We normally advocate comparing players to those at their respective positions when it comes to defensive performance because that’s the best way to evaluate them. But there isn’t really any harm in pointing out the Defensive Runs Saved overall leader.

With that in mind, we’ve enjoyed something that’s happened within the last week. Three different players have led the majors in Defensive Runs Saved in 2025 within a five-day span. None of them are the player who opened September as MLB’s overall leader, Pete Crow-Armstrong.

No, these three are Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, and Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement.

Ceddanne Rafaela

Rafaela can catch it and he can throw it. He has 22 Runs Saved total, 21 in center field and one at second base, where he’s played 24 games. He has an MLB-leading 26 Good Fielding Plays in center. His specialty has been catching the shallow fly ball but last night he showed how good he is at getting the deep fly ball too. He’s tied for the center field lead in Outfield Arm Runs Saved with Andy Pages of the Dodgers.

The Red Sox have tried Rafaela at shortstop (last year) and second base (this season), but he’s made only one start at second since August 25. It seems they know what to do with their best defender for the stretch run.

While Crow-Armstrong’s numbers have stalled, Rafaela’s haven’t. He’s now 5 runs ahead of Myles Straw for the center field lead in Runs Saved. PCA is 6 runs behind.

Ernie Clement

We’re guessing that Clement has low name recognition outside Canada, but he held the Runs Saved lead entering Wednesday before ceding it back to Rafaela today. Clement has 11 Runs Saved at third base, 9 Runs Saved at second base, and 1 Run Saved at shortstop this season. 

This isn’t a fluke. Last season he had 9 Runs Saved at third base and 6 Runs Saved at shortstop. Both years at third base he has specialized in making plays on balls hit to his left. At second base he’s been solid going in both directions and at turning double plays.

Clement is the favorite both to win a Utility Player Gold Glove Award and to win The Fielding Bible Award for multi-position play.

Patrick Bailey

The thing that Bailey has going for him is his pitch framing, which accounts for 14 of his 20 Runs Saved this season. Bailey has 40 Strike Zone Runs Saved (our pitch framing stat) since the start of the 2023 season. Only three other catchers have half that many (Austin Hedges, Alejandro Kirk, Cal Raleigh).

This season Bailey has more Runs Saved from pitch framing than any other catcher has from all aspects of catching (framing, blocking, limiting basestealing, fielding balls).

The strikeout-to-walk ratio when he’s caught this season is just about 3-to-1. With other Giants catchers, it’s barely over 2-to-1. 

The Giants’ ERA when Bailey catches this season is 3.58. With their current backup, Andrew Knizner, it’s 5.31.

It is entirely possible that the end-season leader will be none of these players. Steven Kwan is within 2 runs of the lead and Ke’Bryan Hayes is 3 runs back. Kwan has been No. 1 at a few points this season (we just wrote a whole article about him at the trade deadline). Hayes led all players in Runs Saved in 2022.

Most Defensive Runs Saved – 2025 Season