Baseball Info Solutions (BIS) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Fielding Bible Awards. This marks the 15th season that BIS has honored the best defensive players in MLB. The awards are voted on by a panel of experts.

This year’s winners are:

Matt Olson joins Albert Pujols as the only first basemen to win a Fielding Bible Award in three straight seasons. Over the last three seasons, he’s well ahead of the rest of the field in the Range component of Defensive Runs Saved. And he’s the MLB leader in that time in Scoop Runs Saved (Runs Saved from handling difficult throws).

Kolten Wong becomes the first second baseman to win a Fielding Bible Award in three straight seasons. He’s now won two close votes (this year and 2018) sandwiched around a unanimous choice in 2019. Wong was the only winner from a Cardinals infield that was the best in baseball in turning ground balls and bunts into outs. His 40 Runs Saved at the position over the last three seasons are easily the most in the majors.

Javier Báez lost out to Nick Ahmed of the Diamondbacks by two points last season but won a tight vote in 2020. This is his fourth Fielding Bible Award, his first at shortstop with the other three being the Multi-Position Award. Báez finished tied for second among shortstops in the component of Defensive Runs Saved that measures range, throwing, and handling balls hit in the air. He finished tied for first in Double Play Runs Saved.

Nolan Arenado takes his fourth Fielding Bible Award, tying Adrián Beltré for the most won at the hot corner since we began handing them out in 2006. Arenado led all MLB players with 15 Runs Saved, so it’s not surprising he was a unanimous selection. No other third baseman was in double figures in Runs Saved. Arenado stood out most on balls hit to his left, making 58-of-89 plays on which he had a greater than zero chance of getting at least one out. That was 10 more than he was expected to record based on historical probabilities.

Tyler O’Neill is the fifth different left fielder to win a Fielding Bible Award in the last five years. He earned it on the strength of an MLB-leading nine Runs Saved at the position. O’Neill won with his play on balls hit to the deepest part of the ballpark. He caught 46-of-54 chances on those balls, eight more than an average left fielder.

Kevin Kiermaier wonthe closest vote, with Kiermaier and Byron Buxton finishing even in Points. Kiermaier won on our first tiebreaker, recording six first-place votes to Buxton’s five. Kiermaier won this award in a little different fashion than his previous honor in 2015. He is normally known for catching up to balls with his great closing speed. But this year, he saved six runs with his Outfield Arm compared to only two for his Range & Positioning. The six Outfield Arm Runs Saved were double that of the next-closest player.

Mookie Betts won for the fourth time in five seasons, receiving all 12 first-place votes. Betts’ four Fielding Bible Awards pass Ichiro Suzuki and Jason Heyward for most won by a right fielder since the Awards began in 2006. Betts extended his streak of seasons with at least 10 Runs Saved at an outfield position to six (one season in center field and now five straight in right field). He led in the Range & Positioning component of Runs Saved in right field, rating above average at getting outs on balls hit to both the shallowest and deepest parts of the ballpark.

Roberto Pérez became the first repeat winner at catcher since Buster Posey in 2015 and 2016. Though Pérez finished third among catchers in Defensive Runs Saved, he had positive Runs Saved totals in pitch framing, pitch blocking, and stolen base deterrence. His MLB-best three Stolen Base Runs Saved came from catching 9-of-13 basestealers and picking off another.

Max Fried led pitchers with five Defensive Runs Saved, matching the total he recorded in 2019. Fried showed both quick reflexes to snag hard-hit ground balls and the ability to get off the mound to field a weak dribbler or bunt. Additionally, Fried is tough to run on. His four pickoffs tied Tyler Anderson of the Giants for the MLB lead.

Kiké Hernández saved an MLB-high nine runs at second base, made three starts in right field, three starts in center field, two starts in left field, two starts at shortstop, and chipped in seven innings at first base. He was a major asset to the Dodgers defensively. And in winning his first Fielding Bible Award, he helped the team to the best record in the majors.

“It is important to us that we continue to present the Fielding Bible Awards, even after this pandemic-shortened season,” said Baseball Info Solutions owner, John Dewan. “I’m very pleased with the work that our panel put in covering games and evaluating the metrics, and I’m confident that the winners of our 15th annual awards are the best of 2020.”

