Leaders in career defensive WAR for 1B men

Using Stathead, I called up all the guys who had 1.0 or higher career defensive WAR who played at least 50% of their games at 1B.

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The list is in chronological order. Notice that after Frank Chance, whose career started in 1898, the next player is Ernie Banks. He actually played quite a bit at SS.

 

Banks became pretty much a full-time 1B man in 1962. From then until his last year, 1971, his dWAR was -7.3. So he really should not be on this list. Before 1962, he was a SS. The leaders in career dWAR are generally at 2B, SS, 3B and catcher.

Kevin Youkilis played alot of 3B. Only 4,880 of his 8,679 innings were at 1B. 3,634 were at 3B. In 2006, 2007  and 2010 (years he played almost exclusively at 1B), his combined dWAR is just 0.2. My guess is that he should not be on this list, either.

Fuentes and Diaz have not played much. So their numbers could change as their careers progress. That leaves Barton. He only played 4,341 innings at 1B. About three full seasons worth.

Hernandez played 17,279 innings at 1B. About 12 years worth. If the minimum dWAR is 0.5 and we start from 1946, the only other players that make the list are Matt Olson (0.8), Evan White (0.5 in 84 career games) and Nick Evans (0.5). But Evans only played 399 of his 770 innings at 1B. 360 were in the OF.

If we start in 1915, the year after Chance's last year, we still don't add anyone else at the 0.5 level. If we go with 0.1 and start with 1946 but set a minimum of 500 career games, only one other guys is added, Max Muncy at 0.2. Evans and White drop out.

Player	WAR	From	To	Games
Joe Start	2.8	1871	1886	1070
Cap Anson	5	1871	1897	2524
Herman Dehlman	2.1	1872	1877	307
John Morrill	1.5	1876	1890	1265
Chub Sullivan	1.4	1877	1880	112
Roger Connor	6.3	1880	1897	1998
Milt Scott	1.9	1882	1886	341
Charlie Comiskey	4.6	1882	1894	1390
Dave Orr	1.1	1883	1890	791
Sid Farrar	1.5	1883	1890	943
Perry Werden	3.6	1884	1897	695
Patsy Tebeau	3.6	1887	1900	1167
Harry Taylor	1	1890	1893	438
Mike Lehane	2	1890	1891	277
Fred Tenney	4	1894	1911	1994
John Ganzel	1	1898	1908	747
Frank Isbell	1.6	1898	1909	1119
Frank Chance	2.9	1898	1914	1288
Ernie Banks	5.1	1953	1971	2528
Keith Hernandez	1.3	1974	1990	2088
Kevin Youkilis	1.7	2004	2013	1061
Daric Barton	1.2	2007	2014	551
Joshua Fuentes	1.6	2019	2021	149
Lewin Diaz	1	2020	2022	57