page_title: Shortstop
section_title: Notes
hierarchical_section_title: Shortstop / Significant shortstops / Shortstops inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame / Notes
caption_attribution_description: Derek Jeter at the New York Yankees vs. Colorado Rockies game on June 19, 2007.
context_page_description: Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who were typically poor at batting and were often placed at the bottom of the batting order. Today shortstops are often able to hit well and many are placed at the top of the lineup. In the numbering system used by scorers to record defensive plays, the shortstop is assigned the number 6.
  More hit balls go to the shortstop than to any other position, as there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the ball slightly. Like a second baseman, a shortstop must be agile, for example when performing a 4-6-3 double play. Also, like a third baseman, the shortstop fields balls hit to the left side of the infield, where a strong arm is needed to throw out a batter-runner before they reach the safety of first base.
context_section_description: John Henry Lloyd and Willie Wells were elected for their play in the Negro Leagues.
  George Wright was elected as a pioneer, but also starred as a shortstop in the 1860s and 1870s.
  Robin Yount started his career as a shortstop, and moved to the outfield where he played his last nine seasons. (Besides winning the MVP award as a shortstop in 1982, Yount also won the award as a centerfielder in 1989.)
  Ernie Banks played shortstop for the first half of his career and first base for the remainder.
caption: Yankees former shortstop Derek Jeter getting ready to field his position in 2007
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