# List of Major League Baseball career fielding errors as a second baseman leaders

In baseball statistics, an error is an act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to advance one or more bases or allows an at bat to continue after the batter should have been put out. In baseball and softball, the second baseman is a fielding position in the infield, commonly stationed between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must be able to make the pivot on a double play. In addition, second basemen are almost always right-handed. Only four left-handed throwing players have appeared as second basemen in the major leagues since 1950; one of the four, Gonzalo Márquez, was listed as the second baseman in the starting lineup for two games in 1973, batting in the first inning, but was replaced before his team took the field on defense, and none of the other three players lasted even a complete inning at the position. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the second baseman is assigned the number 4.
The list of career leaders is dominated by players from the 19th century, when fielding equipment was very rudimentary; baseball gloves only began to gain acceptance in the 1880s steadily, and were not uniformly worn until the mid-1890s, resulting in a much lower frequency of defensive miscues. All but three of the top 21 players in career errors began playing in the 19th century – including the top 13, ten of whom played their entire careers before 1900; only one of the top 21 played more than two games after 1920. None of the top 25 were active after 1930, with the top eight players active after 1926 all being members of the Baseball Hall of Fame; none of the top 49, and only eight of the top 77, were active after 1953. The top 59 single-season totals were all recorded before 1895, the top 192 were recorded before 1928, and the top 410 were recorded before 1946. To a large extent, the leaders reflect longevity rather than lower skill. Joe Morgan, whose 244 errors are the most by any second baseman since 1945, won five Gold Glove Awards for defensive excellence.
Fred Pfeffer, who retired in 1897 after having set National League (NL) records for career games, putouts and assists as a second baseman, is the all-time leader in career errors as a second baseman with 857 – nearly twice as many as any player whose career began after 1900, and over three times as many as any player who reached the major leagues after 1930; he is the only second baseman with over 800, and also holds the NL record of 781. Bid McPhee (792) and Cub Stricker (701), whose careers ended in 1899 and 1893 respectively, are the only other second basemen to commit more than 700 career errors. Jose Altuve, who had 105 errors through the 2024 season to place him tied for 188th all-time, is the leader among active players.

## Key

| Rank | Rank amongst leaders in career errors committed. A blank field indicates a tie. |
| Player | Name of player |
| E as 2B | Total career errors committed as a second baseman |
| * | Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame |

