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Category: Good Defensive Team?

  • Are The Angels A Good Defensive Team?

    Are The Angels A Good Defensive Team?

    Photo: John Cordes/Icon Sportswire

    2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: 16th

    Team Strengths

    Right fielder Jo Adell won our Defensive Player of the Month award once in 2024 and finished with a respectable 6 Runs Saved there last season He’s now the team’s center field and we’ll see how his success in right field converts over.

    Shortstop Zach Neto was one of the best in baseball at turning the double play and also one of the best at going up the middle to make plays. He finished tied for 3rd with 11 Defensive Runs Saved at the position. However, he had shoulder surgery and won’t start the season with the team. 

    In his place will be veteran Kevin Newman, who fared alright at shortstop with the Diamondbacks, saving 4 runs in 55 games. He’s had as many as 9 runs saved in a season at the position but also as few as -6, so he’s a bit of a wild card.

    Most Defensive Runs Saved – Shortstop 

    Player Runs Saved
    Masyn Winn 14
    Taylor Walls 12
    Zach Neto 11
    Brayan Rocchio 11
    Geraldo Perdomo 10
    Ezequiel Tovar 10

    Team Weaknesses

    If Yoan Moncada sticks at third base, he’s their biggest defensive liability. In 2023, Moncada finished with -7 Runs Saved, the worst total of his career.

    Taylor Ward allowed way too many runners to advance on his arm last season. He’d have finished with a positive Runs Saved overall if not for a -5 Outfield Arm Runs Saved that pushed him down to 0. The range is fine. The allowing advancement is not up to MLB standards at the moment.

    Other things to consider

    Mike Trout is moving from center field to right field. Trout has rated as an average center fielder when he’s been on the field the last few years. Most center fielders fare well in the other outfield spots. Trout has been an average center fielder over the last couple of seasons. We’ll see how he fares with less ground to cover.

    Past studies that we’ve done at SIS show that center fielders improve by about 8 Runs Saved per 1,000 innings when moving to a corner spot. Meanwhile, Adell was the team’s top defensive outfielder last season, finishing with 6 Runs Saved. Corners typically decline about 7 runs per 1,000 innings when moving to center field.

    Are They A Good Defensive Team?

    I went into this exercise thinking the answer would probably be a no, but in actuality, the Angels being at least average at most spots but only good at a couple makes them middle-of-the-pack relative to the rest of the sport.

  • Are The Orioles A Good Defensive Team?

    Are The Orioles A Good Defensive Team?

    Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.

    2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: T-19th

    Team Strengths

    Gunnar Henderson had 9 Runs Saved in a half-season’s worth of games at shortstop in 2023. That total dipped to 5 Runs Saved in 2024, though his range numbers were still good (he was hurt by turning double plays at a much lower rate than he previously had). Speaking of hurt, Henderson has been bothered by an intercostal strain.  

    Ryan Mountcastle’s strong throw-handling numbers helped bump him up to a career-high 8 Runs Saved at first base in 2024.

    Adley Rutschman hasn’t lived up to the 18 Runs Saved he had as a rookie catcher. He’s one of the better pitch blockers out there but his framing numbers took a hit last season and his stolen base numbers weren’t great either. He’s still a strength of the defense, but he could be a bigger one.

    Team Weaknesses

    Second base may not be a weakness, but it’s a little bit of a question mark. With Jordan Westburg at third base, the job is Jackson Holliday’s. Holliday had -2 Runs Saved in 56 games there last season and a high number of Defensive Misplays & Errors.

    Other Things To Know

    After leading left fielders in Runs Saved in 2020 and 2021, Tyler O’Neill has 0 Runs Saved there in 211 games over the last three seasons. If he could get back to what he used to be, that would be a boost to the Orioles (as was pointed out to me on Reddit, O’Neill and Collin Cowser in the corners should be a better combo than Cowser and Anthony Santander,). Remember too that Baltimore is moving it’s left field fence in by 10 to 20 feet in some areas and shortening its height, which should make it more fielder friendly.

    Cedric Mullins falls into the same category as Henderson and Rutschman – players whose 2024 Runs Saved totals didn’t match their recent past. Mullins had -5 Runs Saved. He had 5 and 7 Runs Saved in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

    By losing Corbin Burnes to the Diamondbacks, the Orioles improved their pitcher defense (which is already pretty good). Burnes had -6 Runs Saved last season because of the abundance of stolen bases he allowed.

