Category: 2025 MLB

2025 Fielding Bible Awards Voting

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Sports Info Solutions recently announced the winners of The Fielding Bible Awards.

The 2025 Awards were determined by a panel of 16 voters, who ranked the top 5 players at each defensive position (including a spot for multi-position players) on a scale from 1 to 5 at the conclusion of the regular season. A first place vote gets 10 points, second place gets 4 points, third place gets 3 points, etc. Total up the points for each player, and the player with the most points wins the award. A perfect score is 80 points.

The panel also voted its top three choices for Defensive Player of the Year, with first place getting 5 points, second place 3 points, and third place 1 point.

Our voting panel consisted of SIS co-founder John Dewan, along with Daniel Álvarez-Montes (El Extra Base, editor/writer), Ben Clemens (FanGraphs, writer), Chris Dial (sabermetrician), Alyson Footer (MLB.com, editor), Tyler Kepner (The Athletic, writer), Bill Ladson (MLB.com, writer), Eduardo Pérez (ESPN, broadcaster), Hal Richman (Strat-O-Matic, founder), Eno Sarris (The Athletic, writer), Travis Sawchik (The Score, writer), Bobby Scales (Detroit Tigers, radio broadcaster), Joe Sheehan (Joe Sheehan’s Baseball Newsletter, writer), Mark Simon (SIS, writer), Danielle Wexelman (MLB Network Radio, broadcaster), and an aggregate vote from the SIS Baseball Operations staff.

(scroll right, over the table to see the full list of ballots and the overall point total)

Catcher

Name	Eduardo Perez	Bobby Scales	Hal Richman	Danielle Wexelman	Alyson Footer	Joe Sheehan	Daniel Álvarez-Montes	Eno Sarris	Travis Sawchik	Chris Dial	Ben Clemens	Mark Simon	Tyler Kepner	Bill Ladson	John Dewan	SIS Staff	TOTAL
Patrick Bailey	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	79
Alejandro Kirk	3	4	5	5	2	2	2	2	3	3	2	3			3	4	41
Freddy Fermin	4	2		2	4	5		3	2			4	3	2	2	2	37
Carlos Narváez		3	4	3		3	3			4		2		3		3	26
Dillon Dingler	2	5			3				4	5	3		4				16
Austin Hedges			2					4					2		4	5	13
Luis Torrens							5	5	5	1	5	5					10
Cal Raleigh				4	5	4					4		5				8
Sean Murphy			3												5		4
Tyler Heineman														4			2
Yainer Diaz							4										2
Pedro Pagés														5			1
William Contreras	5																1

1st Base

Name	Eduardo Perez	Bobby Scales	Hal Richman	Danielle Wexelman	Alyson Footer	Joe Sheehan	Daniel Álvarez-Montes	Eno Sarris	Travis Sawchik	Chris Dial	Ben Clemens	Mark Simon	Tyler Kepner	Bill Ladson	John Dewan	SIS Staff	TOTAL
Matt Olson	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	80
Carlos Santana	4	2	2	2	3	2	2	2	3	2	2	2	5		2	2	53
Spencer Steer	3	3	3	5	4	5	3	5	4	3	3	3	3	5	3	5	36
Ty France				4	2	3		3	2	4	4	4	4	3	5	3	31
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	2	4		3	5	4			5	5		5	2	2		4	25
Jonathan Aranda							4							4	4		6
Ryan O’Hearn							5	4									3
Bryce Harper			4														2
Christian Walker			5														1
Michael Busch	5																1
Rhys Hoskins											5						1
Spencer Torkelson		5															1

