I won't deny his skill. I just hated the way that he played the game. His 500th career homerun is my least favorite highlight in sports...period.

whenever I discuss who was the best 3rd baseman I always start with best career fielding percentage and 16 gold gloves ,, when no one measures up to Brooks Robinson's numbers ,the discussion ends ..

Schmidty was the man! Some ignorant fans booed him just like they boo Abreu today. There really is not much you can do about these idiots but ignore them.

Best ever at third, great glove, smashed all of those homers, could even steal a base too. The best 3b ever, and rather handily the greatest everyday Phillies player, and by a landslide too.

If you work or live in the greater DC area you have to live with the Brooks Robinson-philes, but sorry folks, it's Mike Schmidt and it's not as close as Brooks-fans want to believe. 500+ plus home runs and a slew of gold gloves. . .yes, Brooks was a notch better in the field but you can't discount (1) Schmidt's bat or (2) playing in Vet stadium- the most hostile green-concrete ever to curse a ballplayer.

No doubt, Schmitty is #1. However, Irishgit, if your going to plagiarize Bill James, get it straight. What he said was if Schmidt had a .320(not .300)lifetime BA he would be the greatest player ever.

The best offensive third baseman of all time and deserves to be #1 on this list.

The finest third baseman in baseball history, Schmidt overcame what may have been the worst rookie season of any player in the Hall of Fame. Over 18 seasons with the Phillies, hit 548 dingers and drove in 1595 while hitting .267. He gets ripped by some folks for hitting only .267 career, but the fact is that if he'd hit .300 career, he wouldn't just be the best 3rd baseman in history, he'd be the best PLAYER. Schmidt wasn't just a stick, he had the leather to go with it, winning a bunch of Gold Gloves at his position.

Can't deny his stats. The best. Desrves the top rating.

Michael Jack Schmidt was an awesome hitter and fielder. He was awesome fielding bunts with his bare-hand and throwing out the runner. It's a shame that the fans of Philadelphia did not take to Mike, although he made it hard for us to like him on a personal level. Mike was very moody and selfish. But as time has gone on, he is more beloved. He buried the hatchet with the Philly fans during his Hall of Fame Induction in 1995.

Mike schmidt is easy the greatest third base man of all time. He had decent speed he could drive the ball strength and with his great ability.

The greatest infielder of my lifetime. Three MVPs, 10 Golden Gloves, and several home run titles (including 48 in 1980). I saw Brooks Robinson play, and he was stellar at third. But Schmidt redefined the position. What a power hitter. I saw him club 4 home runs in one game against the Cubs. I honestly believe, had Schmidt been a Cub for 18 years, he would have hit 700 homers. As a Phillies fan, Schmidt (with Carlton) did it all in 1980 to help the Phillies win their only World Series. Imagine if the Phillies didn't win that year, they would be going on their 128th year without a title. Schmitty's only knock was that he struck out at a pretty high frequency. Philly fans booed him way too much. But Philly fans would boo Jesus if he walked on the Schuylkill River.

Ditto most of the comments on this page.

The greatest offensive and defensive combination ever at third base. There were many outstanding 3Bs in Schmidt's era, not to mention before and after, but Schmidt was probably the only one who was the best hitter in his league over a period of years. Also a great fielder, with great defensive stats and 10 Gold Gloves. Schmidt and Brooks Robinson are at least comparable defensively, but not at all comparable offensively. Their lifetime batting averages were only a point apart, but Schmidt's on-base average was over 50 points higher, and his slugging average was well over 100 points higher. Schmidt was also a much better baserunner.

Simply the best offensive 3rd baseman, and second to Brooks Robinson defensively. Overall EASILY number 1.

It is not even close Schmidt is the greatest 3rd baseman EVER, as well as being the best athelete to ever play his whole career on a Philadelphia Professional sports team.

The best. Unbelievable offensive and defensive player. The gold standard of third basemen.