Twenty-two years after his Hall of Fame induction, the Wizard is still creating magic in Cooperstown.
Ozzie Smith, the Education Ambassador for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, will host Turn Two with Ozzie Smith on Friday, July 19, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Cooperstown’s Doubleday Field. Ozzie will welcome fellow Hall of Famers Jim Kaat, Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen as his guests during a fun-filled morning that gives fans a unique chance to experience on-field moments and stories with Hall of Famers.
Turn Two is a Museum fundraiser that supports the Hall of Fame’s educational mission and internship scholarships. Participants in Turn Two each receive on-field round-robin interaction with the Hall of Famers, along with special mementos to commemorate their experience.
This experience is an amazing opportunity to connect with Hall of Famers and create new memories that you will cherish for a lifetime.
The event will begin at 8 a.m. July 19 with an exclusive morning reception in the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery with Ozzie and his Hall of Fame friends. Following the light breakfast in the iconic Plaque Gallery, Turn Two participants will receive a commemorative gift to be autographed by all Hall of Famers present before heading to historic Doubleday Field.
There participants will receive non-stop interaction, featuring stories and instruction – along with photos – from some of the greatest players the game has known.
Turn Two supports the Hall of Fame’s educational mission and the Ozzie Smith Diversity Scholarships for the Museum’s Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Youth Leadership Development. Since 2002, the program has raised more than $200,000 for the Museum’s initiatives.
Smith, known through his 19-year career as The Wizard of Oz, won a record 13 Gold Glove Awards at shortstop and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2002.
Kaat, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, was a three-time All-Star and 16-time Gold Glove Award winner who won 283 games over 25 years in the big leagues.
McGriff, a Class of 2023 inductee, was a five-time All-Star who amassed 10 30-homer seasons. The cleanup hitter on the 1995 World Series champion Atlanta Braves, McGriff finished in Top 10 of his league’s Most Valuable Player Award voting in six straight seasons (1989-94).
Rolen, elected to the Hall of Fame in 2023, won eight Gold Glove Awards at third base and was named to seven All-Star Games. The unanimous selection as the 1997 National League Rookie of the Year, Rolen helped lead the Cardinals to the 2006 World Series title.
Turn Two is part of the July 19-22 Hall of Fame Weekend activities that will be highlighted by the July 21 Induction Ceremony where Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton, Jim Leyland and Joe Mauer will be inducted as the Class of 2024.
A limited number of spaces for Turn Two remain, and a reservation is required. Event pricing is $1,000 per person. Reserve spots now by calling 607-547-0385. For more information on Membership, please visit baseballhall.org/join.
The Museum maintains the following Hall of Fame Weekend hours: Friday, July 19: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, July 20: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, July 21: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Monday, July 22: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. As always, Hall of Fame Members receive free admission.
There is not a hotter MLBbro these days than Washington Nationals shortstop, CJ Abrams. Recently our MLBbro shared his Mount Rushmore of current shortstops that shine on the field. One of them is a MLBbro and of course he added himself.
CJ Abrams lists his Mount Rushmore of active shortstops
Himself Mookie Betts Elly De La Cruz Bobby Witt Jr.
MLBbro.com came up with our own Mount Rushmore of shortstops. While Abrams was listing current shortstops, we went ahead and compiled an All-Time list.
The combination of professionalism, the evolution of the position and an underrated aspect to the list… longevity and loyalty to one franchise got these four MLBbro shortstop icons the spotlight.
Maury Wills:
The fact that this MLBbro icon is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame is just as big a travesty as Barry Bonds being blacklisted from the honor. Even though he was nominated by the Golden Era committee in 2014, he still didn’t make the cut. Wills brought the art of the stolen base.
His story of maximizing his skills to overcome the fact that many teams (including the Dodgers at the beginning) didn’t believe he had the physical tools to play professional baseball.
He won six straight stolen base titles.
His 104 steals in 1962 was a record until fellow MLBbro Lou Brock tallied 118 in 1974.
Won the NL MVP award AND All-Star MVP in the same season!
Maury Wills sadly never got the call for the Hall of Fame before passing in 2022 at the age of 89. But the essence of the MLBbro battling the undercurrent of the system of racism puts him on this list.
Ernie Banks:
While the aforementioned Maury Wills used his craftiness and speed to make this list under peculiar circumstances, Ernie Banks brought power to the city of Chicago and became the first MLBbro since Jackie Robinson to put fans in seats (also read: the only reason to watch Chicago Cubs baseball). Before Banks came on to the scene, the shortstop position never knew power.
Ernie Banks played 19 years for a terrible Chicago Cubs team that never made the playoffs. Mr. Cub created his legacy in 1957-60 collecting back-to-back NL MVP awards in 1958-59. The resume tells it all…
14 time All-Star (1955-62, 1965, 1967, 1969), Gold Glove winner in 1960, and Hall of Fame Inductee in 1977.
Hitting slash of .274/.330/.500…2,583 hits…512 homers…1,636 RBI.
Ozzie Smith:
There is a theme going on here if anyone has noticed. Maury Wills is on the list for the intangibles of playing the game of baseball. Ernie Banks brings offensive firepower that brought box office influence to the shortstop position. Now let’s discuss the MLBbro icon that brought defensive wizardry to the position. Who else but…
The Wizard of Oz…Ozzie Smith!
