The Other Third Baseman
AKA Not George Brett
The best third baseman of all-time is a frequent discussion topic among baseball fans. This shouldn’t come as any surprise. The hot corner is one of the premium positions in the game, requiring sharp glove work and a strong arm on defense, and a productive bat with some pop at the plate. No wonder I was quickly moved off the position in little league. I wasn’t terrible, but third base is a spot for stars, and I was definitely not one of those.
Inevitably, the conversation turns to three main candidates. Personally, I feel like Wade Boggs doesn’t get enough attention in this argument. The Chicken Man was the premier third basemen of the latter part of my youth, and without a doubt, one of the best to ever to lace them up. But at the same time, I have to admit that as good as he was, I wouldn’t seriously consider taking him over the three usual suspects, so maybe he’s right where he needs to be.
Of the three main contenders, I’m going to rule out the late Brooks Robinson. This is not meant as any sort of disrespect. I’ve seen highlights and I won’t argue that he’s not the greatest defensive third baseman ever. But he was before my time and I never saw him play. And yes, I understand the importance of acknowledging player from previous eras— I write a baseball history newsletter, for Pete’s sake. So he should absolutely be in the discussion, and I have no problem with anyone else picking him number one. But if you’re asking my opinion, and this is my article, seeing them live does make a difference.
That narrows the choices to George Brett and Mike Schmidt. If you’ve been a regular reader, you know at least two things about me. One, I need an editor sometimes. And two, I love George Brett. The guy was my hero when I was growing up. More than any other player, he is responsible for my love for the game. He hit a homerun in the first game I ever attended, and I watched him win a World Series when I was six. He’s one of the best to ever play the game, at any position.
I tell you all this so you won’t take what I say next lightly. Objectively speaking, Mike Schmidt is the best third baseman ever. Hold on a second, I think I need to take a deep breath and let that sink in.
Don’t get me wrong. You can throw all the objective stats and arguments you can think of in favor of Schmidt, and while I might agree with you, if we’re picking teams, I’m still taking Brett. It’s the bias of a fan speaking, but who cares? That’s what make baseball fun, and passion sometimes trumps intellect. There’s a lesson in there for the analytics community, as long as the rest of us also keep in mind that, more often than not, intellect usually trumps passion. The key is figuring out when to go with your head and when to go with your heart. In this case, I have no problem following my heart.
And it’s not like there’s a huge gap between the two of them. Let’s take a look at their career stats.
These stats obviously don’t cover their defense, but both were really good with the leather, and can fill a career highlight reel with the glove alone. Schmidt, in particular, was an exceptional athlete, one of the best of his era. It’s hard to tell based on pictures alone. He looks just like an average white dude. Maybe the mustache is misleading. But Pete Rose once said, “To have his body, I’d trade him mine and my wife’s, and I’d throw in some cash.”
Overall, the numbers are close. Brett has a narrow lead in RBIs and hits, but considering he played three more years than Schmidt, it’s hard to hold that against the Phillies third baseman. Speed might be the biggest advantage Brett possessed, holding a sizable lead in doubles and triples, and a smaller lead in stolen bases. His overall average and three batting titles show that he was also better at putting the ball in play.
This is mitigated by Schmidt’s power. No one is saying Brett didn’t have pop, but this is the one category that separates Schmidt from not only Brett, but practically every other third baseman who’s ever suited up in the Major Leagues. Schmidt didn’t have to leg out so many doubles and triples because he excelled at putting the ball over the wall.
His 548 HR are by far the most of any third baseman in MLB history. And while his approach might have cost him some base hits, he wasn’t reckless at the plate. The man knew how to draw a walk. His on-base percentage is actually slightly higher than Brett’s, and combined with his power numbers, also gave him a higher OPS. But make no mistake— power is what set Michael Jack Schmidt apart. (People always refer to him by his full name. I don’t know why.) And it’s what fueled his three phenomenal MVP seasons.
