The Greatest Double-Play Duos in MLB History

When it comes to teamwork in baseball, the immediate duo that comes to mind is that of the pitcher and catcher, who must work in concert together on every single pitch. But a catcher will work with several pitchers a day, a dozen in a week and perhaps 20 or more over the course of a season. He might work with a single starting pitcher only four or five times in a month. It is his duty to lead an entire staff, rather than work with a particular pitcher.

Compare that to the middle infield pairing, perhaps the most important combination of teammates on the field. Day in and day out, the second baseman and shortstop must work together seamlessly for nine innings. They have to know where the other will be positioned, and learn each other’s rhythm, strengths and weaknesses. They have to trust that their partner will back them up on missed plays, and to know without looking that they will be there when they field a grounder and turn to start the double play. It is arguably the most important combination in a game, not just because of what they can do for one another—it is, obviously, difficult for either to turn the classic 6-4-3 without the other—but for the rest of their teammates. Ask any pitcher who has had a hard-hit ball turn into an inning-ending double play: the middle infield duo can make or break a game.

It’s rare that a team can find two quality players to fill that partnership, and rarer still that they can keep them together for several years. Today, we’ll count down the dozen greatest double-play duos in modern MLB history. Sorry, Tinker & Evers: this list doesn’t go back further than World War II, before which baseball was a markedly different game. To qualify, the pair had to be teammates for at least seven seasons, and to get their best, we’ll rank them by combined WAR (Wins Above Replacement, a catch-all stat that includes offense, defense, base running and ERA) during only their five greatest seasons together—during which they each had to be primarily playing the middle infield.

Five-year peak: 1957-61
WAR: 26.5

Groat (from Wilkinsburg, Pa.) and Mazeroski (born in Wheeling, W. Va.) were Pittsburgh-area natives who went on to play many years for their local team, with an interruption for military service for Groat. Though both were great defenders—Mazeroski generally being thought of as among the best second basemen of all time—they’ll each be remembered for what they did during Pittsburgh’s 1960 run to the World Series. Groat won the NL MVP that season, while Mazeroski of course won Game 7 of the World Series with a homer against the Yankees. Groat led the National League in double plays five times, while Mazeroski still holds the MLB record for most double plays turned, thanks in no small part due to the number of grounders his infield partner smoothly delivered. Forty years later, when the Pirates dedicated a statue of Mazeroski, Groat was one of the teammates in attendance. Their uniforms are currently proudly displayed next to one another in the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, a reflection of the partnership they displayed during Pittsburgh’s glory years.

Five-year peak: 1965-69
WAR: 29.5

Groat was traded to the Cardinals after 1962, and after spending parts of the next two seasons next to Dick Schofield, Mazeroski got his next great partner in the form of Gene Alley. Alley was never much of an offensive threat, but he was so highly thought of as a shortstop that he collected MVP votes in two separate seasons. Alley might never have become the shortstop he was without his veteran teammate; as recounted in Mazeroski’s biography, a then 20-year-old Alley, two years away from reaching the majors, watched his future partner take infield practice during spring training and realized that as good as he thought he was, he’d need to significantly improve his game to make it in the bigs. He did: In 1966, their second year together, they set a still-standing record by turning 161 double plays, and in 1967-68, became one of just eight middle infield pairs to each win multiple Gold Gloves together. They each retired following Pittsburgh’s 1972 World Series appearance, having never played for another team.

Five-year peak: 1974-78
WAR: 36.3

Part of “The Infield,” a foursome including Steve Garvey and Ron Cey that occupied Los Angeles for nearly a decade, Lopes and Russell helped get the Dodgers to three World Series appearances in these five years. (The Dodgers dropped all three, though Lopes and Russell would later collect rings in 1981.) Both were future major league managers, but otherwise couldn’t have been more different; Lopes was a Providence native who didn’t play his first full season until he was 28, while Russell, from Kansas, made his debut at age 20, having never stepped on a plane before signing with the Dodgers. Despite their differences, they made it work, as Lopes was renowned more for his hustle, bat and speed, while shortstop Russell was one of baseball’s best defensive shortstops. Looking back years later, Lopes said that he was “extremely proud” of his time with Russell and the Dodgers, noting that the infield “lasted and accomplished something that no one in the game has come close to accomplishing again.”

Five-year peak: 1982-86
WAR: 37.1

Smith is well-remembered as one of the best shortstops in the history of baseball, particularly after the trade that sent him to St. Louis prior to the 1982 season, and while he never had power, he did help out on the offensive side of the ball with 580 steals. Herr was often overshadowed by his infield partner, but perhaps unfairly so—he was a solid defensive second baseman who led the NL in double plays turned by a second baseman four times. The duo played in two World Series with the Cardinals during their best five-year span, and a third in 1987, also starting the All-Star Game next to each other in 1985. Herr was traded to the Twins in 1988; St. Louis would then have 18 different players play at least one game at second base before Smith retired in 1996.

Five-year peak: 1956-60
WAR: 38.0

Twice a member of the White Sox, Aparicio’s most successful run with Fox came during the first five years of his career, which he started by winning the 1956 Rookie of the Year. Both Hall of Famers, Aparicio led the AL in steals in every one of these five seasons (part of a stretch of nine in a row), while Fox won the 1959 AL MVP as the White Sox reached the World Series. The duo also shared the cover of an August issue of Sports Illustrated that year, with Fox deflecting all the praise to his teammate, saying "It's the shortstop who makes a double-play combination,” and that Aparicio “has such quick reflexes and hands.” Fox, a very good defender himself, may have been underselling his own talents, but if his point was that one man alone doesn’t make for a double-play combo, he’s unarguably correct. Fox led the league in double plays turned four times alongside Aparicio, while his partner is remembered as one of the smoothest fielders ever at the position. Each has had their number retired by the White Sox.