The awards are determined by a panel of 12 baseball experts, who ranked the top five players at each defensive position (including the multi-position players left out of Gold Glove voting) on a scale from one to five. A first-place vote gets five points, second place gets four points, third place gets three points, etc. Total up the points for each player, and the player with the most points wins the award. A perfect score is 60 points.

A complete list of ballots and the history of the Fielding Bible Awards (which began in 2006) can be found online at FieldingBible.com and in The 2021 Bill James Handbook, which is available at ActaSports.com.

About Baseball Info Solutions

Baseball Info Solutions (also known as Sports Info Solutions) is committed to providing the most accurate, in-depth, and timely professional baseball and football data, including cutting-edge research and analysis, striving to educate professional teams and the public about sports analytics.

By TED BAARDA

Players coming to MLB from overseas are always intriguing to look into. Will they produce similar numbers as they did in Asia? Or will their skills not translate at the highest level? There are opportunities for teams to find a bargain, along with the risk of tying up valuable payroll space on a player who does not contribute to the team. Let’s look into three position players from Japan who may have the opportunity to jump to MLB next season, should their NPB teams permit it.

Tetsuto Yamada – 2B – Yakult Swallows

If you search Tetsuto Yamada’s name on the internet, it isn’t long before you find someone who refers to him as Japan’s Mike Trout. Yamada’s strong all-around game is what intrigues people so much, and as he gets closer to free agency it makes more sense for the Yakult Swallows to consider posting him. Yamada’s resume is impressive, with four 30-30 seasons, five All-Star appearances and a Central League MVP award all accomplished before the age of 28.

Yamada isn’t the biggest player on the field, but he gets the most out of his 5’10”, 163 lb frame by incorporating a big leg kick into his swing. He has quick hands and a level bat path and is able to drive the ball despite his stature. Yamada has above-average speed and strong running instincts (as evidenced by his 176 steals against just 28 caught stealing for his career). While he isn’t an elite defender, he does a solid job at second thanks to his athleticism and strong fundamentals. He has not played any defensive position other than second base since the 2013 season.

Yamada would be highly sought after if he does get posted, but he is in the midst of a down year by his lofty standards. This could be the result of an upper-body injury (he did not play from July 27-August 12), but Yamada does have a history of being remarkably durable, as he has reached at least 140 games played out of a possible 143 in five of the past six seasons. The injury may have affected his approach at the plate as well, as his strikeout and walk rates have trended in the wrong directions this year.

Assuming he is fully healthy Tetsuto Yamada could find a role on any MLB team, and maybe this offseason he will get that opportunity.

Seiya Suzuki – OF – Hiroshima Carp

When thinking about the prototypical right fielder, two attributes come to mind, namely a strong arm and power at the plate. If you asked an NPB fan who fits this mold, they would likely name Seiya Suzuki’s name off the top of their head. The 26 year-old Hiroshima Carp right fielder has been a consistent power threat in the middle of the lineup and has held his own in the field as well.

The 5’11” Suzuki has a leg kick that he uses as a timing mechanism, lifting his leg when the pitcher starts coming towards the plate and letting his foot hover in the air until he drives forward with his swing.

For a smaller player with a flat swing Suzuki can produce power without much visible effort, sending laser-shots all around the diamond. Even when the ball does not leave the park, Suzuki still produces at the plate. He is in the midst of his fifth straight season with a batting average of at least .300 and was the Central League batting champion last season.

Suzuki was primarily a pitcher in high school, then a third baseman and shortstop upon joining the Carp before settling into right field, all positions that require a strong arm. Runners have to be wary of running on him as Suzuki has 31 assists from right field in the last 4 years. His arm is his best defensive attribute, but he will occasionally get a poor read on fly balls. Still, Suzuki has won the NPB version of the Gold Glove Award in three of the last four seasons, which is a testament to the effort he has put into his defense since moving to the outfield.

While Suzuki is a gifted athlete, he has not developed instincts on the bases. Despite his good speed he is a poor base-stealer in the NPB, having gone 72-for-119 (60.5% success rate). His focus on the mound for his formative baseball years may have contributed to this, but his success rates haven’t moved from the low 60’s range even in recent years.

