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Message: [QUOTE="Capt. Tuttle, post: 5459319, member: 191"] Careful with the Ripken talk. He’s my guy. :) He changed the group think that said big guys can’t play SS. He rarely needed to make amazing plays because he positioned himself so well the the plays became easy. At one time he held the record for most chances in a season by a SS. That means he got to more balls in one season than any SS, ever. Here's a breakdown: Cal Ripken Jr.'s ranking among shortstops by key metrics [LIST] [*][B]WAR (Wins Above Replacement):[/B] Cal Ripken Jr. is a top-tier shortstop in terms of career WAR. He ranks third all-time at the position with a career WAR of 95.9. [*][B]WAR7 (WAR over 7-year peak):[/B] He also boasts a strong peak performance, ranking third in WAR7 with 56.3. [*][B]JAWS (Jaffe's Adjusted WAR Score):[/B]Ripken also ranks highly in JAWS, a metric designed to assess Hall of Fame worthiness, which considers both career and peak WAR. He's consistently listed near the top, behind only Honus Wagner and Alex Rodriguez (though Rodriguez's numbers are often viewed with an asterisk due to PED use). [*][B]Offensive Production (OPS+, etc.):[/B]Ripken was a strong offensive shortstop, especially for his era. He had a career OPS+ of 115, which is considered good for the position. For context, among shortstops with at least 5,000 plate appearances, Honus Wagner leads with a 151 OPS+. In terms of traditional stats, he was a prolific hitter, with 3,184 hits and 431 home runs, making him a standout power hitter for the position. [*][B]Defensive WAR (dWAR):[/B] Ripken was also a very good defensive shortstop, ranking third all-time in career dWAR. This is particularly impressive considering his longevity and the physical demands of the position. [*][B]OBPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):[/B]Ripken's career OBPS was .788. This number needs context to be evaluated against other shortstops, as the league average and offensive environment varied across different eras. [/LIST] Historical context [LIST] [*][B]Honus Wagner:[/B] Wagner is widely considered the greatest shortstop of all time and dominates many of the statistical categories, especially WAR and OPS+. [*][B]Alex Rodriguez:[/B] While his stats are exceptional, his association with PEDs makes direct comparisons difficult. [*][B]Peak vs. Career:[/B] While Ripken's career WAR is exceptional, it's worth noting that some shortstops had higher peak WAR numbers over shorter careers. [/LIST] In summary Cal Ripken Jr. stands out as one of the greatest shortstops in MLB history, ranking near the top in several advanced metrics like WAR, WAR7, and JAWS. His unique combination of offensive power, defensive skill, and incredible durability (highlighted by his Iron Man streak) make him a truly exceptional player at the position. While his offensive numbers may not be as eye-popping as some sluggers at other positions, they are excellent for a shortstop, and his defensive contributions were significant. Also: [URL='https://www.theskippersview.com/p/top-ten-shortstops-of-all-time']Top Ten Shortstops of All-Time[/URL] He was a great defender as well. A quick overview of Ripken on defense: Cal holds American League season records for most assists by a shortstop (583); highest fielding percentage by a shortstop (.996); fewest errors by a shortstop (3); most consecutive errorless games by a shortstop (95)... shall I continue? How about holding three of the top 11 fielding percentages by shortstops in major league history? This was from: [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1993/4/29/in-ripkens-defense-pspring-on-the/[/URL] [/QUOTE]

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