    Are The Orioles A Good Defensive Team?

    They may not be one at the moment, but the opportunity is there. If Rutschman, Henderson, O’Neill, and Mullins can perform as the best versions of themselves, the Orioles could be a Top 10 defensive team.

    Year Runs Saved Rank
    2022 9th
    2023 T-6th
    2024 19th

     

  • Are The Yankees A Good Defensive Team?

    Are The Yankees A Good Defensive Team?

    Photo: Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire

    Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.

    2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: 12th

    Team Strengths

    Anthony Volpe has been a very good defensive shortstop in his first two seasons in the majors, with a Gold Glove Award already to his credit. 

    Most Defensive Runs Saved – Shortstops, Last 2 Seasons

    Player Runs Saved
    Dansby Swanson 24
    Ezequiel Tovar 22
    Anthony Volpe 21
    Miguel Rojas  20

    Austin Wells had a very good defensive season in 2024, particularly at pitch framing. He’ll be shouldering much of the coaching load with Jose Trevino having been traded to the Reds.  

    Aaron Judge moves back to his best position right field. He could be a big strength if healthy, which is a big if. He’s not the same fielder he was in his prime days, 2018 and 2019, when he had 18 and 21 runs saved, respectively, to lead the majors.

    Oswaldo Cabrera could see a lot of time at third base this season and that was the best place for him defensively last year. He totaled 7 Runs Saved in about a half-season there. 

    Jazz Chisholm returns to his best defensive spot, second base. He’s totaled 6 Runs Saved there in the equivalent of about a season’s worth of games for his career.

    Team Weaknesses

    The Yankees are currently aligned such that they could play someone average or better at every spot in the field. The only spot that might be an issue is left field with Jasson Dominguez. In 58 games of minor league sample the last two seasons, Dominguez had -4 Runs Saved there.

    Other things to know

    Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger are wild cards here. Goldschmidt has a longstanding history as a good defensive first baseman. But he’s 37 now and looked to be in decline last year. Bellinger is only 30. He looked like he was going to be a very good defensive center fielder early in his career (he won a Fielding Bible Award in right field too) but performed as an average one in Runs Saved in his time with the Cubs.

    Are The Yankees A Good Defensive Team?

    Yes. They could be a very good one. That’s not to say what happened in a couple of innings in the World Series couldn’t repeat itself in isolated circumstances, but the Yankees should be well equipped to prevent that.

  • Are The Red Sox A Good Defensive Team?

    Are The Red Sox A Good Defensive Team?

    Photo: Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire

    Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.

    2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: 6th

    Team Strengths

    Jarren Duran had a major breakthrough defensively last season. He was excellent in center field (led the majors in Runs Saved) and pretty good in left field and he’ll likely mostly play the latter this season, as the Red Sox have the luxury of having a second very good center fielder, in Ceddanne Rafaela.

    Most Defensive Runs Saved – Center Field in 2024

    Player Runs Saved
    Jarren Duran 17
    Daulton Varsho 16
    Jose Siri 12
    Michael A. Taylor 12
    Jacob Young 12
    Ceddanne Rafaela 12

    Wilyer Abreu led all right fielders in Defensive Runs Saved and was good both at chasing balls down and making throws to limit baserunner advancement.

    Trevor Story has saved as many as 21 runs in a season as a shortstop but injuries have limited him to 62 games there the last two seasons. He had 10 Runs Saved in those games though, so he could be impactful.  

    Alex Bregman won a Gold Glove last year and though he’s not Matt Chapman, he’s saved 5 and 6 runs the last two seasons at third base and is considerably better than now-DH Rafael Devers.

    Team Weaknesses

    Catcher Connor Wong ranked next-to-last in Runs Saved at the position last season, with issues both getting called strikes and blocking pitches. The strike-getting has not been at an average level in either of the last two seasons.

    Triston Casas is the weak link on the infield, with -7 runs saved in his brief career at first base. 

    Other Things To Know

    Second baseman David Hamilton could play his way to being a strength. In a small sample last season (39 games), he had 8 Runs Saved at second base.

    Are The Red Sox A Good Defensive Team?

