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  • Isiah Kiner-Falefa is fulfilling his potential

    By MARK SIMON

    Our Minor League Defensive Runs Saved numbers are something we share with our team clients, not publicly. They look a little odd because players are judged on an MLB basis, meaning that most come out with a negative rating.

    A few have come out with numbers that are strongly positive. We joke that Matt Chapman is the Defensive Runs Saved posterchild because his numbers in the minors foretold his major league success. We’re now starting to see something come together in a similar fashion for another who rated well by our minor league stats, Rangers infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

    In his first two seasons, Kiner-Falefa had the same success he had in the minors, when he got to play in the infield. The Rangers tried him at catcher in 2018 and 2019 and it didn’t take at all. In those two seasons, he cost the team 15 runs with his catching defense because he was a below-average pitch framer and a below-average pitch blocker.

    This season, he hasn’t caught at all. He’s spent most of his time at third base with some work at shortstop. And he’s totaled 7 Runs Saved. The only infielder in MLB with more is Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado with 10.

    Most Defensive Runs Saved – 2020 Infielders

    PlayerTeamDRS
    Nolan ArenadoRockies10
    Kiké HernándezDodgers7
    Carter KieboomNationals7
    Isiah Kiner-FalefaRangers7
    Dansby SwansonBraves7
    José AbreuWhite Sox6

    Kiner-Falefa has now played a little less than 1,100 innings in the infield for his career (that would be more than 120 full games) and totaled 22 Runs Saved. That Runs Saved total would have ranked fourth among infielders in 2019.

    Here are some examples of his fine work:

    At third base

    At shortstop

    And just for good measure, at second base from 2018

    Kiner-Falefa’s specialty this year has been handling balls hit to his right, like this one, on which the out probability was 32%.

    These kinds of plays are high-value plays for a third baseman’s Runs Saved total because those are would-be doubles he’s denying. He’s shown he can go in both directions without issue, as in 2018 he rated above-average on balls hit to his lfeft.

    Entering the season, there were still plenty of questions as to whether Kiner-Falefa could hit MLB pitching. How he fares in a full season remains to be seen, but in 41 games, he’s hitting .320 with a 114 OPS+. His contact rate is up 5 percentage points from last season.

    Not much has gone right for the Rangers this season, but the shortened campaign could be just what Kiner-Falefa needed to put himself on the map and make him a prominent player to watch in 2021.

  • New baseball podcast: Celebrating great defense in the Negro Leagues

    LISTEN

    On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball podcast, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues with baseball researcher Gary Ashwill and Negro League Museum co-founder Larry Lester (@LarryLester42).

    Gary talks to us about the Seamheads Baseball Database project, which aims to document Negro League statistics (among many things) (2:00), explains the work that has gone into the project (3:16), shares the highlights of what he found (6:02), and comes up with a Negro Leagues All-Defense team (9:45).

    Larry Lester also picks an All-Star team of Negro League defenders and tells stories about Hall-of-Famers like pitch-framer extraordinaire Biz Mackey and third baseman Ray Dandridge, and some of the greatest defensive plays in league history (19:46). He also provides a list of resources that people could utilize to learn more about the Negro Leagues (26:23).

    Mark closes the show by talking briefly about baseball legend Roberto Clemente, who was honored by MLB on Wednesday (29:22).

    Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to rate and review us. Stay safe and stay well. 

    Links

    Negro League Baseball Museum

    Larry Lester’s Website

    Seamheads Baseball Website

    SABR BioProject Negro League biographies

    SABR Negro Leagues Committee

  • Jackie Bradley Jr. still a center of attention

    By MARK SIMON

    Over the last two seasons, the most we heard from fans about a player’s Defensive Runs Saved total were tied to Jackie Bradley Jr. finishing with -1 and -2 Runs Saved in center field.

    Bradley had previously had seasons of 16 (2014), 14 (2016) and 15 (2017) Runs Saved and people wondered why his totals weren’t at that level.

    Well, in what has been a miserable year for Red Sox fans, we can tell you that for at least 40 games, Bradley’s defense has been very good. He’s saved 6 runs, which ranks tied for 4th in MLB.

    Bradley’s highlight tape has a good array of terrific catches. He’s tied with Kevin Kiermaier for the MLB lead in Good Fielding Plays among center fielders with 9. Three plays from that list rank as the catches that netted him the most run value this season.

    Two of them came in the first three days of the season.

    This one had a catch probability of 32%

    And this one had a catch probability of 24%

    The other came in early August and also had a catch probability of 32%

    Bradley has since had a busy last two weeks, recording 5 more Good Fielding Plays, four for catches, and a throw to nail Jonathan Villar of the Blue Jays at second base. This one required an impressive reach to track down.