Five-year peak: 1980-84
WAR: 42.3

Gantner spent parts of 18 years with the Brewers, and Yount 20, but due to Gantner’s time at third base and Yount’s mid-career move to center field, they were only double-play partners for a few years in the early 1980s. Wisconsin native Gantner was a league-average hitter with solid defense at the keystone during this period, but it was really Yount’s production that vaults this duo into elite status, particularly when he was winning the 1982 AL MVP while helping the Brewers into the World Series, putting up one of the finest hitting seasons by a shortstop ever at the time. As partners, Gantner led the league in double plays turned twice; though Yount moved to the outfield, they would continue to be teammates until 1992.

Five-year peak: 2009-13
WAR: 43.1

Jeter was already 31 by the time he was first paired with Cano, and well into his late 30s for their best five years together. That the best stretch includes 2013, when an injured Jeter appeared in only 17 games, says a lot about both how great Cano was that year and how inconsistent he was when he first arrived. (Two of Cano’s first four years, 2005 and 2008, were mediocre at best.) But as he matured, Cano became one of the most feared hitters in baseball, leading to a massive contract with Seattle. Jeter, for his part, still managed to lead the American League in hits at age 38 in 2012, making him extremely valuable, even though many defensive metrics are not big fans of his glovework. Working together, the two helped the Yankees win the 2009 World Series, the first in the Bronx since 2000. When Cano departed, Jeter said that he “would have liked to have played with him longer,” an appropriate sentiment for the longest-tenured partner Jeter has ever had.

Five-year peak: 1972-76
WAR: 49.9

Among the most underrated players ever, Grich hit 25 percent better than league average over his long career, along with excellent second base defense, yet received only 2.6 percent of the vote in his only try at the Hall of Fame. Belanger was known more for his elite defense—for what little Gold Gloves are worth, he won eight of them—than he was his offense, but the fielding from this pair was so elite that as young Orioles in the mid-1970s, they were arguably the best defensive middle infield pair ever. Many remember the wonderful Baltimore pitching from that era, and there’s no doubt that the outstanding glovework from this duo (along with third baseman Brooks Robinson) helped make them look even better. For four consecutive years (1973-76) each of them won the American League Gold Glove, and when Grich left Baltimore for Anaheim after the 1976 season, Belanger gained a reputation for working tirelessly with Baltimore’s younger replacements in an effort to groom a partner worthy of the reputation Grich left behind. Belanger continued on with Baltimore through 1981, when he ceded the job to another Orioles shortstop you may have heard of: Cal Ripken, Jr.

Five-year peak: 1983-87
WAR: 51.2

Only two pairs of teammates in big league history played in more games together than these two did, making them the longest running middle infield pair ever. Famously debuting together in the same 1977 game, Whitaker and Trammell ruled the Detroit infield for most of the next two decades, bringing a World Series championship to town in 1984 after helping the team get off to a 35-5 start. Between 1983-87, the pair combined to make eight All-Star teams. Overall, they played 39 combined seasons for Detroit, never wearing the uniform of another club as active players. (Trammell would manage the team for three additional seasons, as well.) As recently as a few months ago, Whitaker was vocally campaigning for his former teammate to make the Hall of Fame, saying that their partnership was as responsible for Jack Morris’ success as anything else. He’s not wrong, either; Whitaker and Trammell, who shared agents and were roommates for several years early in their careers, were friends on and off the field, realizing the heights they could attain together from the first time they met in the fall of 1976.

Five-year peak: 2005-09
WAR: 60.2

During these five years, Utley posted among the most dominant five-year stretch of any second baseman in history, never posting an on-base percentage below .376 while adding outstanding power and quality defense. If and when he gets into the Hall of Fame someday, this peak is going to be what people point to. Rollins was hardly a slouch, of course, winning the 2007 NL MVP with a 30-homer season, stealing at least 31 bases each year, and winning three Gold Gloves. Unsurprisingly, the Phillies made the playoffs three teams during this span, including two appearances in the World Series, and after more than a decade together, they’re still double-play partners in Philadelphia. Every time the two take the field, they start their day off with a handshake, symbolizing the bond they’ve formed over the years.

Five-year peak: 1948-52
WAR: 61.6

Robinson spent his rookie season at first base and saw time in his later years at third base, making this stretch the only five years that Reese and Robinson were true double-play partners. But what a stretch it was, as Robinson hit .323/.418/.495 and won the 1949 NL MVP, helping the Dodgers to the World Series three times in five years. Reese, born six months earlier and a universe away, made the All-Star team every single year in recognition of his abilities to get on base, steal bases and provide excellent defense. Plus, if there’s anywhere on this list that bonus points are merited, it would be to Reese for his act of courage in standing with Robinson as his teammate navigated the troubled race relations of the times. They were once double-play partners; they are now legends.

Five-year peak: 1972-76
WAR: 64.8

That this duo ranks at the top is largely because of the unparalleled greatness of the Hall of Famer Morgan, who hit .303/.431/.499 with 108 homers and 310 steals over that five-year span while also playing an excellent second base after nearly a decade in Houston. Morgan was so good during this period that he would have made this list even if he’d just had a replacement-level shortstop partner. But to allow Morgan to dominate the conversation would be unfair to Concepcion, who, contrary to his reputation, was a better than league-average hitter during his best years. Of course, Concepcion is mainly remembered for his glove, winning the Gold Glove five times, including four times in a row in the same year as Morgan did. While playing together, one or the other finished in the top five in double plays turned 11 out of a possible 16 times. With the pair in the middle, the Big Red Machine won two World Series titles, and each has their number retired in Cincinnati.