    People bristled at the Red Sox rank in Runs Saved last season and understandably so. The Red Sox outfield saved 53 Runs. The rest of the team saved -4, so even though the team may have been very good in one area it was not good elsewhere.

    This year’s team is shaping up to be more legitimate, particularly if Bregman fits well at third base and Hamilton does likewise at second.

  • Are The Nationals A Good Defensive Team?

    Are The Nationals A Good Defensive Team?

    Photo: Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire

    Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.

    2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank:26th

    Team Strengths

    Jacob Young covers ground at a level that other center fielders can’t match. He led the position in the range component of Runs Saved last season, though his overall numbers dipped due to a high number of mishandled balls on base hits that allowed runners to advance.

    Trey Lipscomb is battling for a roster spot but if he’s on the team, he’s quite useful on the defensive side. He had 4 Runs Saved in 55 games at third base last year and has a good defensive history in the minor leagues. Same for middle infielder Nasim Nuñez.

    Team Weaknesses

    James Wood didn’t fare great in his first 79 games in left field and finished with -7 Runs Saved. 

    Luis Garcia has had -7 and -5 Runs Saved the last two seasons at second base. That’s better than his -17 at shortstop in 2022 but it’s still in need of improvement.

    Other Things To Know

    Dylan Crews got a 40 scouting grade for his defense from FanGraphs but had 3 Runs Saved in 30 games in right field last season. If he can outperform his scouting report, that would help the Nationals considerably.

    Shout-out to Keibert Ruiz for his defensive improvements, as he went from -5 and -14 Runs Saved in 2022 and 2023, respectively, to 2 Runs Saved in 2024. Holding that improvement would help the Nationals’ defensive projection as well.

    New first baseman Nathaniel Lowe has a Gold Glove to his credit, but his stats don’t necessarily scream Gold Glove. He’s had 3 Runs Saved and 1 Run Saved the last two seasons.

     Are the Nationals A Good Defensive Team?

    No. They’re great in one spot, maybe good in one or two other places, but not in enough spots to be a good defensive team just yet.

  • Are The Rangers A Good Defensive Team?

    Are The Rangers A Good Defensive Team?

    Photo: Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire

    Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.

    2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: 11th

    Team Strengths

    Marcus Semien has hovered around the top spot on the Runs Saved leaderboard at second base in each of the last four years. He’s never finished on top but he ranks 2nd at the position over the last four seasons.

    Year Rank
    2021 2nd
    2022 3rd
    2023 2nd
    2024 3rd

    Wyatt Langford came on strong at the end of the season to finish with 12 Runs Saved in left field, second-most at the position. Half of those runs were attributable to the lack of baserunner advancements on Langford. The only player with more last year was Jarren Duran (9).

    Jonah Heim has had 6, 8, 6, and 5 Runs Saved the last four seasons, and we’ll still list him here despite some concerns about his pitch framing and basestealing numbers (he threw out 12-of-110 attempting to steal). 

    Corey Seager’s not going to make a lot of dazzling plays but he’s been good the last two seasons, with 5 and 4 Runs Saved, respectively. One thing to watch with him: turning double plays. He’s had a below-average conversion rate in three of the last four years.

    Adolis Garcia’s arm gets a separate listing from his glove because its so good. His 20 Outfield Arm Runs Saved over the last four seasons are the most in MLB. He’s had at least 4 OF Arm Runs Saved in right field in each of those seasons.

    Team Weaknesses

    Adolis Garcia’s range was the worst its been last season and explains his -5 Runs Saved total overall. In particular, things went worse for Garcia on deep balls than they ever had before. Garcia has been dealing with an oblique injury this spring, which isn’t going to help matters.

    Other Things To Know

    Evan Carter will get the first crack in center field this year. He’s played 6 games there the last 2 seasons but looked pretty good in left field in the 2023 postseason and last year. Their primary center fielder last season, Leody Taveras, totaled -10 Runs Saved.

    Josh Jung was another player who looked great in the 2023 postseason but an injury limited him to 40 games at third base in 2024 and he finished with -3 Runs Saved.

    Jake Burger replaces Nathaniel Lowe at first base. That could be a downgrade, though Burger hasn’t fully established how good he’ll be just yet. He’s got less than a half-season of MLB sample size to work from.

    Are The Rangers A Good Defensive Team?

