VERN STEPHENS

There are 18 shortstops in the Hall Fame outside of Ernie Banks (who played more games at 1B anyway). None of the relatively recent ones (Rizzuto, Reese, Aparicio) had the punch of this former Browns and Red Sox slugger. Stephens' .286 BA is higher than any of these guys, including Banks Mr. "Let's Play Two" is the only other one in the 1000 -1000 club: Stephens had 1,174 rbis and 1,001 runs, plus 247 homers --the exact number of Scooter, Pee Wee and Louie combined. His slugging average was .460. compared to Banks' .500: the other three were sub .400

And don't think that just because he was a masher he's not in the Hall because he couldn't field. You don't play shortstop 15 years in the majors if you can't. And Sox pitcher Mel Parnell, a ground ball pitcher, said he depended upon Stephens and his HOF keystone partner, Bobby Doerr. Doerr says "He had good range and a strong throwing arm."

The SS with the best batting record not in the Hall made 7 All Star teams, led the AL in ribbies thrice, including 159 in 1949.