Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? We give an overview of team strengths, weaknesses, and other things to know, using Defensive Runs Saved and other stats as the basis for our evaluation. To see the full series, click here.
2025 Team Defensive Runs Saved Rank: 20th
Team Strengths
We rated third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes as the No. 1 defensive player in MLB and the Reds are fortunate to have him. Hayes has finished first or second in Runs Saved at third base in four of the last five seasons. By our measures he’s the best in the sport in fielding a ball hit towards the third base line and turning it into an out.
Most Defensive Runs Saved – Third Base – Last 3 Seasons
| Player | Runs Saved |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes | 50 |
| Ryan McMahon | 36 |
| Matt Chapman | 34 |
Spencer Steer had a very good year at first base in 2025. He ranked tied for fourth in Runs Saved there last season. One of the things to like about Steer is that he’s improved at limiting his mistakes.
Our Data Scouts track Defensive Misplays, which are plays with a negative consequence that aren’t ruled errors. Steer had 6 Misplays and Errors in 123 games at first base last season. That’s fewer than the 7 Misplays & Errors he had in about half as many games there last season.
Team Weaknesses
Things are dicey for the Reds in a few spots. T.J. Friedl had -10 Runs Saved in center field in 2025. Tyler Stephenson has had -11, -8, and -4 Runs Saved at catcher the last three seasons. (Jose Trevino is the better defensive option and has a good track record as a pitch framer). And for all the great plays Elly De La Cruz makes, he also makes an abundance of misplays and errors. He had -5 Runs Saved at shortstop last season after tallying -5 and -2 in his first two seasons.
Fewest Defensive Runs Saved – Catcher Last 3 Seasons
| Player | Runs Saved |
| Shea Langeliers | -33 |
| Salvador Perez | -30 |
| Tyler Stephenson | -23 |
Other Things To Know
Noelvi Marte moved from third base to right field after the acquisition of Hayes and had 5 Runs Saved in 54 games, including a key home run robbery late in the season that helped get the Reds to the postseason. He seemed to be a better fit there than third base, where his defensive numbers weren’t good -13 Runs Saved in 123 games).
Matt McLain had 4 Runs Saved at shortstop in 2023, so you’d figure the transition to second base would have produced good results. It didn’t in 2025, at least statistically. He had -6 Runs Saved there in 2025 and is certainly capable of better.
Are the Reds A Good Defensive Team?
Not at the moment, though they should be better than last season given that they’ll have Hayes for the full year.
