Did you happen to catch the excellent catches by rookie outfielders Luis Lara (Brewers) and Carson Benge (Mets) within the last few days?

Between that and the fact that we’ve had four players share Defensive Player of the Month honors at different points this season, we’ve been thinking about the top defensive rookies this season.

Here are the overall rookie leaders in Defensive Runs Saved.

Player	Team/Pos	DRS
JJ Wetherholt	STL 2B/SS	12
Joe Mack	MIA C	11
A.J. Ewing	NYM OF	10
T.J. Rumfield	COL 1B	10
Victor Mesa Jr.	TB OF	9
Tristan Peters	CHW OF	9

JJ Wetherholt was excellent for the Cardinals until he got hurt. He ranks fourth among second basemen with 13 Runs Saved (-1 at shortstop)  and is the top defensive player on the Cardinals this season. He’s in a battle for NL Rookie of the Year with a few players and One thing that is keeping him in contention with the likes of Sal Stewart is his being an excellent defensive player and Stewart (-5 Runs Saved) is not.

Joe Mack, like Ewing, Wetherholt, and Angels outfielder Wade Meckler was one of our Defensive Player of the Month winners this year and legitimately so. The Marlins are 43-36 when he starts, with major improvements to their staff ERA and their caught stealing percentage with him catching. He’s part of a three-way tie for second place in Runs Saved by catchers with 11.

A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge have spent the summer patrolling the outfield together for the Mets. Ewing, a small speedy outfielder who reminds Mets fans of Len Dykstra, has been the better of the two. His 10 Runs Saved are split between center field (5 Runs Saved) and left field (5). He’s looked legit. For his part, Benge has been good too, as he has one of the strongest outfield arms in baseball, and has 3 Runs Saved.

At age 26 T.J. Rumfield is an older rookie. He was known to have a very good glove in the minor leagues and it has come to the big leagues with him. The Rockies have given him an opportunity and he’s taken full advantage. He ranks second among first basemen with 10 Runs Saved. He may not win the Fielding Bible Award because of the season Ty France is having for the Padres but he’s a solid contender.

Victor Mesa Jr. has a weird hitting line, with 4 doubles, 2 triples, and 10 home runs in 63 games for the Rays. His defense is our primary area of interest and he’s been good in a small sample with 8 of his 9 Runs Saved coming in right field.

Tristan Peters has been a great surprise for the AL Central leaders in center field for the White Sox. Like Rumfield, he’s 26 and a little older than most of the other major league rookies. He’s shown that he belonged and is here to stay. He ranks seventh among center fielders with 7 Runs Saved and also has 1 Run Saved in both left field and right field.

Honorable Mentions:

Shout-outs to some of the players who were just short of the top five.

Lara’s catch against the Cubs a few days ago and that’s part of a strong defensive ledger so far. He has 6 Runs Saved in right field and 2 in center field for a total of 8 Runs Saved. He’s another in a run of excellent defensive outfielders for the Brewers.

Kevin McGonigle has had a terrific year with the Tigers both at the plate and in the field, split between third base and shortstop. His defensive numbers have been better at the hot corner where he has 6 of his 7 Runs Saved.

Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. racked up most of his Runs Saved really quickly, then had a streak of six straight games with an error. Even with the inconsistency, he has 6 Runs Saved in 27 games. Blue Jays rookie catcher Brandon Valenzuela, who rates well at framing pitches and throwing out basestealers, also has 6 Runs Saved, as does Giants rookie catcher Daniel Susac, who has similar skills.

A shout-out to Mets starter Nolan McLean, who has 5 Runs Saved and has been among the pitcher leaders in Runs Saved throughout the season. He’s currently 1 Run Saved behind Michael McGreevy and Brent Suter He’ll be in contention for a Fielding Bible Award.

And also a shout-out to Meckler, an August co-winner of Defensive Player of the Month. His current season tally is 3 Runs Saved.