Seiya Suzuki is still just 26, and the Carp may decide to keep him around for a couple more years before posting him (if they choose to), but he could provide an MLB team with a middle of the order righty bat in the corner outfield.

Tomoya Mori – C – Seibu Lions

Tomoya Mori is a solid catcher, and at age 25 should be on the radar of MLB teams soon. 2019 was a career year for Mori, as he won the Pacific League batting title and took home the league’s MVP award. But 2020 has seen Mori’s offense take a step back. He still has a solid track record at the plate for his career

Mori is more known for his accomplishments with the bat than with the glove, and the 5’6” lefty swinger gets a lot out of his diminutive frame.

Mori uses a big leg kick to start his swing and kicks his foot out in front of home plate before stepping forward in his swing. The body control required to pull off this swing is impressive, and Mori finishes his swing with a violent uppercut. The swing works for Mori, who has shown great bat to ball skills, good gap power and improving plate discipline.

Defensively, Mori’s 5’6” stature is an advantage in one regard, as in a crouch the umpires can easily see over him. Mori’s arm strength is around MLB average for a catcher, as his pop times to second are right around the 2-second range. Mori is a good pitch blocker on balls that are in front of him, but he can have difficulty blocking balls that require him to move laterally.

One thing that Mori will need to work on is consistency in his setup. When watching a recent game, I noticed that he usually sets up in a crouch when on the third base side of the plate, but will go to one knee when calling for pitches on the first base side of the plate. With a runner on first and second base open he will be in a crouch on both sides of the plate to prepare for a potential throw, but otherwise the crouch/kneel pattern held for most pitches in the game. This type of pattern would be easy for a big league team to notice and exploit.

Though his height plays fine in the NPB, it will be a challenge for someone his size to play in MLB. There hasn’t been a catcher 5-6 or smaller since Tony Rego, a backup for the St. Louis Browns, 95 years ago.

Despite his small size, he has a track record of hitting and pitchers have to pitch to his smaller zone (though he is chasing more this year). He is likely a bat-first catcher, and the bar for catcher offense is fairly low at the MLB level giving him a good opportunity to provide value.

Overall Mori, assuming his bat bounces back, could provide teams with an above-average bat at the catcher position, which is a luxury in today’s game. Some defensive improvements would make him even more appealing to MLB teams as well.

By Corey Eiferman

Earlier this year, I published a study into a new offensive statistic that I completed during my time at Baseball Info Solutions. The stat was called Offensive Expected Value, and, as I mention in the original post describing it, is meant to measure a player’s offensive output based on both hit types and out types.

I have since made slight adjustments to the weights and looked at how players were performing. With this strange regular season almost complete, I wanted to look into a few players from contending teams that fall into one of two categories:

1. That team’s 2020 Offensive Expected Value leader, who, as a comparison, is also leading that team in wOBA and, doing so unexpectedly or quietly so,

OR

• Someone whose team rankings in OEV is higher than their ranking in wOBA.

*All stats are through September 22^nd, all team leaders referenced are with a minimum of 100 Plate Appearances.

Robbie Grossman, Oakland Athletics: .829

Robbie Grossman has been a platoon/ backup outfielder for much of his pro career, which has spanned 12 years, and five organizations. All three teams he’s had Major League playing time with made the postseason at least once, but Grossman was never a star. In his second year in Oakland, he entered 2020 as the fourth outfielder, not in their opening day lineup. Since then, Grossman has gotten the start in 40 of the AL West-leaders’, first 54 games in left field. Grossman is second in OEV with the A’s at, .857 behind Matt Chapman, at .887, who is out for the rest of the season with an injury.

Grossman, slashing .231/.347/.435, has career highs in Statcast’s average Exit Velocity (89.5 mph) and their hard hit rate (36%) which tell the tale of his breakout. Grossman is behind once-top catching prospect Sean Murphy in wOBA but Grossman has a higher rate of plate appearances ending with an extra base hit (11% to 7%) and hits more fly outs (18% to 13%).

Teoscar Hernandez, Toronto Blue Jays: 1.027

When the expanded playoff roster format was announced, some people looked at the Blue Jays to pounce on one of those three extra American League playoff spots. Most, if not all, would have assumed that if the 2020 Blue Jays would make the playoffs, they’d be carried on the offensive side by their core of three second-generation stars, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and Cavan Biggio.