    Last season, MLB introduced its jump stats, which showed that Bradley had on average the most feet covered within the first 1.5 seconds that the ball was in flight. However, his overall routes to balls ranked last.

    A week into the season, our Video Scouts gave Bradley a Defensive Misplay for a bad route on a ball hit by Andrés Giménez of the Mets. Bradley has not gotten one of those since then. He rates as the center field leader in sliding and diving catches with 8 and is in a tight race for the most sprinting catches at the position.

    Bradley will be a free agent after this season. Though he’s now in his 30s, he’s shown that he may still have something left on the defensive side.

  • White Sox getting a big boost from pitch-framing

    By MARK SIMON

    Yes, White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal couldn’t handle a short throw to the plate yesterday, allowing the winning run to score in a loss to the Pirates.

    But Grandal has handled some of the longer throws this season — the ones from 60-feet, 6-inches, pretty well.

    One of the biggest acquisitions of the offseason was the White Sox signing Grandal to a four-year contract.

    The move made the White Sox immediately better in one notable area –- pitch framing. Grandal leads all catchers in our stat that measures the ability to get extra strikes, Strike Zone Runs Saved, in 2020. His backup James McCann has been good behind the plate as well. The two have combined for 6 Runs Saved from their pitch framing. Last season, White Sox catchers combined to cost the team 11 runs from this.

    Let’s show four examples of good framing work that White Sox catchers have done this season.

    Here’s one from Grandal on a low pitch. The count here is 3-0 and historically the strike zone gets larger, but even so, our system estimates the strike probability of this pitch at 50%.

    Different catchers have different approaches to catching this pitch. Indians catcher, Austin Hedges, the leader in Strike Zone Runs Saved last season, will often tap the dirt with his glove and try to catch the ball on the way up (he explained this on our podcast last year). Grandal doesn’t do that here, instead preferring an approach in which he keeps his hand as still as possible to try to present a better look for the umpire. In this case, it worked.

    Then there’s this pitch, and it’s kind of neat here because the hitter is Roberto Pérez, another outstanding pitch framer. Sometimes, pitch-framing is about stealing strikes on pitches out of the strike zone. Sometimes it’s about making sure that pitches right on the edge are strikes. In this case, Grandal takes a borderline pitch and catches it in a way such that it looks like the pitch was in the middle of the zone.

    That pitch had a 48% chance of being called a strike. That Grandal gets calls like these are why he’s atop our leaderboard.

    As for McCann, he’s never rated as more than an average pitch-framer since his career began in 2014. But this year, he’s been good. It’s likely no coincidence that White Sox pitchers have a 2.66 ERA in 19 games when he’s behind the plate.

    McCann contrasts a little with Grandal in that he brings the glove low pre-pitch so that he can catch knee-high pitches with his glove momentum traveling upwards. Here’s a pitch at the edge of the bottom of the strike zone with a 32% strike probability on which McCann gets a strike call.

    Remember Lucas Giolito’s no-hitter on August 25. If you watched the celebration immediately after the final out, you would have seen McCann point to home plate ump C.B. Bucknor to thank him for calling a good game.

    Every pitch Pirates hitters took that had at least a 50% chance of being called a strike was called a strike by Bucknor. And Giolito and McCann got four strike calls on pitches that had less than a 50% strike probability.

    The most notable was this one in the fifth inning for a strikeout against Gregory Polanco.

    That pitch had a 4.5% chance of being called a strike. Pitches like that going the White Sox way made for a magical day and look to be making for a magical season as well.

    To learn more about how we calculate our Strike Zone Runs Saved stat, check out this award-winning paper from the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

  • Trent Grisham and Jake Cronenworth getting it done for the Padres

    By MARK SIMON

    You can certainly point to the season that Padres shortstop Fernando Tatís Jr. is having as the biggest reason for the team’s successful season to this point. But don’t shortchange the impact that two newcomers have made on the defensive side.

    Outfielder Trent Grisham and utility infielder Jake Cronenworth have combined for 9 Defensive Runs Saved this season.

    You may remember Grisham for his error on Juan Soto’s base hit late in last year’s NL Wild Card Game as the Nationals rallied to beat the Brewers. He’s trying to erase that memory with his performance in 2020. After playing all three outfield spots last season, Grisham has been entrenched in center field this season. He’s totaled 4 Runs Saved there.

    Grisham’s defensive highlight reel consists of several places like these two, as he glides confidently into either gap to track balls down. His game still has a few blemishes. He has 9 Misplays & Errors this season, the most of anyone at the position. But the positives outweigh the negatives.

