Every time I take ground balls when working out, Im always in a game mode. 5. Component advanced metrics: Range Factor (RF) and Double Play Runs above average (DPR), 3. Now that hes a Ranger, well soon have an idea of how his defensive numbers hold up among pro competition. Its just like a refresher course for me. In 2009, he did make a high number of good fielding plays (48), according to Baseball Info Solutions, although that was countered by 33 misplays. If you need to improve your speed, be sure to get in the weight room! But when you look up after a hard-hit ball, and hes standing right there or ranges up the middle to his glove side, hes a very good defender. Grant Green was the only college shortstop selected in the top 100 picks of this years draft. Versions for all ages with a 14-Day Free Trial. While he trails one player in both RF and DPR, these margins are miniscule in comparison. But remember that the guy only recently turned 23. His UZR is just 2.7 which is 11th-best, but his dWAR slots him as third from the top. 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). Even though Bichette hit 34 home runs and knocked in 133 runs, the Rockies traded him after the season. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. A third defensive metric that I'll mention in the piece below is ultimate zone rating, available at FanGraphs. All-Time Greats: Stan Musial, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter, Oscar Charleston, Ken Griffey Jr, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, . Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. anything but a shortstop!) 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. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? These totals may be incomplete (3.6% of all plays from 1914 to 1972 are missing or have incomplete accounts, click link for year and team summary of data completeness) for some players prior to 1973 and even complete seasons may not match the official totals due to errors in both the official totals and the . 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. Many thanks to him. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. update=copyright.getFullYear(); His UZR and DRS are both higher than Ramirez's, and his dWAR and DRS are higher than Drew's, while more of his secondary stats are mediocre to average, which is why he's slotted at eight. Here's how Drew shakes up in comparison to others at his position: Drew's UZR of 5.4 puts him in seventh place among qualifying shortstops, while his dWAR of 0.6 and DRS of two put him at 12th and 11th, respectively. Probably not. What do the softball position numbers mean? Probably because shortstops field more balls, the shortstop ratings youre about to see are somewhat more valid than those I presented for third basemen in May. All stats are per team game. Good reflexes and instincts are important, as line drives scream to first base. Contributor Network wrote about the "stability Kozma has injected into the Cardinals' infield," so jumping to extreme conclusions about Kozma's talent may not be warranted. Yet, playing lots of positions with average skill isnt better than playing a few really well. Segura is more of a case of portending. 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. Kemp also had just three assists in 2010 compared to 14 in 2009 and 11 in 2011. . Nobody will dispute this rating. Last year, he was actually recognized by American League managers as the best defensive shortstop in the AL, and in an interview with T.R. Sometimes its simply because the coach is more familiar with the player abilities and skills etc but sometimes unfortunately its seems to be pure favoritism. A batting average may be sacrificed for a great leader in the field. 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. If you need to improve your throwing, check out my online throwing courses and the video below. 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. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Do you have a blog? It has much of the information that play-by-play defensive metrics use to measure professional fielding skill, except for the type of batted ball (grounder, line drive, etc.) 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. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 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. What are the pricing options for Go Big Premium? Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 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. The consensus is that the Minnesota Twins have finally found an everyday shortstop. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 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. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. Double-play turns for lefty middle infielders are nearly impossible. The big surprise to me in this group is Robbie Shields up at the top. 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. Heading into the top five, we start to encounter those that encompass the best of the flashy, durable and reliable. You can see the maturity. In left field, he made 1.80 plays per game while teammate Josh Willingham -- hardly known as a plus fielder himself -- made 2.17. In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. While his dWAR and DRS aren't as noteworthy, they balance out the former group of stats in such a way to seat him at No. Catchers have an extremely demanding role on the team both physically and mentally. 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. Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following. 