    Yes, they are. They could challenge for best in baseball if Carter and Jung are good at their spots in 2025.

  • Are The Astros A Good Defensive Team?

    Are The Astros A Good Defensive Team?

    Photo: Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire

    Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.

    2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: T-19th

    Most Runs Saved at 1B, Last 4 Seasons

    Player Runs Saved
    Christian Walker 38
    Matt Olson 24
    Carlos Santana 23

    Team Strengths

    The Astros finished last in Defensive Runs Saved by first basemen last season. Christian Walker should change that, so long as he’s healthy. Walker has a terrific history of being an excellent defender, though he’s been sidelined this spring by an oblique injury. His 38 Runs Saved there over the last four seasons are the most at the position.

    Jeremy Peña’s best year in the last three was his rookie season but he’s been good enough the last two years to rank 3rd among shortstops in Runs Saved since the start of 2022. 

    Jake Meyers has a good body of work since his career began in 2021. Though he may not rank statistically among the best in baseball, he’s still pretty good. He’s tallied 4 and 6 Runs Saved in center field the last two seasons. His former mate in center, Chas McCormick, will replace Kyle Tucker in right field. He has 7 Runs Saved in roughly 650 career innings there.

    Team Weaknesses

    Jose Altuve moves to left field after a couple of years of declining defense at second base (-41 Runs Saved the last three seasons). He’s an unknown defensively heading into the year and we’d expect some challenges in adjusting to the new spot. 

    Other Things To Know

    Mauricio Dubon or Brendan Rodgers could end up as Altuve’s replacement at second base. Either seems like an upgrade in the field. Dubon, a superutility player the last few years, has a very good history at second base (12 Runs Saved in about a season’s worth of games there). In 2022 Rodgers led second basemen with 22 Runs Saved but injuries got him the next year. He’s totaled -2 and -4 Runs Saved there the last two years. 

    Yainer Diaz has rated as a below-average pitch framer the last two seasons, but his pitch blocking is solid. He grades out average overall by Runs Saved for his career.

    Are The Astros A Good Defensive Team?

    By signing Walker and moving Altuve off second base, the potential is there for the Astros to be a good defensive team. But Altuve can’t hurt them too much in left field and a capable replacement at second base would help their potential fortunes considerably.

  • Are The Tigers A Good Defensive Team?

    Are The Tigers A Good Defensive Team?

    Photo: Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire

    Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.

    2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: 5th

    Strengths

    Riley Greene won a Fielding Bible Award in left field, a position he was moved to with the emergence of rookie Parker Meadows. Greene led all left fielders in Runs Saved despite playing only 84 games there. 

    Meadows is another strength. He had 5 Runs Saved in center field in about a half-season’s worth of games. He’s currently dealing with a nerve issue in his arm that prevents him from throwing and will not be ready to go on Opening Day.

    Jake Rogers finished tied for 4th in Runs Saved among catchers. He ranked among the best pitch framers in baseball and is an impactful defender.

    There are also big expectations for shortstop Trey Sweeney, who saved 3 runs in 36 games there, and though he didn’t hit much, the Tigers went 23-10 in games he started.

    The team has good defenders but the positioning of those players was integral to the team’s success in 2024. Of their 50 Runs Saved, 33 were credited to the team for defensive positioning.

    Most Defensive Runs Saved

    Team Runs Saved Positioning Runs Saved
    Blue Jays 102 26
    Guardians 89 28
    Dodgers 66 51
    Brewers 64 12
    Tigers 50 33

    Weaknesses

    The Tigers have two dicey spots in their infield. Gleyber Torres totaled -11 Runs Saved at second base last year with the Yankees and -4 the year before that. Third base is also going to be interesting. 

    Jace Jung, brother of Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, had -6 Runs Saved in 27 games at third base in 2024, and figure to be the starter eventually. He’ll start the season in the minor leagues. For now with Matt Vierling also injured, FanGraphs lists Javier Báez, who has 8 Runs Saved in a little over 600 career innings there. Báez hasn’t played the position since 2019.

    Other Things To Know

    First base is a question mark because Spencer Torkelson hasn’t hit enough to warrant staying in the lineup. For now, it looks like the Tigers will take Colt Keith, who had a shaky start at second base last season before settling in, and play him at first base, where he’s never played as a professional. Seems a little risky.