    Cronenworth is similarly prone to mistakes (9 Misplays & Errors), but overrides that with considerable versatility. He’s saved 5 runs having played all four infield positions, most frequently as Tatis’ double play partner at second base. Cronenworth is tied for seventh with 11 Good Fielding Plays, including two that he made over the weekend against the Athletics.

    Grisham and Cronenworth have also been highly significant contributors with their bats. Their all-around games are making them recognizable names both for this shortened season and for what look to be very bright futures.

  • Cardinals have lived up to defensive expectations – maybe not how you’d expect

    By MARK SIMON

    Coming into the season, the Cardinals were expected to be one of the best defensive teams in baseball.

    Despite a season interrupted by a Covid-19 outbreak, the Cardinals have lived up to those expectations.

    The Cardinals are tied for third in the majors in Defensive Runs Saved with 19. That’s despite having played only 32 games, while most of the other teams have reached or are approaching 40.

     Defensive Runs SavedGames Played
    Dodgers3142
    White Sox2041
    Cardinals1932
    Twins1942
    Indians1440

    The Cardinals rank first in the majors in turning ground balls and bunts into outs with a 79% conversion rate. They also rank first in the majors in turning balls hit in the air that didn’t leave the ballpark into outs (73%, with an MLB-best 67% rate on balls hit to the outfield).

    The Cardinals have done this without having a player near the top of the Runs Saved leaderboard. Your five guesses at the team leaders would probably be Kolten Wong, Harrison Bader, Yadier Molina, Paul Goldschmidt, and Paul DeJong. They would all be wrong. Outfielders Dylan Carlson and Tyler O’Neill lead the team with 5 and 4 Runs Saved, respectively. Carlson has at least one Run Saved at each of the three outfield spots. O’Neill has done his work in left field.

    Wong, who won the Fielding Bible Award at second base the last two seasons has a respectable 3 Runs Saved. Seven players have more.  DeJong, who tied for the MLB lead with 26 Runs Saved at shortstop last season, sits at an MLB average 0 in 2020, the same total as Molina at catcher. Bader has 1 Run Saved in 2020. Goldschmidt has 2. They’ve all been alright to good. None has been great.

    What sticks out about the Cardinals regarding why their Runs Saved total is so high is that they don’t have a bad defensive player. They have three players who are a smidge below average so far – Brad Miller (-1 Run Saved), Matt Wieters (-1), and Dexter Fowler (-2), with Fowler currently on the IL with a stomach ailment.

    There are 72 players who entered Monday at -3 Runs Saved or worse this season. They’re on the other 29 teams. The Cardinals have none of them. They’ve maximized the talents of their players through the first half of their season.

    The Cardinals Way this season seems to be to go about their defensive business with workmanlike consistency, not allowing bad performance to take root. Seems like a good way to approach things in the field.

  • New baseball podcast: Trevor Story goes ‘Full Superman’

    LISTEN HERE

    On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by Rockies shortstop Trevor Story (@Tstory2) to ‘talk shop’ about his defensive success. Trevor currently leads in our “Good Fielding Plays” stat for shortstops by a WIDE margin. Trevor talks about the origin of his developing into a good defensive player and how Troy Tulowitzki influenced him (1:24), why he’s an advocate for playing multiple sports growing up and the similarity between defense in baseball and basketball (3:06). He also walks us through some of his favorite defensive plays, including a recent tag of Cody Bellinger (4:26), and offers advice to aspiring shortstops (7:52).

    Trevor also talks about how shifting impacts how he plays shortstop (8:52), why he likes his glove (10:02), and the challenge of playing defense in a high-altitude ballpark (12:06). Lastly, he shares what goes into playing next to all-world defender, Nolan Arenado (14:36). Thanks for listening, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.

  • New podcast: Kiké Hernández on defensive excellence

    LISTEN HERE

    On this episode of the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) is joined by Dodgers second baseman Kiké Hernández (@kikehndez), who is off to a great defensive start to 2020. 

    Kiké explains about how his work was impacted by the pandemic (0:51) and then ‘talks shop’ on how he covers ground laterally, how playing deep impacts his play, taking pride in his sprinting, which coaches impacted him the most, and the importance of keeping a soft base (2:43). 

    Kiké also shares which play he’s most proud of (which can be viewed HERE) (10:18) and what it’s like to play with Mookie Betts playing behind him (11:57). He lists the top defensive players he’s gotten to watch (14:09), shares how many gloves he’s had (15:21), answers whether we’d ever see him catch (15:53), and explains (or didn’t) how he hits Madison Bumgarner so well (16:29). 

    To close the show, Mark shares the history of great defensive players from Hernández’s native Puerto Rico (17:42).

    Thanks for listening as always. Please rate and review if you can. Stay safe and stay well.