He is the greatest defensive shortstop ever. He is one of one. There can’t be an all-time discussion without his name being mentioned. His range, athleticism and ability to get the ball away quickly landed him 13 Gold Gloves, a .978 fielding percentage and a 43.4 defensive WAR. He was a part of the MLBbro crew in St.Louis that lit up the base paths to the tune of 580 steals.
The Wizard’s .262 career average with 2,460 illustrates the work he put in to be a solid hitter.
Derek Jeter:
This MLBbro icon took all of the ingredients of the previous players on this list and with the addition of marketing and business in a huge city of New York with the Yankees changed the landscape of how athletes make money in endorsements.
While his stats don’t pop out like Babe Ruth, Aaron Judge or Reggie Jackson, the ability to be consistently there in the big moment on five World Championship Yankees teams makes him an icon that transcends to all MLB greats.
His clutch play is embedded in the DNA of the Yankees franchise and his leadership and respect will lead on as long as MLB is in business.
Mark Gray remembers the greatest defensive shortstop to ever do it, MLBbro legend Ozzie Smith AKA The Wizard Of Oz.
The 13-time Gold Glove Award winner revolutionized the position in 19 seasons of wicked work with the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals, setting the all-time record for assists by a shortstop. Smith accrued 2,460 hits, 402 doubles and 1,257 runs scored. The switch-hitter also stole 580 bases.
When Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford contributed to the franchise’s first playoff appearance in 21 years, it wasn’t at the Chicago Cubs or Boston Red Sox level of ending a decades-long curse, but it was close.
The broken streak ended a stretch of 21 years of frustration for Mariners fans and the longest drought in major North American professional sports.
Crawford, the last MLBbro standing for the Mariners, overcame a minor foot injury in spring training to help Seattle quietly get back in the American League West race this season, winning six of their last 10 games. Even though the team is currently 10-12, placing them fourth in the division, they are one game out in the loss column behind the second-place Houston Astros.
How Are Mariners Winning Games?
J.P. Crawford is finding ways to get on base to spark the Seattle offense. His seven-game stretch has advanced his team from possible bottom feeders of the American League to contenders for making the postseason two years in a row.
Well, it came from adjustments to his swing three weeks ago in the Los Angeles Angels series. After a slow start to the season with only one hit and four strikeouts in his first four games, Crawford began to tighten up the mechanics in his swing. Even though the MLBbro is not releasing all of his secrets about the changes, his new and improved quick bat is leading to harder hit balls all over the field.
“I think it’s just putting myself in a good spot to hit and not taking my body out to the right spot,”
“I’m not rushing,” he said. “I’m seeing the ball and letting it come to me instead of going to try and attack the ball – just stay back and using the whole field.”
The improvements are not lost on Mariners manager Scott Servais, who was singing Crawford’s praises when he got Seattle on the right track on their first road trip with two RBI doubles to pick up a 5-3 win after falling down three runs.
“J.P. Crawford, awesome,” Servais said. “I said about three or four days ago he had made a little bit of an adjustment and we’re seeing that play out day in and day out, right now.”
With his bat clicking, the awesomeness of Crawford’s full game is on display. Regardless of how potent his run production is we know that he saves just as many runs with his lethal leather.
Just check out this play to stop a St. Louis rally…
No, not a chance…stop it. Ozzie Smith is the epitome and perfect illustration of a G.O.A.T. at a specific skill and position. The Wizard still has no equals with the glove at short. His impact on the game of baseball goes way past statistics.
Even though the “Wizard of Oz” collected 13 consecutive National Gold Glove Awards, 15 All-Star appearances, 2,460 hits and 580 stolen bases for his career, his play drove the popularity of the entire sport of baseball. The 1980s was considered the golden era of baseball in ways of popularity. Ozzie was one of the driving forces. His athletic and acrobatic execution of the shortstop position, his incredible range and cat-quick, graceful movements made him the standard bearer for manning the position defensively.
JP Crawford Has Ozzie Smith’s Leadership Qualities
However, what gets overlooked is the leadership and professionalism that Ozzie Smith brought into the locker room every day for years. Even with the fame and popularity, the MLBbro icon’s consistency when it came to preparation never waned.
This is where the comparison between the “Wizard of Oz” and the “Crawdaddy” can start. Crawford is also considered by many to be the supreme defensive shortstop in the game, winning a Gold Glove in 2021 and getting edged out last season by Astros rookie sensation Jeremy Pena. Who knows what the future holds for the 24-year-old, but he definitely can rack up some more Gold Gloves over the next half decade.
As far as hitting goes, Ozzie Smith was a weak hitter early in his career – a one trick pony sort of speak — but Smith worked on his hitting and became a formidable slap hitter, which allowed him to get on base and use his speed to swipe bags and set the table for the run producers.
Years ago, Ozzie Smith was brought in to provide stability and leadership to an up-and-coming St. Louis Cardinals team, much like J.P. Crawford is doing for the Seattle Mariners today. This leadership for Crawford is driven by a desire to continue the tradition of the Black and brown baseball players going back to the Negro Leagues.
Bottom line, for the Seattle Mariners to be a player in the postseason for the second straight season, the team has to follow the lead of J.P. Crawford by continuing to work on the little things and adjust accordingly to add wins, much like they have of late.
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