## List

* Stats updated through the 2024 season.
| Rank | Player (2025 Es) | E as 2B |
| 1 | Fred Pfeffer | 857 |
| 2 | Bid McPhee* | 792 |
| 3 | Cub Stricker | 701 |
| 4 | Jack Burdock | 664 |
| 5 | Cupid Childs | 646 |
| 6 | Lou Bierbauer | 574 |
| 7 | Kid Gleason | 571 |
| 8 | Joe Gerhardt | 558 |
| 9 | Fred Dunlap | 498 |
| 10 | Jack Farrell | 477 |
| 11 | Yank Robinson | 475 |
| 12 | Pop Smith | 469 |
| 13 | Nap Lajoie* | 451 |
| 14 | Larry Doyle | 443 |
| 15 | Eddie Collins* | 435 |
| 16 | Al Myers | 430 |
| 17 | Johnny Evers* | 423 |
| 18 | Tom Daly | 418 |
| 19 | Joe Quinn | 410 |
| 20 | Bobby Lowe | 389 |
| 21 | Bill Hallman | 385 |
| 22 | Del Pratt | 381 |
| 23 | Miller Huggins* | 376 |
| 24 | Joe Quest | 370 |
| 25 | Claude Ritchey | 355 |
| 26 | Billy Herman* | 354 |
| 27 | Hardy Richardson | 349 |
| 28 | Reddy Mack | 330 |
| 29 | George Creamer | 324 |
| 30 | Ross Barnes | 310 |
| 31 | Charlie Gehringer* | 309 |
| 32 | Rogers Hornsby* | 307 |
| 33 | Bill McClellan | 302 |
| 34 | George Cutshaw | 299 |
| 35 | Bill Wambsganss | 292 |
| | Jimmy Williams | 292 |
| 37 | Otto Knabe | 287 |
| 38 | Sam Wise | 282 |
| 39 | Frankie Frisch* | 280 |
| 40 | Bill Greenwood | 273 |
| 41 | Hobe Ferris | 270 |
| 42 | Bob Ferguson | 267 |
| 43 | Sam Crane | 264 |
| 44 | Bucky Harris* | 263 |
| | Tony Lazzeri* | 263 |
| | John Montgomery Ward* | 263 |
| 47 | Joe Gordon* | 260 |
| 48 | George Grantham | 250 |
| 49 | Danny Richardson | 245 |
| 50 | Joe Morgan* | 244 |
| Rank | Player (2025 Es) | E as 2B |
| 51 | Billy Gilbert | 237 |
| 52 | Sam Barkley | 235 |
| 53 | Willie Randolph | 234 |
| 54 | Charley Bassett | 232 |
| 55 | Hughie Critz | 231 |
| 56 | Ralph Young | 228 |
| 57 | Dick Padden | 224 |
| 58 | Julián Javier | 219 |
| 59 | Ski Melillo | 215 |
| 60 | Bobby Doerr* | 214 |
| 61 | Nellie Fox* | 209 |
| 62 | Jack Crooks | 204 |
| | Bill Mazeroski* | 204 |
| 64 | Buddy Myer | 200 |
| 65 | Danny Murphy | 199 |
| 66 | Dasher Troy | 195 |
| 67 | Jeff Kent | 194 |
| | Marty McManus | 194 |
| 69 | Tony Cuccinello | 190 |
| | Jerry Priddy | 190 |
| 71 | John Farrell | 189 |
| | Lou Whitaker | 189 |
| 73 | John O'Brien | 188 |
| 74 | Steve Sax | 187 |
| 75 | Bill Craver | 186 |
| | Tommy Dowd | 186 |
| 77 | Jimmy Dykes | 183 |
| 78 | Tito Fuentes | 182 |
| 79 | Roberto Alomar* | 181 |
| | Ray Durham | 181 |
| 81 | Frank LaPorte | 180 |
| | Heinie Reitz | 180 |
| 83 | Glenn Beckert | 179 |
| | Frank White | 179 |
| 85 | Charlie Sweasy | 178 |
| | Tony Taylor | 178 |
| 87 | Johnny Temple | 172 |
| 88 | Red Schoendienst* | 170 |
| 89 | Bill Sweeney | 169 |
| 90 | Ian Kinsler | 168 |
| | Dots Miller | 168 |
| 92 | Hub Collins | 164 |
| | Mike McGeary | 164 |
| | Connie Ryan | 164 |
| | Juan Samuel | 164 |
| 96 | Max Bishop | 163 |
| 97 | Davey Lopes | 162 |
| | Eddie Stanky | 162 |
| 99 | Dick Egan | 160 |
| 100 | Manny Trillo | 157 |

## Other Hall of Famers

| Player | E |
| Craig Biggio* | 156 |
| Rod Carew* | 154 |
| Ryne Sandberg* | 109 |
| Ed Delahanty* | 85 |
| Rabbit Maranville* | 80 |
| Roger Connor* | 71 |
| Jackie Robinson* | 68 |
| Paul Molitor* | 48 |
| George Davis* | 29 |
| George Kelly* | 25 |
| John Henry Lloyd* | 24 (includes incomplete Negro league totals) |
| Ray Dandridge* | 8 (includes incomplete Negro league totals) |
| Martín Dihigo* | 8 (includes incomplete Negro league totals) |
| Joe Cronin* | 3 |
| Adrián Beltré* | 0 |
| Frank Grant* | 0 (unavailable pre-Negro league totals) |