Ozzie Smith would become one of the most dynamic Shortstops in history and an eventual Hall of Fame inductee with a St. Louis Cardinals cap on his plaque. Many forget that his career began in San Diego, and realistically, he was not yet what he would become.
Smith debuted in the Majors with the Padres in 1978 and was the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year, batting .258 with 40 Stolen Bases. This was the best offensive season for Smith as a Padre, but he quickly became an elite defender. Smith won the Gold Glove in 1980 and 1981, leading the NL in Defensive bWAR in 1980 and was second in 1979.
As good as Smith was, the Padres were considered about his bat and traded him to St. Louis for another Shortstop, Garry Templeton. With all due respect to Templeton, Smith's post-trade career blew away Templeton, as Smith maintained his defense and developed his offense, which Padres management likely thought was impossible. Smith only batted .221 with sub-.300 stats in OBP and Slugging; the main reason that the Hall of Famer is ranked so low.
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