2nd Base

Name	Eduardo Perez	Bobby Scales	Hal Richman	Danielle Wexelman	Alyson Footer	Joe Sheehan	Daniel Álvarez-Montes	Eno Sarris	Travis Sawchik	Chris Dial	Ben Clemens	Mark Simon	Tyler Kepner	Bill Ladson	John Dewan	SIS Staff	TOTAL
Nico Hoerner	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	80
Andrés Giménez	3	4	2	3	2	2	3	2	3		2	4	3	3	2	3	49
Xavier Edwards	2	2	4		5	3	4	3	2	3	3	2	2	2	4	2	47
Marcus Semien		5		4	4	5	2	4	5	2	4	3	4	4	5	5	28
Brice Turang	4	3	3	2		4			4	5		5		5	3	4	24
Bryson Stott					3								5				4
Jazz Chisholm Jr.				5				5			5						3
Mauricio Dubon			5							4							3
Luis Rengifo	5						5										2

Third Base

Name	Eduardo Perez	Bobby Scales	Hal Richman	Danielle Wexelman	Alyson Footer	Joe Sheehan	Daniel Álvarez-Montes	Eno Sarris	Travis Sawchik	Chris Dial	Ben Clemens	Mark Simon	Tyler Kepner	Bill Ladson	John Dewan	SIS Staff	TOTAL
Ke’Bryan Hayes	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	79
Maikel Garcia	2	2	2	2	2	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	4	2	4	2	61
Ryan McMahon		3	3	4	3	3	3	3		4	3	3	2	4	2	3	41
Matt Shaw	5			3	5	5	4		4			4	3	3	5	4	21
Matt Chapman	3	5	4	5		4		4			4						13
Ernie Clement			5						3	3					3	5	11
Nolan Arenado	4	4							5								5
José Ramírez					4			5			5						4
Ben Williamson												5	5				2
Caleb Durbin							5							5			2
Ramón Urias										5							1

Shortstop

Name	Eduardo Perez	Bobby Scales	Hal Richman	Danielle Wexelman	Alyson Footer	Joe Sheehan	Daniel Álvarez-Montes	Eno Sarris	Travis Sawchik	Chris Dial	Ben Clemens	Mark Simon	Tyler Kepner	Bill Ladson	John Dewan	SIS Staff	TOTAL
Mookie Betts	1	1		1	2	1	2	5	3	5	5	1		1	3	1	52
Nick Allen		3	1	3	5	2	3		1		2	3	1	2		2	44
Bobby Witt Jr.			4	4	1	3	1	1		1	1		4				34
Taylor Walls	5	4	3						4	2		2	2	3	1	3	31
Zach Neto	2	2		2				4				5	5	4	4	5	21
Corey Seager							5	3	2	3		4			2	4	19
Masyn Winn			2		4		4	2			3		3				18
Dansby Swanson		5	5		3	5			5						5		8
Jeremy Peña	3									4	4						7
Geraldo Perdomo	4			5													3
Joey Ortiz						4											2
Otto Lopez														5			1

Left Field

Name	Eduardo Perez	Bobby Scales	Hal Richman	Danielle Wexelman	Alyson Footer	Joe Sheehan	Daniel Álvarez-Montes	Eno Sarris	Travis Sawchik	Chris Dial	Ben Clemens	Mark Simon	Tyler Kepner	Bill Ladson	John Dewan	SIS Staff	TOTAL
Steven Kwan	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	80
Wyatt Langford	2	3	4			2	4	2	2	4	3	3	4		2	2	41
Ian Happ	4	4	3	3	2	4	2	5	4	3	5	4	2	3	3	4	41
Jarren Duran		2	5	2	3		3		3			2	3	2	4	3	34
Tyler Soderstrom	3	5		4	5		5	4		2	4	5	5		5	5	20
Cody Bellinger	5		2	5		3				5	2						14
Isaac Collins						5		3									4
Brandon Nimmo					4				5					5			4
Tommy Pham														4			2