  • Simply the best: White Sox defense No. 1 so far in 2020

    Simply the best: White Sox defense No. 1 so far in 2020

    By MARK SIMON

    Nice catch, Adam Engel!

    Yes, Lucas Giolito’s no-hitter featured 13 strikeouts, but to complete his no-hitter on Tuesday night, he needed help from his defense right to the last pitch.

    Balls like Erik Gonzalez’s funky line drive to right field that was caught by Engel result in the batter reaching 39% of the time. That percentage is based on where the ball was hit, how hard the ball was hit, and what type of batted ball it was. That Engel made the play may have been a testament to something that our Andrew Kyne wrote last year – that those who play center field who move to right field (as Engel has done) add value to a defense.

    The White Sox defense was there for him as it has been for its pitchers all season. The team leads MLB with 19 Defensive Runs Saved entering Tuesday. This would be a huge improvement if maintained in the second half of the season. The White Sox ranked 26th in Runs Saved last season, their defense costing the team 56 runs.

    Two players have made improvements that might come as a surprise and both played a role in last night’s game. Shortstop Tim Anderson handled this play without issue.

    Anderson cost the White Sox 12 runs with his defense last season, but has saved them 2 runs thus far in 2020. First baseman Jose Abreu was on the other end of that throw and made a nice pick to get the out. Abreu made another good play on an Anderson throw in the sixth inning.

    Abreu is tied with Matt Olson for the lead among first basemen with 4 Runs Saved this season after costing the team 8 in 2019. Though Abreu’s total largely comes from covering a good amount of ground, his work on Tuesday is part of a larger story. Abreu has only once finished a season with a positive Runs Saved total at the position.

    Other keys to the White Sox defensive success this season:

    * Rookie Luis Robert has handled center field well, though he didn’t get much of a workout last night. White Sox center fielders have an MLB-leading 8 Runs Saved in 2020. Watch Robert a little bit and you’ll see his 7 Runs Saved come from making hard plays look routine and being well positioned to make plays.

    * Second baseman Danny Mendick, who didn’t have any difficult plays last night, has 4 Runs Saved. That ranks tied for second in MLB.

    * Catchers Yasmani Grandal and James McCann have shored up an issue from 2019. They’ve combined for 3 Runs Saved after the team finished with -10 Runs Saved in 2019. By making McCann the backup, the White Sox were able to let Welington Castillo go and limit the playing time of Zack Collins. Those two players cost the White Sox 14 runs last season.

    * Lastly, let’s revisit where we started with Engel making the play in right field. White Sox right fielders have a modest 2 Runs Saved in 2020.

    That play might not have been made last year.

    White Sox right fielders ranked last in MLB last season costing the team 23 runs with their defense. Ninety six percent of the White Sox innings in right field this season have come from players who were not in their right field rotation in 2019.

    Giolito was glad that Engel was the one there last night.

  • The book on Trevor Story: Great defense!

    Check out Trevor talking about his great defensive plays on The Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast

    BY MARK SIMON

    Who has the most impressive-looking defensive ledger from the first month of the 2020 season?

    We’ll take Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, who has quite the fielding tale to tell. He leads all non-first basemen with 11 Good Fielding Plays this season.

    A Good Fielding Play can be

    – Your typical “Web Gem” – an extraordinary play on a ground ball, line drive, or fly ball by a fielder, the kind you would typically denote with a “*” on your scorecard.

    Or

    – Something a fielder does specific to his position that requires beyond a normal level of effort, with his team getting a positive consequence as a result. The positive consequence could be an out or denying a baserunner the opportunity to gain an extra base.

    Examples of these kinds of plays are cutting off a ball to either keep it in front of you in the infield or outfield, making a nifty tag or throw or making a quick turn on a double play.

    Why did we say “among non-first basemen?”

    First basemen tend to accumulate the most Good Fielding Plays because they touch the ball the most often and garner large numbers of scooped throws.

    So we’ll tell you that Mariners first baseman Evan White is the leader with 14 Good Fielding Plays, but that comes with the knowledge that 9 of those have come from handling throws. He merits praise for this, but he isn’t at the top of the list of players we want to salute.

    If you take first basemen out of the mix, Story comes out on top.

    Story’s ledger includes six ground ball outs, which includes throws to third, second, and first base:

    He’s also got a phenomenal catch of a line drive:

    There’s also a quickly-started double play, a play in which he kept the ball in the infield to save a potential run, and two instances in which he made like Javier Báez and recorded a terrific tag play.

    Normally when we talk about the defense of a Rockies player, the focus is on the player to Story’s right, third baseman Nolan Arenado. But through the first month of 2020, Story has penned a great first chapter of defensive play.