# List of Major League Baseball career fielding errors as a third 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. Third base is the third of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team. A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player on the team playing defense who fields the area nearest third base, and is responsible for the majority of plays made at that base. The third baseman requires good reflexes in reacting to batted balls, often being the closest infielder (roughly 90–120 feet) to the batter. The third base position requires a strong and accurate arm, as the third baseman often makes long throws to first base. The third baseman sometimes must throw quickly to second base in time to start a double play, and must also field fly balls in both fair and foul territory. In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the third baseman is assigned the number 5.
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. The top 19 players in career errors all began playing in the 19th century, all but four of them playing their entire careers before 1900; none were active in the major leagues after 1911. Only two of the top 29 were active after 1929, and none were active after 1946. Through 2021, the top 129 single-season totals were all recorded before 1906, and only five of the top 316 were recorded after 1942. To a large extent, the leaders reflect longevity rather than lower skill. Ron Santo, who leads all post-1950 third basemen with 317 errors, won five Gold Glove Awards for fielding excellence.
Arlie Latham, who set a major league record with 1,573 career games at third base – none of them after 1896 – is the all-time leader in career errors committed as a third baseman with 822, more than twice as many as any player who reached the major leagues after 1900; he is the only third baseman to commit more than 700 career errors. Billy Nash, whose career ended in 1898 after setting the National League record for games at third base, is second all-time; he is the only other third baseman to commit more than 600 errors. Rafael Devers, who had 141 errors through the 2024 season to place him tied for 143rd all-time, is the leader among active players.

## Key

| Rank | Rank amongst leaders in career fielding errors A blank field indicates a tie. |
| Player | Name of player |
| E as 3B | Total career errors committed as a third baseman |
| * | Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame |

## List

* Stats updated through the 2024 season.
| Rank | Player (2025 Es) | E as 3B |
| 1 | Arlie Latham | 822 |
| 2 | Billy Nash | 615 |
| 3 | Hick Carpenter | 591 |
| 4 | Billy Shindle | 570 |
| 5 | Jerry Denny | 552 |
| 6 | Ezra Sutton | 516 |
| 7 | Denny Lyons | 509 |
| 8 | Joe Mulvey | 475 |
| 9 | Bob Ferguson | 466 |
| 10 | Jimmy Collins* | 465 |
| 11 | Deacon White* | 444 |
| 12 | Bill Joyce | 439 |
| 13 | Ned Williamson | 401 |
| 14 | Lave Cross | 397 |
| 15 | George Pinkney | 387 |
| 16 | Harry Schafer | 380 |
| 17 | Frank Hankinson | 373 |
| | Bill Kuehne | 373 |
| 19 | Harry Steinfeldt | 365 |
| 20 | Jimmy Austin | 358 |
| 21 | Pinky Higgins | 356 |
| 22 | Tommy Leach | 344 |
| | Art Whitney | 244 |
| 24 | Bill Bradley | 336 |
| 25 | Tom Burns | 327 |
| 26 | Doc Casey | 325 |
| 27 | Pie Traynor* | 324 |
| 28 | Home Run Baker* | 322 |
| 29 | Jim Donnelly | 318 |
| 30 | Jumbo Davis | 317 |
| | Ron Santo* | 317 |
| 32 | Mike Schmidt* | 313 |
| 33 | Adrián Beltré* | 311 |
| 34 | Graig Nettles | 295 |
| 35 | Eddie Mathews* | 293 |
| 36 | Larry Gardner | 287 |
| 37 | John McGraw* | 280 |
| 38 | Harlond Clift | 279 |
| 39 | Eddie Foster | 278 |
| 40 | Jack Gleason | 273 |
| 41 | Eddie Yost | 270 |
| 42 | Ken Boyer | 264 |
| 43 | Charlie Reilly | 263 |
| | Brooks Robinson* | 263 |
| | Harry Wolverton | 263 |
| 46 | George Brett* | 261 |
| 47 | Bobby Byrne | 258 |
| 48 | Art Devlin | 257 |
| 49 | Buddy Bell | 254 |
| 50 | Darrell Evans | 253 |
| Rank | Player (2025 Es) | E as 3B |
| 51 | Fred Hartman | 251 |
| | Charlie Irwin | 251 |
| 53 | Ken Caminiti | 249 |
| 54 | Stan Hack | 246 |
| 55 | Aramis Ramírez | 244 |
| | Red Smith | 244 |
| 57 | Tim Wallach | 240 |
| 58 | Terry Pendleton | 238 |
| 59 | Bob Elliott | 236 |
| 60 | Bill Coughlin | 231 |
| | Heinie Zimmerman | 231 |
| 62 | Wade Boggs* | 229 |
| 63 | Sal Bando | 228 |
| | Mike Muldoon | 228 |
| | Milt Stock | 228 |
| | Patsy Tebeau | 228 |
| | Todd Zeile | 228 |
| 68 | Gary Gaetti | 224 |
| 69 | Ron Cey | 223 |
| | Chipper Jones* | 223 |
| | Joe Werrick | 223 |
| 72 | Mike Mowrey | 221 |
| 73 | Jim Tabor | 220 |
| | Robin Ventura | 220 |
| | Billy Werber | 220 |
| 76 | Harry Lord | 217 |
| 77 | Aurelio Rodríguez | 215 |
| 78 | Warren White | 214 |
| 79 | George Davis* | 211 |
| 80 | Ossie Bluege | 208 |
| 81 | Joe Battin | 207 |
| 82 | Levi Meyerle | 205 |
| 83 | Bill Hague | 200 |
| 84 | George Moriarty | 199 |
| 85 | Doug DeCinces | 198 |
| 86 | Cap Anson* | 196 |
| | Frank Malzone | 196 |
| 88 | Bill Madlock | 193 |
| 89 | Willie Jones | 192 |
| 90 | Billy Lauder | 190 |
| | David Wright | 190 |
| 92 | Chippy McGarr | 189 |
| 93 | Jimmy Dykes | 188 |
| 94 | Doug Rader | 187 |
| 95 | Scott Rolen* | 186 |
| 96 | Willie Kamm | 185 |
| | Dean Palmer | 185 |
| 98 | Richie Hebner | 182 |
| 99 | Bobby Bonilla | 181 |
| 100 | Matt Williams | 177 |

## Other Hall of Famers

| Player | E |
| George Kell* | 166 |
| Harmon Killebrew* | 127 |
| Tony Pérez* | 123 |
| Paul Molitor* | 121 |
| Judy Johnson* | 111 (includes incomplete Negro league totals) |
| Bobby Wallace* | 107 |
| Jim O'Rourke* | 105 |
| Freddie Lindstrom* | 102 |
| Bill McKechnie* | 91 |
| Roger Connor* | 81 |
| Edgar Martínez* | 78 |
| Buck Ewing* | 76 |
| Jim Thome* | 73 |
| Joe Sewell* | 72 |
| Cal Ripken Jr.* | 69 |
| Frankie Frisch* | 68 |
| Joe Torre* | 64 |
| Honus Wagner* | 64 |
| King Kelly* | 59 |
| Jud Wilson* | 51 (includes incomplete Negro league totals) |
| Rogers Hornsby* | 47 |
| Jimmie Foxx* | 31 |
| Johnny Bench* | 30 |
| Ray Dandridge* | 28 (includes incomplete Negro league totals) |
| Jackie Robinson* | 28 |
| Joe Cronin* | 12 |
| Ryne Sandberg* | 11 |
| Willie Wells* | 6 (includes incomplete Negro league totals) |