We should provide some info on multi-position players --Ed.
Total Baseball Ratings. TBR is Total Baseball's evaluation of every major league player, using all generally available playing statistics and using contemporary average playing statistics as the benchmark. The benchmark is different at each position and the method is different for pitchers, but the ratings are comparable because the unit is one game in each case. That is, the rating +1.0, at any position, means a performance worth one win more (one loss fewer) than contemporary-average performance in the same playing time.
TBR is the sum of Total Pitcher Index (TPI) for playing time as a pitcher --including a pitcher's batting and fielding-- and Total Player Rating (TPR) for playing time as a regular fielder, pinch-hitter, or pinch-runner. For most players, the sum is practically equal to TPI or TPR, because one of those is practically zero. Babe Ruth is a famous exception; he moved from pitcher to outfielder in 1918-19 and achieved enough by the end of 1919 to be listed at both positions here.
Single-season TPI and TPR are fundamental; TBR and multi-year ratings are simple sums. The most consistent source of differences between the TB Ratings of different players are differences in their pitching statistics (for pitchers) and batting statistics (for others), in which playing time is, in turn, very important. Batting and fielding (for pitchers) or basestealing and fielding (for others) are included in the ratings and are important components in some cases.
"Era" and "position" leaders. David Jones calculated "Deadball Era
leaders by position" using the sixth edition ratings (Total Baseball,
6th ed., 1999). Restriction to 1901-19, the official "Deadball Era" of the
SABR Research Committee, is strict: no credit for performance in 1900 or
1920 or further afield in time. Restriction to either TPI or TPR, pitcher
or player, is strict: no credit for achievements as a pitcher, toward Babe
Ruth's rank among deadball outfielders. Restriction to one of the regular
positions is toothless: full credit for achievements as a secondbaseman or
thirdbaseman, toward Rogers Hornsby's rank among deadball shortstops.
Hornsby is listed as a shortstop because he played more games at shortstop
than at any other position thru 1919.
Acknowledgments. David Jones calculated TPI or TPR for the 1901-19 portion of each player's career, from annual and career ratings published in Total Baseball, 6th ed., 1999. Introduction, summary table, and notations by Paul Wendt.Summary data
Position: P C 1B 2B SS 3B OF Players, listed here 35 19 19 19 19 19 35 Players, TBR > 30.0 5 0 0 2 1 1 3 TB Rating, leader 76.0 19.8 20.6 78.0 73.8 34.5 73.2 TB Rating, number 19 14.5 3.0 2.5 1.4 2.5 0.9 11.8Leaders, deadball-era Total Baseball Rating, listed by Position
