Plácido Polanco
A defensive maestro whose glove work at second and third base set fielding percentage records that still stand in Major League Baseball.
Born 1975 (age 51)·Dominican-American baseball player·Birthday: October 10·Generation X
Biography
Plácido Polanco carved out a 16-year major league career not with thunderous power, but with a preternatural calm and precision in the field. Born in the Dominican Republic, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1994, bringing a steady, contact-oriented bat and remarkable defensive versatility to every club he joined. His defining legacy is etched in the record books: when he retired, he held the highest career fielding percentage for both second and third basemen, a testament to his flawless technique and relentless preparation. While he earned two All-Star selections and a World Series ring with the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies, it was his quiet consistency—the routine play made to look effortless—that made him indispensable. Polanco’s career is a masterclass in how defensive excellence can anchor a team and define a player’s lasting impact.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Plácido was born in 1975, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Plácido Was Born
The biggest hits of 1975
#1 Movie
Jaws
Best Picture
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Plácido's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1975Born
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1980Started school
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1988Became a teenager
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Could drive
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1993Could vote
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Turned 21
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2005Turned 30
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 40
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 50
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 51 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Retired with the highest all-time career fielding percentage for a second baseman in MLB history (99.27%).
- Also holds the highest all-time career fielding percentage for a third baseman in MLB history (98.34%).
- Won a World Series championship as the starting second baseman for the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies.
- Selected as a starter for the MLB All-Star Game in both 2007 and 2011.
Did You Know?
He was the last Philadelphia Phillies player to wear the number 6 before it was retired for Hall of Famer Steve Carlton.
Polanco won three Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, one at second base (2007) and two at third base (2009, 2011).
He recorded over 2,000 hits in his MLB career, finishing with exactly 2,142.
In 2007, he set an MLB record for second basemen by playing 144 consecutive errorless games.
“My glove is my voice. I let it do the talking on the field.”
