These Hall of Famers played … where?

Hall of Famers are typically icons at their place. Derek Jeter and shortstop … Pudge Rodriguez and catcher … Ken Griffey Jr. and middle area. The participant and the place may be inseparable.

But in case you dig into the baseball encyclopedia entries for among the all-time greats, you is likely to be stunned. You may end up considering, “Wait … he played where?”

Here’s an all-time crew of Hall of Famers who frolicked at a place totally different from the one you naturally consider while you hear their title — one stunning participant for every spot on the sphere.

Catcher: Craig Biggio
428 video games (1988-91, 2007)

The two Hall of Fame Killer B’s had been the core of the Nineteen Nineties and 2000s Astros groups: Jeff Bagwell at first base, Biggio at second. But suppose again, all the best way to the start. Biggio, certainly one of three second basemen within the 3,000-hit membership, got here up as a catcher.

Biggio was a catcher when he made his MLB debut for Houston in 1988, and he even gained a Silver Slugger at catcher in ’89 and was an All-Star at catcher in ’91. But the Astros did not need the rigor of catching to value Biggio his base-stealing potential, so he transformed to second base in 1992, Bagwell’s sophomore season. The relaxation is Killer B historical past. But Biggio did get one final ceremonial begin at catcher in 2007, at age 41, in his second-to-last profession sport.

“Moving from catcher to second, I can’t explain to you how hard that was,” Biggio as soon as stated. “That’s like giving you a bat and telling you to go get a hit off Randy Johnson. Not just stand in there, but get a hit off him.”

Honorable point out: Jimmie Foxx (109 video games)

First base: Mike Schmidt
157 video games (1973, 1984-88)

Schmidt is likely to be the best third baseman to ever play the sport. His 548 homers, eight residence run crowns, three MVP Awards and 1980 World Series ring made him each a Phillies and third-base legend. So what was he doing for these 157 video games at first?

The bulk of Schmidt’s time as a primary baseman got here in 1985, when he agreed to maneuver there as a result of the Phillies had a dire want at first and a prospect, Rick Schu, who might play third. It nonetheless appears wild. Schmidt was coming off 5 straight seasons of being an All-Star, Gold Glover and Silver Slugger at third. That ’85 season, he was none of these issues. So in 1986, it did not take lengthy for Philadelphia to stay Von Hayes at first. Schmidt went again to 3rd and promptly gained his third MVP trophy.

Honorable point out: Mike Piazza (70 video games), Larry Walker (81 video games), Wade Boggs (67 video games), Willie Mays (83 video games), Ralph Kiner (58 video games)

Second base: Tim Raines
53 video games (1980-84)

Rock was a rock in left area for his 23-year Major League profession. That’s the place the longtime Expos star amassed the majority of his 2,605 hits and 808 stolen bases. But when Montreal was able to name up a 20-year-old Raines in 1980, they first used him as a second baseman, which is the place he’d been taking part in at Triple-A.

Raines did not stick there lengthy — the subsequent season, he switched to left area and stole a rookie-record 71 bases. But in May 1982, he went again to second base, as a result of the Expos had been utilizing a revolving door of Rodney Scott/Wallace Johnson/Frank Taveras. Raines bridged the hole till Montreal acquired Doug Flynn from the Rangers in August. He hit .314 with 18 stolen bases in his 36 video games on the keystone. Then it was the outfield for good, other than a really mild sprinkling of video games again at second over the subsequent couple of years.

Honorable point out: Honus Wagner (58 video games)

Third base: Jim Thome
492 video games (1991-96)

The first model of Thome you consider is the imposing, lefty-slugging first baseman Thome, who averaged 41 residence runs a season for Cleveland and Philadelphia from 1997-2004. Then there’s the resurgent, late-career DH Thome, who had a 40-homer season and two 30-homer seasons for the White Sox. But earlier than all that, there was the younger third baseman Thome.

Thome performed third base from the time he debuted for Cleveland as a 21-year-old in 1991 up by means of his massive breakout seasons in 1995, when the membership went to the World Series, and ’96, when he slugged 38 residence runs and gained the Silver Slugger Award on the scorching nook. But when Cleveland traded for Matt Williams that offseason, Thome crossed the infield to the opposite nook, and he by no means performed third base once more, even after Williams left the subsequent yr. Still, 93 of Thome’s 612 residence runs got here as a 3rd baseman.

Honorable point out: Ernie Banks (69 video games), Mel Ott (256 video games)

Shortstop: Paul Molitor
57 video games (1978-80, 1982)

Molitor’s defining place is “hitter.” He knocked his means into the highest 10 all-time with 3,319 profession hits, with runs at numerous positions, primarily third base, DH and second base. But shortstop? Hold on — the Brewers had Robin Yount, and the Hall of Fame shortstop was Molitor’s teammate for his whole tenure in Milwaukee. Here’s what occurred.

At the beginning of the 1978 season, an sad Yount was excited about leaving baseball altogether (rumor had it he was going to strive his hand at professional golf). In Yount’s absence, the Brewers referred to as up their 21-year-old first-round Draft choose Molitor straight from Class A and caught him at shortstop on Opening Day. That’s the place Molitor performed his first month and a half within the massive leagues, till Yount determined to return again in May. Molitor went to second base to make room for Yount; a couple of years later, they had been taking part in alongside one another within the World Series.

