Every baseball fan knows the situation: Runner on first base and fewer than two outs, ground ball up the middle. Fortunate teams are supremely confident in their second baseman and shortstop to make the play.
If the grounder is within their range, they're turning two.
Since 2000, Major League Baseball has enjoyed more than a handful of dynamic duos up the middle.
While contributions at the plate are valuable, the focus of the list is highlighting what players accomplished as defenders. Along with fielding stats, a couple of subjective measures—the eye test and length of middle-infield partnerships—are factors.