List of Major League Baseball career assists as a second baseman leaders
In baseball, an assist (denoted by A) is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the "defensive" team controls the ball. An assist is credited to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball (after it has been hit by the batter) prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional. For example, if a ball strikes a player's leg and bounces off him to another fielder, who tags the baserunner, the first player is credited with  an assist. A fielder can receive a maximum of one assist per out recorded. An assist is also credited if a putout would have occurred, had another fielder not committed an error. For example, a shortstop might field a ground ball cleanly, but the first baseman might drop his throw. In this case, an error would be charged to the first baseman, and the shortstop would be credited with an assist. In baseball and softball, second baseman is a fielding position in the infield, between third 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 usually right-handed; only four left-handed throwing players have ever played second base since 1950. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the second baseman is assigned the number 4. Eddie Collins is the all-time leader with 7,630 career assists. Charlie Gehringer (7,068) is the only other second baseman with over 7,000 career assists.