Honorable point out: Pie Traynor (50 video games), Nap Lajoie (74 video games)

Left area: Yogi Berra
149 video games (1947, 1956-57, 1960-62)

Yogi is among the most iconic gamers within the historical past of the sport, interval, and the way might you consider him as something however a catcher? Well, someplace in the course of the three MVP trophies and 10 World Series rings with the Yankees are a pair hundred video games within the outfield — a couple of at the start of his profession, and extra towards the top.

In 1947 and ’48, a younger Berra was getting his first actual Major League motion, and he performed wherever the Yankees wanted him. That wasn’t at all times at catcher. Berra even performed just a little outfield throughout his first World Series in ’47. Then got here his Hall of Fame run behind the plate, which encompassed all three of his MVP Awards and the Yankees’ historic World Series five-peat from 1949-53. Later on, in his 30s, Berra returned to the outfield, and by the Sixties he was manning left area at Yankee Stadium as typically as he was catching. During Berra’s final two World Series as a Yankees common, 1960 and ’61, he was primarily an outfielder. In truth, he watched Bill Mazeroski’s legendary World Series-clinching homer sail over his head as a left fielder to finish the 1960 Fall Classic.

Honorable point out: Chipper Jones (356 video games), Tony Gwynn (51 video games), Robin Yount (69 video games), Eddie Mathews (52 video games), Jackie Robinson (150 video games), Carlton Fisk (41 video games)

Center area: Babe Ruth
74 video games (1918-21, 1923-24)

The Babe undertook crucial place change in baseball historical past when he realized he ought to be crushing dingers as an alternative of pitching shutouts. But Ruth’s legendary Yankees profession was as a slugging nook outfielder. The Bambino was no rangy middle fielder. Or was he?

Ruth’s first foray into middle area got here whereas he was nonetheless with the Red Sox and testing out his position-player skills for the primary time in 1918 — a profitable experiment, as Ruth homered in his first 4 profession video games taking part in middle. But he additionally received a run as a middle fielder in his early years in New York. Playing middle area in pinstripes, Ruth put up, nicely, Ruthian numbers. In his 61 video games as Yankees middle fielder, Ruth hit .384/.509/.787 with 23 residence runs and a 1.296 OPS. Sadly, although, we by no means received to see Ruth in middle area throughout a World Series sport.

Honorable point out: Roberto Clemente (63 video games)

Right area: Johnny Bench
55 video games (1970-73, 1975, 1977-78)

Bench outlined the catcher place. The Big Red Machine’s anchor was a 14-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glover, two-time MVP and two-time World Series champion in Cincinnati. He’s perhaps the best catcher of all time. He additionally performed extra outfield than you may keep in mind.

Bench manned each corners occasionally all through the Nineteen Seventies, taking part in the outfield a minimum of as soon as in eight totally different seasons that decade, and greater than 10 instances in 5 of these seasons. He completed his profession with 111 complete video games as an outfielder, showing 55 instances every in left area and proper area, and even twice in middle. Of course, as soon as it got here time for the postseason, Bench was at all times behind the plate — all 45 of his playoff video games had been at catcher.

Honorable point out: Gary Carter (132 video games)

Starting pitcher: Goose Gossage
37 begins (1972-74, 1976)

One of the pioneers of the nearer position, Gossage notched 310 saves in his profession, principally for the Yankees and Padres. But early in his profession, the White Sox tried to make him a starter — proper after he was named the Sporting News’ Fireman of the Year in 1975, no much less.

After main the Major Leagues in saves with 26, posting a 1.84 ERA and ending sixth in AL Cy Young voting in ’75, Gossage went 9-17 with a 3.94 ERA as a starter in ’76. That offseason, the White Sox traded him to the Pirates for Richie Zisk. Gossage went again to the bullpen, saved 26 video games with a 1.62 ERA in ’77, signed with the Yankees in November and went on to his Hall of Fame profession as a more in-depth. He by no means began one other sport.

“I’d go crazy as a starter,” Gossage as soon as unhappy. “Imagine having a bad game and then having to sit around four or five days before you pitch again. You’d be thinking about it all the time. That would be terrible.”

Honorable point out: Rollie Fingers (37 begins), Mariano Rivera (10 begins)

Relief pitcher: Pedro Martinez
67 aid appearances (1992-94, 1999)

Do you keep in mind Pedro’s days as a rookie reliever for the Dodgers? It’s true, they occurred. Not solely was Pedro’s MLB debut in September 1990 in aid, he pitched his first full season in LA as a setup man. Martinez was a superb one, too, pitching 65 video games and ending with a 2.61 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 107 innings.

But the Dodgers and Tommy Lasorda thought he wasn’t sturdy sufficient to be a profitable beginning pitcher. So Los Angeles traded him to the Expos for Delino DeShields. In Montreal, Pedro jumped into the beginning rotation, realized to command his explosive fastball and wasted no time proving the Dodgers incorrect. Four seasons later, he gained his first Cy Young Award. By the flip of the millennium, he’d gained two extra with the Red Sox and develop into some of the dominant starters the sport had ever seen.

Honorable point out: John Smoltz (242 aid appearances), Roy Halladay (26 aid appearances), Sandy Koufax (83 aid appearances)