Center Field

Name	Eduardo Perez	Bobby Scales	Hal Richman	Danielle Wexelman	Alyson Footer	Joe Sheehan	Daniel Álvarez-Montes	Eno Sarris	Travis Sawchik	Chris Dial	Ben Clemens	Mark Simon	Tyler Kepner	Bill Ladson	John Dewan	SIS Staff	TOTAL
Ceddanne Rafaela	1	1	1	1	2	2	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	3	1	1	75
Pete Crow-Armstrong	2	2	2	2	1	1	2	1	2	2	2	2	2	4	2	2	65
Jacob Young	4		3	3		3	4	3	3	4	3	5	3	1	5	3	37
Victor Scott II		3	5	4	3	5		4	4		5	3	5	2		5	24
Julio Rodríguez		5		5	5	4	3	5		3	4	4	4				18
Myles Straw	3								5						4	4	8
Daulton Varsho	5	4													3		6
Kyle Isbel					4		5							5			4
Denzel Clarke			4														2
Tyrone Taylor										5							1

Right Field

Name	Eduardo Perez	Bobby Scales	Hal Richman	Danielle Wexelman	Alyson Footer	Joe Sheehan	Daniel Álvarez-Montes	Eno Sarris	Travis Sawchik	Chris Dial	Ben Clemens	Mark Simon	Tyler Kepner	Bill Ladson	John Dewan	SIS Staff	TOTAL
Fernando Tatis Jr.	1	1	2	2	1	1	1	1		1	1	4	2	1	1	2	68
Wilyer Abreu	2	3	1			2	2	2	1	2	2	2	1	4	2	1	57
Adolis García	3	2	4	1	2	5	5		3			1	4	2	3	3	40
Sal Frelick	5	4	3	4	4	3	3	3	4	3	4		3	5	4	4	34
Corbin Carroll			5	5	3	4	4	4	5	4	3		5				18
Cam Smith	4	5		3	5					5	5	3		3	5	5	17
Ronald Acuña Jr.									2								4
Aaron Judge								5									1
Nathan Lukes												5					1

Pitcher

Name	Eduardo Perez	Bobby Scales	Hal Richman	Danielle Wexelman	Alyson Footer	Joe Sheehan	Daniel Álvarez-Montes	Eno Sarris	Travis Sawchik	Chris Dial	Ben Clemens	Mark Simon	Tyler Kepner	Bill Ladson	John Dewan	SIS Staff	TOTAL
Max Fried	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	4	1	75
Logan Webb	2	5		2	1	5	2	1	2	2	3	2	2	2		2	51
Matthew Boyd			5	3	3		4	3	3	5	2	3	3	3	5	3	33
Luis Severino		2	4		4		3	4	4	3	5		5	4	1	5	28
Spencer Schwellenbach		4	3	5				5	5			4			3	4	15
David Peterson		3		4	5		5						4		2		13
Seth Lugo			2									5					5
Zack Wheeler	3					4											5
Ranger Suárez						2											4
Zac Gallen						3											3
Bryan Woo	4																2
Clay Holmes										4							2
José Soriano											4						2
Colin Rea														5			1
Michael Wacha	5																1

Multi-Position

Name	Eduardo Perez	Bobby Scales	Hal Richman	Danielle Wexelman	Alyson Footer	Joe Sheehan	Daniel Álvarez-Montes	Eno Sarris	Travis Sawchik	Chris Dial	Ben Clemens	Mark Simon	Tyler Kepner	Bill Ladson	John Dewan	SIS Staff	TOTAL
Ernie Clement	3	2	2	1	1	1	1		1	1	1	1	1		1	1	66
Mauricio Dubon	1	5	1	4	3	3	2	2	4	2	2	2			2	3	48
Ceddanne Rafaela			3		4		3	1	2				2		3	2	28
José Caballero		3	4			4					5	3		2	4	5	18
Cody Bellinger		4		2	2				5				5	1			17
Javier Baez	2	1					4				3			3			17
Myles Straw				3		2			3			5		5	5	4	15
Daniel Schneemann			5					4			4						5
Nathan Lukes				5									3				4
Zach McKinstry	5									3							4
Javier Sanoja								5		5			4				4
Chase Meidroth								3									3
Miguel Rojas							5					4					3
Adam Frazier										4							2
Brooks Lee	4																2
Isiah Kiner-Falefa														4			2
Andy Pages					5												1
Michael A. Taylor						5											1