8. Dante Bichette, LF, 1999 Rockies (minus-34). You know, I liken him to Andruw Jones. This one makes a lot of sense: An old outfielder trying to play in Coors Field. However, some positions (especially first baseman) may have substantially more putouts because of a superior infield around them that commits fewer errors and turns many double plays, allowing them to receive credit for more putouts. He's going to make errors, because he's going to get to more balls that most other guys, but he's not booting one every four or five days. Right field, because young players dont hit the ball very far in the air, and because 80% of athletes are right handed, fewer hard-hit fly balls will go to the opposite field (right field for a right-handed hitter). Plus, don't you want to read about the worst defender ever? Or write about sports? How long did Omar Vizquel play baseball? The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Simmons' RF of 5.04 and DPR of 1.2 are both second among all qualifying shortstops. 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. His UZR of 11.3, dWAR of 3.1 and DRS of 24 are the best of all shortstops. Here's the rundown: Simmons is unparalleled here. Farmer ranks. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. Each position on the field is designated with a 1-9 number. Some players have the mindset of I only play third base! near the top. This was because originally, the shortstop was the fourth outfielder. Ryan doesn't make the cut for several reasons, the first being that his UZR is unforgivable. Drew has a RF of 4.32, good enough for 10th place. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. 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. 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. When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. At the college and professional levels, it is about .970 and above. 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. First, lets recap a bit of what I wrote in the Mendonca article. Its fine to love one position more than the others, but in the competitive world of travel, varsity and collegiate fastpitch, it just may not be realistic that a player can start at that position as they rise. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Small players will NOT get recruited to play in college as a first baseman. 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. While were at it, lets look at a smattering of high draft picks from one year ago. Baseball Info Solutions categorizes plays as good fielding plays and defensive misplays and Castellanos' total of GFP minus DM + errors ranked second worst among third basemen in 2014. 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. St. Louis' first-round draft pick from 2007 wasn't expected to play much this year as the Cardinals initially had both Rafael Furcal and Ronny Cedeno on their roster, but Furcal's decision to have Tommy John surgery and St. Louis' eventual release of Cedeno provided an opening for Kozma at short. 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 would love to be on a softball team someday. Look for a rise in the rankings in coming years. He's in the seventh spot as opposed to sixth because his component metrics and DSR pull him down a bit, and the following candidate is just a hair stronger both in this area and in UZR. His DRS of five puts him in a tie for fifth among qualifying shortstops. Right fielders are most commonly known for their very strong arms. You must be signed in to continue. 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. Cabrera's RF of 4.65 is a laudable sixth place in the majors whereas his 0.9 DPR puts him in a tie for fifth. While it's true that his offensive statistics are mediocre at best, that label doesn't carry over when it comes to his fielding. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? His DRS of four is just above-average, as it puts him in a four-way tie for seventh in the majors. Thanks for reading I hope this overview of positions was helpful! I used three general criteria to rank shortstops, each with its own subset(s): 1. What level of play? Shortstops at this level will be missing a few elements of the top shortstop, but they still make plays and contribute in the line-up. Pro/Con of going online for senior yr and not playing hs ball. While Escobar isn't quite outstanding enough to crack the top five, his defense is still noteworthy. It's also interesting that all 10 seasons here occurred since 1990, which is a reflection of more data available to grade defense. With that in mind, lets turn our attention to shortstop defense. I enjoyed reading your write up Coach Dan Blewett, youre doing a good job. He always has been. Top middle infielders are evaluated first from a defensive standpoint, and then from an hitting standpoint. Fielding Percentage (FPCT) = (put outs + assists) (put outs + assists + errors). To get started, check out my video on the softball positions as they break down into different bins of player types. MLB Player Fielding Stats - As SS - 2023. Pingback: How Do You Size A Fastpitch Softball Glove: Beginner's Guide. The Padres were third-to-last in the majors in defensive efficiency (percentage of balls in play turned into outs), so a lot of Padres defenders ended up with poor ratings in 1997. And Alcides is just a smidgen better. His reward? Athleticism, knowledge of the game, and leadership skills are necessary for shortstops at this level. 3. MLB Fielding Complete Stats . 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. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:21AM. But even if common sense knocks down Shields +26, its still clear that he turned an awful lot of ground balls into outs. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Later, the shortstop was moved but the number six stuck. On a broader scope, however, he's just average. Become a Stathead today and run queries with our, Most Unique Players by Age by Similarity Scores, Most Games without a World Series Appearance, Most Games without a Postseason Appearance, Highest Career and Single-Season Salaries, Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. The Designated Hitter is a player who only hits, and hits in place of the pitcher. Join our linker program. The most important factors when evaluating an elite middle infielder defensively are speed, quickness, good hands, and arm strength. His DPR of -0.5 puts him at 20th. Its both important to be well-rounded AND strong at 1-2 positions, but here are some common mistakes made by softball families. Find out more. While Hardy's RF is just 4.02 (seventeenth), his DPR on 1.0 (third-best) is quite impressive, considering the fact that, throughout the years, it has constantly been up in the air as to who his double playmate will be (this happens when you have the oft-injured Brian Roberts as your projected starting second baseman). We present them here for purely educational purposes. 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. All rights reserved. Fast legs are strong legs. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? But as seen above, he can lay out with the best of 'em. Everth Cabrera has a UZR of 3.7, good enough for 10th of all qualifying shortstops in the majors. 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 meaning of FIELDING PERCENTAGE is the average (as of a baseball fielder) determined by dividing the number of putouts and assists by the number of chances called also fielding average. First baseman are the biggest power hitters on a team, and they are typically very big and relatively slow because of this. Join our linker program. Find out more. I dont think scouts generally talk about Beckham as a liability in the fieldjust a guy who cant stick at shortstop. 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. 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. Ramirez's recent onslaught of errors is cause for concern, but the rest of his numbers still put him among the premier shortstops in the game. Fielding percentage: .985 (tied for eighth). Tulo's UZR of 6.5 is good enough for second-best of shortstops in the majors, while his 0.8 dWAR has him in a three-way tie for ninth place and his DRS of five in a tie for fifth. Escobar's UZR of 6.0 slots him in fourth place among all qualifying shortstops, while his dWAR of 0.9 has him in a three-way tie for sixth. Bortnick is barely a dozen games into his professional career, but Tampa Bay has put him back at shortstop in the New York-Penn League. When weve got multiple full years of data for a shortstop, it would appear that we have something worth looking at. The longest games in Major League history (both leagues) with no chances offered to a . Young did seem to improve after that, perhaps with better positioning. Still, that's nearly one fewer play every two games. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. 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. Sabermetric types don't like this measurement, for several reasons. Modify, Export & Share Table. Kozma cracks the top five namely because of his UZR, RF and fielding percentage. year and team summary of data Gary Sheffield, 3B, 1993 Padres/Marlins (minus-31). 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. 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. 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. Sports averred that "he manages the defensive wizardry of a player three inches and 20 pounds smaller." Return to Top; Major League Players. Bichette was fast enough to play a little center field early in his career, but by 1999 was 35 and lumbering. For pitcher fielding the minimums are reduced . Its very hard to win without great pitching. Even if you cut all of Simmons' composite stats in half, you'd still probably have a player who ranks in the top 10. College pitching coacheswhat do they actually do? 13 May 2022 In the field, Alcantara has six errors in 89 chances (.933 fielding percentage) at shortstop. Michael Young, SS, 2005 Rangers (minus-32). The first baseman is paid to HIT, and hit for powerthats job #1. Shortstops with career .271/.340/.493 lines don't grow on trees, and we're projecting him to be better than that this year. Diamondbacks primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Corey Seager leaves Dodgers' season on the brink, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Im very good but he always puts his daughter up! Its the most demanding out field position with lots of ground to cover. 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. In 2010, his ratio of good fielding plays to misplays fell to 26-28, which combined with poor range gave him minus-37 defensive runs saved. He'd be higher on the list if not for his component metrics and fielding percentagethe Rangers clearly benefit from his presence on the field. Many thanks to him. Real or Not? Current Greats: Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Jacob deGrom, Miguel Cabrera, Zack Greinke, Jose Altuve, . Left-handed catchers are seen occasionally in college softball but its rare. * Imminent Big Leaguers article. copyright=new Date(); Part of the Baseball Almanac Family, Chances Records for Shortstops by Baseball Almanac. Might not be an absolute but they do always seem to be either the catcher or pitcher. All rights reserved. Do you have a sports website? Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? Speed is still a quality that coaches will look for. Your email address will not be published. Statistics That Require the Tracking of Batted Balls Metrics In an interview with Tyler Mason of Fox Sports North, Minnesota general manager Terry Ryan noted Florimon's natural talent: The one thing that we've always talked about with Florimon, he's got every skill you're looking for out of a shortstop, but it's a matter of finishing the plays. Oakland promoted him to Kane County thanks to a solid offensive performance last season, but in 79 games this year, hes played 61 at third base and zero at shortstop. Simmons is No. The fielding percentage for National League shortstops in 1974 was .961, and Russell had 724 fielding chances. About Sharing Tools. But I try and make a hard play look routine. It measures the number of successfully fielded balls (putouts and assists) divided by the number of opportunities (putouts, assists, and errors). 4. 970 or better. 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. A good shortstop is always in need for a college coach and for programs at this level its no different. Left fielders typically have good speed and fielding skills and are expected to be good contributors at the plate. The corner outfielders, shortstop and second baseman are typically the fastest players on a competitive fastpitch softball team. College softball coaches evaluate a player's athleticism based on arm strength and accuracy, speed, fielding range and the ability to hit for . The primary reason for Kozma sitting below the top four is the gap in composite metrics. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? If a team already has an amazing third basemanbeing flexible will help get playing time elsewhere. 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. Here's the skinny on Hardy: Once in a while, there's a UZR/dWAR discrepancy, and Hardy is a curious case of that. J.J. Hardy is quintessential durability. However, Green did, and his 07 performance was in line with the more recent numbers. But, it just occurred to me that it might be a function of aluminum bats. It's a combination of control, cat-like reflexes and pure athleticism. Braun fielded just .895, making 26 errors in 112 games, and made .57 fewer plays per nine innings than the average third baseman. What is considered a good fielding percentage often varies based on the position, but a good fielding percentage in high school baseball is about .940 and above. 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?" At least thats what Ive experienced. Jeter, at minus-33 runs, was BIS's worst-rated shortstop over that two-season span; Ryan, at plus-45, was the best. He exceeded his expected errors by 10.98, resulting in a Universal Fielding Percentage Score of .304 for the seasonwell below average: (56.04 - 39) / 56.04 = .304 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. In general, positions are more likely to be filled with people with more experience than others. Jean Segura has a UZR of zero, which slots him in 18th place. Bumped to second base for the 2009 season. Andrus' has a shockingly low RF of 3.78, which puts him at 24th (26 qualify). Thanks to his performance in the 2008 College World Series, Mendonca may have been the most heralded defensive player available in this years draft. *Many detailed statistics are based on play-by-play accounts accumulated by Retrosheet. Many outfielders, because of their speed, end up converting into successful slap hitters. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present a record book of baseball milestones for chances by shorstops - including career chances marks at short, single season chances plateaus for shortstops, and game related chances records at shortstop. I'd say the Hardy play shown above falls under "things that other people can't do." 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. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. Fielding percentage: .987 (tied for fifth). The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. 1 on this list. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:21AM. [1] On June 27, 1939, Eddie Miller of Boston played twenty-three innings at shortstop and handled twenty-one chances setting the major league record for most chances by a shortstop in an extra inning game. To be an elite shortstop, you need sure hands, a rocket for an arm, consistency, double-play adroitness and athleticism, and the guys who made the cut all embody this cocktail of skills to a certain degree. Theres little question he was one of the top available prospects with the bat, but it will be interesting to see how his glove measures up in the pros. The throw from right field to third base is very long, hence the need for good arm strength. Perhaps Shields racked up the strong numbers because Florida Southerns weaker competition didnt generally hit balls as hard as the batters in a top D I conference. Data Provided By Matt Kemp, CF, 2010 Dodgers (minus-37). 10. The 30-year-old has the most full innings played of all shortstops in the majors with 763. But, that doesnt mean first base is not a difficult position its easy to play an average first base, but its NOT easy to be great at it. 1 because not only does he lead UZR, dWAR and DRS, but he leads them by an enormous margin. 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. 1. Coach Dan Blewett, Pingback: Softball Batting Power: 5 Ways to Increase It, Pingback: Two Pitch-Calling Mistakes that Cause High Pitch Counts - Elite Baseball Performance, Pingback: How to Create High-Velocity Softball Throwing Mechanics, Pingback: 5 Easy Ways Softball Players Can Throw Harder - Coach Dan Blewett. 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. The other positions require similar skills but are less demanding. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Shortstop is, perhaps, the most complex fielding position in baseball, both in terms of execution and defensive statistics. Just wait, he's salvageable. . 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. Troy Tulowitzki is not your typical shortstop. 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.
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