Looking ahead to 2011, the Minnesota Twins will be without either their second baseman or shortstop from 2010.
First, Gold-Glove second baseman Orlando Hudson signed as a free agent contract with San Diego, and then the Twins trade away shortstop J.J. Hardy to Baltimore in a deal that gave them a couple of relievers in return.
I took a look back over the combination of middle infielders the team has had, as well as some of the best there have been over the past 50 plus years.
I started with the list of Gold Gloves winners for both leagues at shortstop and second base.
In order to qualify for the ranking, the duo had to play together for at least two years, with both players playing at least half the season at their respective position in the year a Gold Glove was awarded.
The list was then ranked based on the total number of Gold Gloves earned, the combined fielding percentage, and the total number of years they played next to each other.
Enjoy this look back at some of the greatest middle infield combinations from the last 50 years.
Here’s my list of the top 50 shortstop-second basemen duos since 1960.