Schmidt was an elite player for the first half of his career. In fact, with the possible exception of a down year in 1978, his stats were pretty much ridiculous from 1974-87. But he was a reserved guy who rarely showed emotion, and his detached persona did little to win over the notoriously harsh Philadelphia fans. If anything, it sometimes felt like he was at odds with them. This didn’t change until the Phillies won the 1980 World Series, at the expense of Brett and the Royals. That this change of heart also coincided with the best years of his Hall-of-Fame career, was no coincidence.
If you know anything about the 1980 World Series, you’re aware that Brett famously missed a game and required surgery in the middle of the series for hemorrhoids. Until he lost his mind in the Pine Tar Incident, one of the greatest players in baseball history, a centerpiece of arguably the best rivalry of the time (Royals vs. Yankees), was best known for a pain in his ass. That he only got past this because of a monumental tantrum is worthy of discussion on its own, but Schmidt had no such distractions.
Schmidt won the NL MVP with a phenomenal 1980 regular season, posting a statline of .286/.380/.624, 48 HR, 121 RBI, 1.004 OPS, and 171 OPS+. And then he carried it over into the postseason by taking the World Series MVP with these numbers: .381/.462/.714, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 Double, and a 1.176 OPS. Brett congratulated him with a candy and fruit basket, along with a message that said it would “help with his hemorrhoids.” I don’t know what Schmidt’s situation was in that regard, but I assume the trophies and those stats were all the soothing balm he needed.
He followed up his dream season with another NL MVP in 1981, which was probably even more impressive than the year before: .316/.435/.644, 31 HR, 91 RBI, 1.080 OPS, 198 OPS+. At first glance, those numbers don’t seem quite as impressive, but when you recall that 1981 was a strike-shortened season and he amassed those stats in only 102 games, they take on a whole new shine.
There was no major drop-off in his numbers from 1982-85, but perhaps like other great ones (Jordan, Lebron, etc.), Schmidt may have suffered from voter fatigue in the MVP race. It wasn’t until 1986 that he captured his third and final trophy with a statline of .290/.390/.547, 37 HR, 119 RBI, .937 OPS, 153 OPS+.
In between, the Phils made it to another World Series in 1983, but came up short against Baltimore. Unlike the 1980 World Series, Schmidt probably wishes he could forget that one. He went 1-20 with a single, 6 strikeouts, and a .050 average. He was great in the NLCS though. Strangely, this pattern was typical of Schmidt’s postseason performances. The Phillies made the postseason six times during his tenure, and he was either brilliant or awful in every series. There was no middle ground.
Career postseason stats: .236/.304/.386, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 9 Doubles, .690 OPS.
This might actually be Brett’s strongest case against him. The Royals made the postseason seven times in Brett’s career, and while they only hoisted the trophy once (Brett and Schmidt both ended up with one title), he was consistently great and always clutch whenever Kansas City played into October.
Brett’s postseason stats: .337/.397/.627, 10 HR, 23 RBI, 8 Doubles, 5 Triples, 1.023 OPS.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter who you favor, or what argument you make for who is better. Both were icons of the game, and both walked away when they knew their time was up because they didn’t want to dishonor the game. Brett, after the 1993 season, and Schmidt in May of 1989, just two months into the season. He had returned from an injury that cost him the end of the 1988 season, but when he realized that he no longer had the fire and wasn’t playing up to his standard, he abruptly retired.
It's a testament to both men that even with all the advances and advantages available to modern athletes, no one has ever done it better since. Not bad for two guys taken back-to-back in the second round of the 1971 Draft (Brett 29th, Schmidt 30th). Of course, Brett will always be my personal favorite, but it’s clear that Mike Schmidt takes a back seat to no one on the hot corner.
Thanks for reading Powder Blue Nostalgia. Share your thoughts on Mike Schmidt, or the Schmidt-Brett comparison in the comments. Or if you have an outside-the-box pick for best third baseman, or want to give Brooks Robinson or Wade Boggs some love too, now’s the time to share!
Mike Schmidt was great ball player no doubt. But, I agree with you I'd take George Brett every time. Mike was a stud though, one big, quick cat at third.
Longtime Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas always called him Michael Jack Schmidt.
Also, two other 3B who belong in the conversation are Adrian Beltre and Chipper Jones.