Top Ten shortstop-second base duos in Chicago history

Former TTCSer Scott Phillips nominated this idea at work, and I couldn't help but snag it. While you won't find the current Getz/Ramirez combo, nor the Fontenot/Theriot 4-6 tandem (though they have played together since little league), there is a solid list of second base and shortstop greats that have played for either team.
10. Don Johnson and Lennie Merullo
These two were not the surest of hands for the Cubs during the mid-1940's, but they did manage to lead the North siders to a World Series appearance, something the fans at Wrigley haven't seen since.

9. Jackie Hayes and Luke Appling



Let's face it, Luke Appling had to be on here. He is one of the all-time great shortstops ever. While Jackie Hayes is no all star, the two did play the middle infield together for the better part of the 1930's, turning more than 100 double plays four times during that stretch.

8. Joey Cora and Ozzie Guillen



This is the duo many of us at TTCS grew up watching and loving. Guillen was a steady defensive-minded shortstop while Cora was just as good on the other side of the infield. The two only had a few seasons together in the early 1990's, but they were some of the most entertaining we've seen to date.

7. Eddie Collins and Buck Weaver



It's difficult to gauge baseball players from the 1910's, especially ones that opt to lose on purpose. But for a few seasons Eddie Collins and Buck Weaver turned two better than most.

6. Gene Baker and Ernie Banks



I was sort of dumbfounded when people at work thought of Ernie Banks as more of a first baseman then a shortstop. I am not exactly sure how they got that notion. He won two MVPs as a middle infielder and even recored a Gold Glove in 1960. In his his earlier days, Banks worked with Gene Baker, a former all-star himself. The two were paired up for only a few years in the late 1950's, but turned at least 99 double plays in each of the seasons they spent together.

5. Nellie Fox and Chico Carrasquel



Carrasquel and Fox played second and short, respectively, together from 1950 to 1955. And the two of them often found themselves together during all-star festivities. Chico played in the July game four times during those six seasons, while Fox was there five. More Nellie to come.

4. Glen Beckert and Don Kessinger



Glen and Don started together in the 1960's as two guys in their young 20's, and spent more than 10 years together up the middle of the Cubs infield. These two, along with Ernie Banks and Ron Santo probably made the greatest infield in Chicago history. Both are all-stars on many occasions.

3. Ryne Sandberg and Shawon Dunston



Sandberg and Dunston is maybe the most highly-touted duo ever in Chicago. Dunston was the first-overall pick of the 1982 draft while Ryno will forever be one of the greatest and most loved Cubbie in their history. While Dunston was equally flashy, Sandberg ultimately revolutionized the second-base position with his size and ability to hit.

2. Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio
A middle-aged Fox worked with a young Aparicio after he replaced Chico Carrasquel, And the two future Hall of Famers turned two brilliantly from 1556-1962, including a trip to the 1959 World Series. Until the emergence of Cal Ripken Jr. in the 1980's these two were the ideals when looking for second basemen and shortstops.

1. Johnny Evers and Joe Tinker
Was anybody really doubting that it would be anybody else? Tinker to Evers to Chance is the most famous double play combination in the history of the game. They played together in the 1910's and have no idea why they have become such a staple when discussing the greatest tandems of all-time. There was that poem written 100 years ago, but it also could have been the fact that they fielded balls cleaner than anybody had ever seen during that time.