It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by the number of innings or games played at a given defense position. In that same Abraham article, Boston Red Sox manager John Farell praised Drew for what he's brought to the team: Hes in many ways a very dependable defender. If you need to improve your speed, be sure to get in the weight room! All-Time Greats: Stan Musial, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter, Oscar Charleston, Ken Griffey Jr, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, . Was he really that bad? In an interview with Mark Simon of ESPN (found in the preceding link), Braves general manager Frank Wren had this to say about the phenom: To go along with great hands, arm and athleticism, he has excellent awareness on the field. By 1993, Puckett was 33 and had put on some weight; it's perhaps instructive that the Twins moved him from center field to right field after the All-Star break. Interestingly, the best shortstop performance I found for the 2007-08 span, just a hair above Brandon Crawfords +23, was that of Coastal Carolinas Tyler Bortnick. While most middle infielders are on the shorter side and scrawny, Tulo is listed at 6'3", 215 pounds. He's a bit better in his role as half of a double-play combo, as his DPR of 0.2 has him in a three-way tie for 10th. Speed is still a quality that coaches will look for. If his fielding percentage was middle as opposed to dismal, he'd likely move up several spots, but you can't have your shortstop botching every other play, which is why he sits at No. Metrics from the days of yore: Fielding percentage. anything but a shortstop!) Fielding percentage: .977 (four-way tie for 11th). Fast legs are strong legs. MLB Fielding Complete Stats . He's a phenomenal defensive player. You have to be honest with yourself about the demands of the position and whether or not its a good fit. Now that hes a Ranger, well soon have an idea of how his defensive numbers hold up among pro competition. And check out my [Shes Got a Cannon] Softball Overhand Throwing Courses. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. Versions for all ages with a 14-Day Free Trial. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Current Visitors: 165 (13 members, 152 guests). Of course, theres more to college fielding stats than a talked-up third baseman. Everth Cabrera has a UZR of 3.7, good enough for 10th of all qualifying shortstops in the majors. And Alcides is just a smidgen better. Many of the best amateur glovemen are shortstops, and almost as soon as they appear on scouts radars, the debate begins as to whether they can stick at the position. Originally, in the early years of baseball, the shortstop was the fourth outfielder. Beyond that, he needs to pick bad throws, be a great, large target and read throws well to get outs on every throw he can from other infielders. Anyway, Young had come up as a second baseman and moved to shortstop in 2004 and in 2005 he made 4.41 plays per nine innings versus the MLB average of 4.60 (his fielding percentage was about league average). Thanks. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? This should be the best athlete on the field, but these shortstops aren't playing at higher levels because of a lack of speed and lateral quickness. 10. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. Top middle infielders are evaluated first from a defensive standpoint, and then from an hitting standpoint. HELP WANTED: Players / Teams / Coaches / Tourneys, http://hsbaseballweb.com/eve/f631074461/m/33410865. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Left fielders need to play excellent outfield defense and thus must be fast and have a great glove. When it comes to defenseshortstops and beyondthe caliber of Andrelton Simmons' talent is rivaled by few. You want them to play as much as they can especially if they are at least as good as the others. update=copyright.getFullYear(); Diamondbacks primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Corey Seager leaves Dodgers' season on the brink, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Sure, there are some opportunities to range either way and make throws from deep in the hole, but when guys make contact, one of two things happens: It gets by you (and it would get by anybody, because its going that fast), or its a hot shot you can reach. His DPR of one impressively has Ryan in a tie for third. His dWAR is only 0.2, bad enough for 21st, and his DRS is -2 (18th). Or write about sports? Second baseman in softball are typically great defensive players but often lack a strong throwing arm. Please post more of this stuff because now I know that for example 3rd is not a fit at all unlike left field. Fielding Percentage M. Olson 1B ATL Matt Olson 1B ATL 24 : 24 : 195 . Sometimes that doesnt show as flashy where it might catch the average fans eye. Brendan Ryan's UZR is an ugly -1.1 which has him sitting in 20th place among all qualifying shortstops. The left fielder does not need to have an amazing arm because throws arent terribly long. Part of the Baseball Almanac Family, Chances Records for Shortstops by Baseball Almanac. His fielding percent (a metric looking at putouts, assists, and errors) at shortstop is top of the league at 1.000. But yes, they're essentially the same player. I dont think scouts generally talk about Beckham as a liability in the fieldjust a guy who cant stick at shortstop. Ryan's RF is 4.35, good enough for eighth among qualifying shortstops. Jedlovec included Ryan's best and worst plays from 2011-12, too. Top middle infielders will also be able to hit at a high level. I never change that. In terms of DRS, he is in a four-way tie for seventh with a value of four. Between that limitation and small sample sizes, we cant expect too much out of any such college fielding stat. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted In general, positions are more likely to be filled with people with more experience than others. For pitcher fielding the minimums are reduced . Sign up for my email list youll get my free throwing ebook and updates on new videos and articles like this one. near the top. The composite metrics are the most comprehensive (and wildly complicated) statistics, so I weighed them more than the rest when making my choices. In an interview with Bauman, Kansa City Royals manager Ned Yost sung Escobar's praises after a game in which the shortstop made a game-saving, slick play: He's as good as anybody. His +26 is just percentage points below the top performance of the last two years, which belonged to another D II product, UC San Diegos Vance Albitz. And I happen to think J.J.s substance is his style. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. You know, I liken him to Andruw Jones. Fielding percentage: .987 (tied for fifth). Here's the skinny on Hardy: Once in a while, there's a UZR/dWAR discrepancy, and Hardy is a curious case of that. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who were typically poor at batting and were often placed at the bottom of the batting order. Twelve innings: Irv Ray of Boston on August 15, 1888, John Gochnaur of Cleveland on July 14, 1903, Billy Rogell of Detroit on June 16, 1937, Andre Rogers of San Francisco on July 9, 1960, Ernie Riles of Milwaukee on August 3, 1986 and Khalil Greene of San Diego on August 1, 2004. I appreciate your content. *This article may contain product links which pay me a small commission if you make a purchase. I didnt include 07 stats in this calculation because most of these players didnt get the requisite playing time in their freshman year. The 2008-09 correlation was a bit. Real or Not? Center field requires lots of speed and great fly ball reading ability. Dunn recently confirmed his retirement and I'll miss a guy who had a unique career in major league history. He showed admirable growth in his patience last year, cutting his chase rate by 10 percentage points. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Having great range allows the middle infielder to field ground balls that may deep in the hole or up the middle. Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following. He's certainly not a guy that you have to worry about, "All right, what's going to happen." Good reflexes and instincts are important, as line drives scream to first base. It is also important to note that the . It's hard to top this list's No. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Make a guess now (Note: Baseball-Reference uses fielding runs below average, which can be drawn from two different sources depending on the year. 7. He's above Tulo due to a talent-infused blend of composite and component metrics, but there's still no contest between himor the rest of those who rankand the No. His UZR of 5.7 is sixth among all qualifying shortstops as is his dWAR of 0.9. 24-year I'm not sure if he played through an injury or if they used quicksand for infield dirt that year at Miller Park, but in the past five years, the second-lowest range factor for a regular-season second baseman was 4.31 plays per nine innings -- by Weeks in 2011. I cried all the way home." Teammate and fellow infielder Jose Iglesias can make some superstar plays up the middle, but his move to the hot corner is a testament to Drew's reliability. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Farmer ranks. The footwork required to make throws to first base is very awkward for a left-handed 2nd baseman, shortstop or third baseman it takes a lot of extra time and makes the throw significantly more difficult. College Baseball Scouts Have Guidelines, Yet All Guidelines Can Be Broken, College Baseball Talent Does Not Fit Into A Neat Hierarchy. The tiebreak deciding where Hardy is on the continuum ranging from average to elite is a DRS of seven, which is also good enough for third-best. I enjoyed reading your write up Coach Dan Blewett, youre doing a good job. (My recollection of Kirby, as well: He played a deep center field, which allowed him to make those famous leaping catches at the wall; he also may have played deeper as a way to play the high bounces off the Metrodome turf. If the video above isn't enough the to convince you, check out this barehanded snag. Undoubtedly, voters remembered the spectacular plays, but there was nothing in the numbers that suggested Kemp had above-average range and he was making a large number of miscues at the same time. Fielding percentage is a very simple measurement. They moved him to third base the following season. Defensive skills are the focus for shortstops, with offensive skills being a bonus. Fielding percentage, essentially, measures a player's ability to make a proper catch or throw, taking into consideration the number of opportunities a defender has to make a play. Its important to understand the positional numbers so that a proper scorebook can be kept and players understand the lineup and dugout card. His dWAR is 0.5, which puts him in a four-way tie for 13th place, and his DRS of one has him in a five-way tie for 12th place. Some players have the mindset of I only play third base! Second baseman have to be very quick and agile defenders and have value on the bases. How long did Omar Vizquel play baseball? Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. The quickness of the exchange on his relays and DP turns are as good as I have ever seen, and have been instrumental in saving a number of games. Pinch Runners enter the game to run the bases in place of another player, but this is not really a position more just a role. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, divided by the number of total chances (putouts + assists + errors ). Ramirez's RF of 4.05 is the 15th-highest, showing that he's not quite as nimble as he was in his prime, but he proves to be adept at turning two, as his DPR of 1.6 is the best in the league among shortstops. Each position on the field is designated with a 1-9 number. In left field, he made 1.80 plays per game while teammate Josh Willingham -- hardly known as a plus fielder himself -- made 2.17. With all of the hype around the St. Louis Cardinals and their sizable crop of potential All-Stars, Pete Kozma either goes unnoticed or else is pegged as one of the weakest players on the team. This simply means they are making 970 or more error free plays out of 1000 chances. You don't have to guess. Data. They dont have to be big and hit for power, so they are often smaller players. It's no surprise that he rated poorly in the outfield -- minus-20 runs -- but he also rated minus-23 runs at first base in just 540 innings. and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. Aside from the pitcher, the strongest arm probably belongs to either the third baseman or right fielder, though it is never a firm rule and varies by team. Ortiz brings what is now considered Major League average pop (a 50 on that scouting scale) to the Orioles' lineup. Volpe has proven himself to be a big-league defender and a legitimate threat on the base paths. Again, only players above the BIP threshold are included; the numbers include two seasons worth of data, and are regressed based on playing time. Segura's RF is an outstanding 4.78, which has him siting in fourth in that cateogry. The Twins walked the fewest batters in the AL and were in the middle of the pack in strikeouts and home runs allowed but were 13th in hits allowed, so the team defense was pretty bad overall, with Puckett apparently playing a big role. Whichever way you look at it, Escobar's defense is solid in terms of this category. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. A college shortstop playing high-level competition is probably more like a wood-bat-league third baseman. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Braun fielded just .895, making 26 errors in 112 games, and made .57 fewer plays per nine innings than the average third baseman. On a broader scope, however, he's just average. * Imminent Big Leaguers article. "A couple of years ago there was a group of good, young shortstops who emerged as future stars: Derek Jeter, Rey Ordonez, Alex Rodriguez and Nomar . He's still a fairly young 26, so it's definitely plausible that his other stats could improve as he moves into his prime. Playing right field requires decent arm strength because of the long throw to third, but the right fielder is typically the least important player on the field. 1 because not only does he lead UZR, dWAR and DRS, but he leads them by an enormous margin. Find out more. 1 in anything, but Florimon does so in range with an RF of 5.59 (first). The throw from right field to third base is very long, hence the need for good arm strength. Below are some of the skills a pitcher needs: Pitchers need great workouts to stay healthy with as much pitching as they do if you need a great workout, try my online program below, called Early Work. A player's Fielding Runs number is used to estimate his Fielding Wins, an estimate of the number of games a team won above or below what it would have won with an average fielder (with zero Fielding Runs) at the player's position. The league's lowest fielding percentages typically come from shortstops and third basemen, who must deal with a wide array of tricky ground balls and tough throws across the diamond. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. Over 21 games at shortstop (number one in the AL), his dWAR is 0.5-good for third in the AL. The fielding percentage for National League shortstops in 1974 was .961, and Russell had 724 fielding chances. Let's look at his range factors per nine innings: In raw numbers, Kemp played nine fewer innings in 2010, but made 37 fewer putouts. But if a players skillset and body type just doesnt project well at that positionmeaning if a softball player isnt going to be big and strong and hit for power like a typical first basemanthen they need to come to terms with the position just not going to work in the long term. Copyright 1999- His dWAR is just a hair below the Escobars' while his UZR bests the two by a greater margin, but it's his fielding percentage and RF that definitively solidify his higher ranking. From the minute I saw him, he's been making plays like that. But I try and make a hard play look routine. Component metrics are significantly more specific, and so are less telling of a shortstop's overall ability, but they did factor into my decisions somewhat. Florimon out of the bunch is seemingly worthless on offense (he has a lifetime .220 average), but he makes up for it by covering ground in the middle infield like no one else can. FPCT: Fielding Percentage; RF: Range Factor; He always has been. Frankie Crosetti and Honus Wagner are the only two shortstops to ever play a game on Opening Day and not receive a single chance at shortstop. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, Height and Weight for MIFs are really not as important as the key measurables and obviously the technical offensive and defensive ability. That can be attributed to a good amount of added strength, using his body more efficiently in the box and employing a more direct bat path consistently. Hardy makes it into the top four due to the current number of weighty third-place standings he holds. Colligiate Summer ball as a true Freshman. But sound fundamentals and covering good ground are hallmarks of an elite shortstop, and in those areas, Andrus is still a work in progress. Well start with the basics, answer a lot of questions and get to some more advanced topics on infield defense and recruiting at the end. Rickie Weeks, 2B, 2012 Brewers (minus-30). Velocity from the INF: Upper 70s MPH from SS. Sunday Notes: Bill Haselman Recalls the Brawl That Almost Broke Cal's Streak, Effectively Wild Episode 2000: We Thought of More Things We Like About Baseball, The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 1169 Sunday FAAB ft. Michael Govier, Starting Pitchers Arent Leaning On Their Best Pitches, I looked at some notable defensive performances among college third basemen. Escobar's fielding percentage and RF take away slightly from his UZR, which is why he sits at six. Kozma cracks the top five namely because of his UZR, RF and fielding percentage. 970 Numerically, what does it mean to be consistent? You know what the Rangers thought of that Gold Glove? However, its not really the case any more that they have the strongest arm on the entire teamthey mightbut the shortstop and third baseman also have tremendously strong arms. When Andruw Jones first came to the big leagues (with the Atlanta Braves), he'd make plays in the outfield, and we'd go: "Oh, man, did you see that?" Might not be an absolute but they do always seem to be either the catcher or pitcher. Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? Example If a fielder has completed 317 put outs, 541 assists, and 27 errors, then: 317 + 541 = 858 317 + 541 + 27 = 885 858 885 is 0.969 Therefore, the fielder's fielding percentage is 0.969. 3. a third baseman? In an interview with Peter Abraham of telegram.com, Stephen Drew noted that while his game doesn't contain the wow factor that others in his position boast, consistency and efficiency are paramount for him: Some guys can do a lot of fancy stuff. Check out 2023 Regular Season MLB Baseball ss Fielding Statistics on ESPN.com. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. When weve got multiple full years of data for a shortstop, it would appear that we have something worth looking at. I don't think anyone is going to defend Dunn's defense. Baseball-Reference.com (Career Leaders & Records for Range Factor/9Inn as SS), Baseball-Reference.com (Fielding Stats Glossary), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Range_factor&oldid=1133069561, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 January 2023, at 04:16. 9 . The AL East is setting up as a race for the ages, Albert Pujols' push for 3,000 powered by dominant decade, 'Ich-i-ro! Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? Even though Bichette hit 34 home runs and knocked in 133 runs, the Rockies traded him after the season. Journeyman Yunel Escobar has great hands and thinks quickly on his feet, as seen from the accompanying video. Sometimes, it seems like Elvis Andrus has been a longtime Texas Ranger, but he's only 24. Castellanos' range factor was 2.10 per nine innings compared to the MLB average of 2.56, but of course he played on a staff that racked up a lot of strikeouts. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. What is a good infield fielding percentage? However, his dWAR of 1.1 and DRS of six (both fourth place) put him in the company of the top-tier guys. I never thought of Gomez as a bad fielder, but I guess I never really gave all that much thought to Gomez in the first place. Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. Maybe fielding stats for aluminum-bat-league shortstops are at least partly telling us how good the guy will be at third base with wood bats. It can certainly contribute to the discussion, but until a few more years go by and we can combine the data with professional records for these college players, we dont know just how worthwhile it is. The Padres made the playoffs with Gomez playing shortstop in 1996 and 1998, so they apparently didn't think he was awful there. Escobar is only 26, meaning his prime will soon be upon us, so it's possible that he'll rise in the rankings in the next several years in a similar way to Andrus. Ich-i-ro!' Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:21AM. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. His UZR of 11.3, dWAR of 3.1 and DRS of 24 are the best of all shortstops. Later, the shortstop was moved permanently to the infield but his number stuck at #6. Right fielders are most commonly known for their very strong arms. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. Statistics: . My son will be playing in Left Fielder for the first time, but to play I want him to be able to understand all the other positions. Andrus' has a shockingly low RF of 3.78, which puts him at 24th (26 qualify). While he occasionally sacrifices accuracy in the name of pizzazz, he's considered by most measures to be one of the most elite shortstops in the game. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. Modify, Export & Share Table. College softball coaches evaluate a player's athleticism based on arm strength and accuracy, speed, fielding range and the ability to hit for . Did he deserve those Gold Glove Awards? Ryan Jacksons +9 is solid, and is more impressive when you know that his 08 total was slightly negative. Catchers need a strong arm, so if you need to work on your throwing (for any position, really) check out my free throwing webinar below. This one makes a lot of sense: An old outfielder trying to play in Coors Field.

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