Ávila | 1,168 | 1,117 | 51 | |
95 | Jim Gilliam | 1,166 | 0 | 1,046 | Includes 120 in Negro National League (second) (incomplete) |
96 | Dick Green | 1,158 | 1,158 | 0 | |
97 | Sandy Alomar | 1,156 | 1,114 | 42 | |
98 | Eddie Stanky | 1,152 | 0 | 1,152 | |
99 | Cub Stricker | 1,145 | 0 | 276 | Includes 760 in American Association, 109 in Players' League |
100 | Bill Hallman | 1,139 | 0 | 984 | Includes 141 in American Association, 14 in Players' League |
Player | Games as second baseman | Other leagues, notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
MLB | American League | National League | ||
Rod Carew* | 1,130 | 1,130 | 0 | |
Jackie Robinson* | 748 | 0 | 748 | |
Rabbit Maranville* | 513 | 0 | 513 | |
John Montgomery Ward* | 493 | 0 | 493 | |
Paul Molitor* | 400 | 400 | 0 | |
John Henry Lloyd* | 223 | 0 | 0 | Includes 223 in Eastern Colored League (incomplete) |
George Kelly* | 145 | 0 | 145 | |
Ed Delahanty* | 131 | 0 | 111 | Includes 20 in Players' League |
George Davis* | 113 | 98 | 15 | |
Roger Connor* | 68 | 0 | 68 | |
Ray Dandridge* | 54 | 0 | 0 | Includes 54 in Negro National League (second) (incomplete) |
Martín Dihigo* | 45 | 0 | 0 | Includes 28 in Eastern Colored League, 12 in American Negro League, 5 in Negro National League (second) (incomplete) |
Joe Cronin* | 35 | 1 | 34 | |
Frank Grant* | 0 | 0 | 0 | Unavailable pre-Negro league figures |
Adrián Beltré* | 1 | 1 | 0 |
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In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the infield, between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must be able to make the pivot on a double play. In addition, second basemen are usually right-handed; only four left-handed throwing players have ever played second base in Major League Baseball since 1950. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the second baseman is assigned the number 4.
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