    Are The Tigers A Good Defensive Team?

    Collectively at the end of last season, the Tigers were a very good defensive team that maximized the player’s skills with good positioning. This year’s team could be as good as that one, but it could be in for some rough patches, particularly in the infield.

  • Are the Royals A Good Defensive Team?

    Are the Royals A Good Defensive Team?

    Photo: Scott Grau/Icon Sportswire

    Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.

    2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: 7th

    Team Strengths

    Freddy Fermin is one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. He finished third at the position in Defensive Runs Saved despite ranking 31st in innings caught. His strengths were stopping basestealing and also pitch blocking. Royals pitchers had a 3.41 ERA when he caught, 4.06 when Salvador Perez caught.

    Name Runs Saved Innings
    Patrick Bailey 20 908
    Cal Raleigh 17 1,122
    Freddy Fermin 16 663
    Alejandro Kirk 13 766
    Jake Rogers 13 761

    The Royals also had the No. 1 pitching staff in Runs Saved in 2024, a testament to limiting baserunning and having good athletes who could make plays.

    Kyle Isbel is in the starting lineup for his defense. He did dip from 13 Runs Saved in 2023 to 5 in 2024 but he’s still a solid defender.

    Bobby Witt Jr. has turned things around in a big way. Runs Saved isn’t as high on him as other metrics, but he’s gone from -18 Runs Saved as a rookie shortstop in 2022 to 2 Runs Saved last season. He’s headed in a good direction.

    Team Weaknesses

    MJ Melendez’ played every day in left field last season as the Royals looked for a position that he could handle. It likely isn’t this one. He totaled -7 Runs Saved there last season.

    Perez improved his longstanding pitch framing weakness but he doesn’t throw out runners anywhere near the level of Fermin and finished with a negative Runs Saved total at catcher for the 4th straight year. He’s still likely to get most of the time at catcher but his best days may be behind him.

    Other things to consider

    The Royals had a combined 6 Runs Saved at second base last season, but most of that came from Adam Frazier, who signed with the Pirates. FanGraphs currently lists Michael Massey as the starter. He totaled 0 Runs Saved at second in 2024. 

    Jonathan India is currently listed as the main DH and for good reason. Over the last three seasons, he’s totaled -32 Runs Saved at second base, the second-worst total of anyone at the position.

    Are the Royals a good defensive team?

    Yes, particularly up the middle if Ferman is catching, pitchers included.

  • Are The Dodgers A Good Defensive Team?

    Are The Dodgers A Good Defensive Team?

    Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.

    2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: 3rd

    Team Strengths

    The biggest strength for the Dodgers isn’t necessarily a player but rather their defensive positioning. The Dodgers aggressively move both their infielders and outfielders and the payoff is that they give their players a better chance to make defensive plays. Last year 51 of their 66 Runs Saved came from positioning.

    The Dodgers’ best defensive player actually comes off the bench, shortstop Miguel Rojas. Over the last four seasons he leads all players at the position in Runs Saved, though he’ll be behind starting shortstop Mookie Betts.

    Another strength is the Dodgers’ multi-positional flexibility. Tommy Edman can play center field, second base, and shortstop and play them all well. Betts is capable at shortstop and has a great track record in right field. Rojas has at least 80 games of experience at each infield position. Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez can play anywhere on the field.

    Team Weaknesses

    If someone isn’t working out at a position, the Dodgers have the flexibility to move him off that spot pretty quickly. An exception is catcher where – after four straight seasons with a positive Runs Saved – Will Smith totaled -4 Runs Saved, rating below average in both strike getting and pitch blocking. The 2024 season was the first time since 2014 that the Dodgers catchers finished with a negative Runs Saved.

    However, it’s not all bad. Smith threw out 28% of baserunners trying to steal on him, one of the better rates in the majors. The alternative at catcher, Austin Barnes, is a good defender but allowed 48 steals against only 3 caught stealing last season.

    Other Things To Know

    The Dodgers will try Hye-Seong Kim, formerly of the KBO, at second base at some point this season. He’ll start the year in the minors. Kim’s defense, very good by KBO standards, translates to MLB average or thereabouts.

    Are The Dodgers A Good Defensive Team?

    Yes, though it’s more the product of their defensive system than it is the skill of their players. It works very well though, so it’s hard to argue with.