However, Teoscar Hernandez currently leads the Blue Jays with a 1.027 OEV, 13 points higher than Bichette’s. Hernandez has been near or above average his entire career but has found a new level in this short season, slashing .303/.349/.617. He’s third in MLB home run rate at 9%, the most crucial ingredient in his 1.057 OEV, which is good for sixth overall.

Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants: .983

In the beginning of the 2020 season, Mike Yastrzemski was getting all the attention for his torrid start with the Giants, and deservedly so. However, in the middle 20 games of the season, Brandon Belt’s OPS was almost 500 points higher than Little Yaz’, at 1.463 to .929. Belt also had a ten-day stretch where he raised his OPS by 600 points.

Belt sits at a .983 OEV, with Yastrzemski at .947. In the first five years I have tracked of OEV, Belt’s park & league adjusted OEV+ has continually decreased, from 115, to 112, to two seasons of 108, down to 102 in 2019. Perhaps consistent years of still being above-average shouldn’t make Belt’s spike too much of a surprise.

In his first season, in 2011, Belt’s BIS hard hit rate sat at just 25%, and has brought it all the way up to 38% in 2020, while his hard hit rate by Statcast’s measure is 45%, the highest since Statcast began hit tracking.

As an aside, Austin Slater, a four-corner player whose been a beneficiary of the DH, has only 86 plate appearances, but his OEV is at 1.003. Few people expected the Giants to make the expanded playoffs in 2020, but with San Francisco having a chance to make it, there’s still a chance for a little more even-year magic.

Wil Myers, San Diego Padres: 1.039

The San Diego Padres will go into the playoffs as perhaps the most exciting team in the field of 16. While most of the Padres’ attention goes to their left-side of the infield in Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., as well as super-utility man Jake Cronenworth, none of those three lead the Padres in OEV. Wil Myers, the longest-tenured Padre, was traded to the Padres in the 2014-2015 offseason, the first time A.J. Preller went for it, does.

It’s been a bizarre ride for Myers. It’s one thing to have a player show off their versatility year-in and year-out by playing several positions. But Myers, who was a catcher in the minors, has been with the Padres’ for six seasons, his most frequently played position has been five different ones throughout them. In 2020, Myers is finally back in right field, the position he won the 2013 AL Rookie of the Year Award with the Rays.

Myers sits at a 1.039 OEV, ahead of Tatis, Machado, and Cronenworth, all over .930, and Eric Hosmer, who it’s easy to forget had a one-year reign as the Padres’ highest-paid player. The Padres’ wOBA leaderboard sits in the same order from first to fourth. While Myers’ plate appearances end in more “sole outs” (strikeouts, pop outs, lineouts) than Tatis’ (28% to 26%) he’s made up for it with more fly outs (17% to 15%). And Myers ranks seventh among batting-title qualifiers in hard-hit rate.

It’s fitting that, in a year where they’re headed to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, that the Padres’ most valuable hitter has been not their cornerstone, or highest-paid player, but the one whose been there the longest.

Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins: 1.006

One of the most hyped prospects of the last decade, Byron Buxton is viewed as someone who struggled to live up to what was incredibly enormous potential. If you consider garnering MVP votes a “breakout” season, Buxton has already had a breakout year in 2017, but that was attributed to Gold Glove-winning defense in center field and stealing 29 bases, while only being caught once.

Now, Buxton, still just 26, is finally showing what he can do with the bat. Buxton is second on the Twins with a 1.006 OEV. When I began writing this piece, just eight days ago, he’s raised it by 106 points, thanks to a hot week where he went 8-for-19. In that time, he also shot up from fourth to second on the team in wOBA, leapfrogging Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario, while sitting just behind Nelson Cruz.

In 2020, Buxton has a higher home run rate than Sano, a former Home Run Derby participant, at 10% to 7%, and his outfield out rate almost doubles Sano’s, and his rate of extra-base hits per plate appearance is better than Rosario (13% to 8%). Buxton having only one stolen base this season is the one thing holding him back from showcasing all five tools this season, as he’s at 10 Defensive Runs Saved to go along with his finally excellent offense and extra-base power.