+ Deadball Honor Roll, first ballot ("Top 24") - Deadball Honor Roll, second ballot (26 more) Pitcher (21) Walter Johnson 76.0 + Christy Mathewson 63.0 + Ed Walsh 43.3 + Pete Alexander 38.9 + Mordecai Brown 34.8 + Cy Young 29.9 + Eddie Plank 26.9 + Addie Joss 25.4 + Joe Wood 24.3 - Eddie Cicotte 23.8 - Rube Waddell 21.6 + Carl Mays 20.3 Doc White 19.1 - Hippo Vaughn 17.9 - Ed Reulbach 17.7 - Babe Ruth 17.5 - Claude Hendrix 15.4 Vic Willis 15.1 George Mullin 14.5 Chief Bender 13.8 + Nap Rucker 13.8 others in the "Top 24": Joe McGinnity others on the Honor Roll: Jack Chesbro, Sam Leever Catcher (19) Roger Bresnahan 19.8 + Chief Meyers 13.4 - Ossie Schreckengost 12.6 Johnny Kling 11.4 - Wally Schang 11.0 Lou Criger 8.9 Art Wilson 6.9 Ray Schalk 5.9 Bill Killefer 5.7 Admiral Schlei 5.6 Mike Grady 5.1 Ivy Wingo 4.9 Hank Gowdy 4.5 Tommy Clarke 4.4 Eddie Ainsmith 3.8 Ed McFarland 3.7 Ira Thomas 3.6 Frank Snyder 3.0 Joe Sugden 3.0 First Base (19) Ed Konetchy 20.6 Frank Chance 19.7 + Fred Tenney 17.8 Harry Davis 12.9 Jake Daubert 12.1 - George Sisler 12.1 Fred Luderus 8.9 Charlie Hickman 8.5 Dan McGann 7.7 Stuffy McInnis 6.6 - Jack Fournier 5.3 Jake Stahl 4.4 Joe Harris 4.1 Tim Jordan 3.7 Jake Beckley 3.2 Wally Pipp 3.0 Jiggs Donahue 2.7 Joe Judge 2.6 John Anderson 2.5 others on the Honor Roll: Hal Chase Second Base (19) Napoleon Lajoie 78.0 + Eddie Collins 49.1 + Del Pratt 19.9 Miller Huggins 18.0 Buck Herzog 14.3 Johnny Evers 13.0 - Danny Murphy 11.8 Claude Ritchey 11.4 Jimmy Williams 10.5 John Farrell 9.4 Bill Sweeney 7.9 Larry Doyle 7.3 - Baldy Louden 4.9 Billy Gilbert 3.7 Hobe Ferris 3.3 Morrie Rath 2.1 George Cutshaw 1.5 Harry Schlafly 1.5 Dick Padden 1.4 Shortstop (19) Honus Wagner 73.8 + Bobby Wallace 27.0 + Art Fletcher 23.5 Joe Tinker 23.1 - Rabbit Maranville 21.7 Rogers Hornsby 19.1 George Davis 17.5 - Bill Dahlen 17.3 Kid Elberfeld 13.2 Ray Chapman 12.0 Donie Bush 11.7 Dave Bancroft 10.9 Roger Peckinpaugh 7.9 Al Bridwell 3.5 Heinie Wagner 3.3 Buck Weaver 3.2 Freddy Parent 3.1 Charlie Hollocher 2.8 George McBride 2.5 Third Base (19) Frank Baker 34.5 + Heinie Groh 23.0 - Art Devlin 20.6 Red Smith 12.8 Jimmy Collins 11.5 - Heinie Zimmerman 9.5 Bill Bradley 7.2 Lee Tannehill 7.2 Dave Brain 7.0 Harry Steinfeldt 6.8 Larry Gardner 6.1 Milt Stock 4.8 Wid Conroy 3.0 Lave Cross 2.5 Sammy Strang 2.5 Harry Wolverton 1.8 Ed Lennox 1.5 Jim Doyle 1.3 John McGraw 0.9 others on the Honor Roll: Tommy Leach, see Outfield Outfield (35) count seasons as regular CF [TB6] within-Era (career) Ty Cobb 73.2 + 11 (17) Tris Speaker 57.2 + 11 (19) Joe Jackson 33.4 + Sam Crawford 29.8 + 3 Sherry Magee 26.5 + 1 Fred Clarke 19.8 + Roy Thomas 19.0 8 (10) Gavy Cravath 18.8 - Elmer Flick 18.6 - 1 Tommy Leach 18.0 - 7 Jimmy Sheckard 17.8 Zack Wheat 15.6 - Max Carey 14.8 - 4 (12) Benny Kauff 14.6 5 George Stone 13.5 John Titus 13.1 George J. Burns 12.5 Bobby Veach 12.0 Danny Murphy 11.8 Cy Seymour 11.8 - 6 Mike Donlin 10.5 2 Jesse Burkett 10.0 Edd Roush 9.6 5 (13) Ed Delahanty 9.3 (2) Harry Hooper 9.3 - Babe Ruth 8.9 Topsy Hartsel 8.8 Mike Mitchell 7.9 1 Socks Seybold 7.8 Johnny Bates 7.3 4 Matty McIntyre 7.2 Fielder Jones 6.5 7 (9) Harry Lumley 6.5 Jimmy Barrett 6.2 4 (5) Clyde Milan 6.0 12