Player of the Year

Name	Eduardo Perez	Bobby Scales	Hal Richman	danielle wexelman	Alyson Footer	Joe Sheehan	Daniel Álvarez-Montes	Eno Sarris	Travis Sawchik	Chris Dial	Ben Clemens	Mark Simon	Tyler Kepner	Bill Ladson	John Dewan	SIS Staff	TOTAL
Patrick Bailey	2	3	3	3		3	1	1	1		1	2	2		2		36
Steven Kwan	1	1		1	2				2	3			3	2	1	3	32
Ceddanne Rafaela		2	2	2		2	3				2	1	1			1	31
KeBryan Hayes			1		1					2					3		14
Ernie Clement					3		2		3		3			1		2	14
Pete Crow Armstrong						1		2									8
Fernando Tatis Jr	3									1							6
Bobby Witt Jr								3									1
Mookie Betts												3					1
Matt Olson														3			1

Team

Name	Eduardo Perez	Bobby Scales	Hal Richman	Danielle Wexelman	Alyson Footer	Joe Sheehan	Daniel Álvarez-Montes	Eno Sarris	Travis Sawchik	Chris Dial	Ben Clemens	Mark Simon	Tyler Kepner	Bill Ladson	John Dewan	SIS Staff	TOTAL
Chicago Cubs	1	2	1	1	2	1	2	2	2	1	3	2	2	1	1	1	62
Toronto Blue Jays	2	3	3	2	1	2	1	1		3	1	3	1	3		3	40
Texas Rangers		1	2						1	2		1	3		2	2	28
Los Angeles Dodgers				3					3					2	3		6
Milwaukee Brewers						3	3	3			2						6
Cleveland Guardians					3												1
Houston Astros	3																1

October 23, 2025

The 2025 Fielding Bible Awards Winners

Contact: Mark Simon

Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com

Fielding Bible website: https://www.fieldingbible.com/awards

SIS is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Fielding Bible Awards. This marks the 20th season that we have honored the best defensive players in MLB.

The awards are voted on by a panel of experts who consider statistical analysis, the eye test, and any other factors that they wish to utilize.

We are also announcing the winner of our third annual Defensive Player of the Year award and our first Defensive Team of the Year award.

This year’s winners are:

Position	Name	Team
Player of the Year	Patrick Bailey	Giants
1B	Matt Olson	Braves
2B	Nico Hoerner	Cubs
3B	Ke’Bryan Hayes	Reds
SS	Mookie Betts	Dodgers
LF	Steven Kwan	Guardians
CF	Ceddanne Rafaela	Red Sox
RF	Fernando Tatis Jr.	Padres
C	Patrick Bailey	Giants
P	Max Fried	Yankees
Multi-Position	Ernie Clement	Blue Jays
Team of the Year	Chicago Cubs

This year’s group of winners includes seven players who previously won a Fielding Bible Award and three first-time winners. They come from 10 different teams. Three won by unanimous vote (Matt Olson, Nico Hoerner, Steven Kwan).

There were some common threads among the winners. Each of the four infielders led their respective position in Plays Saved (our version of Outs Above Average) on balls hit to their right. In other words, they did well fielding balls when moving away from first base.

And each of the three outfielders were highlight-reel players. They each led their respective position in Good Fielding Plays, a stat that combines Web Gem-caliber plays with effort plays, such as cutting a ball off in the gap or in the hole to prevent a runner from taking an extra base.

Below are the details about the winners.

Defensive Player of the Year – Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants

Patrick Bailey is the third winner of The Fielding Bible Defensive Player of the Year Award joining Ke’Bryan Hayes in 2023 and Daulton Varsho in 2024. He’s the first catcher to win the Award.

Bailey led all catchers with 19 Defensive Runs Saved. Since 2023 Bailey leads all catchers in Runs Saved and trails only Varsho for the most overall in that time. Bailey’s 40 Strike Zone Runs Saved are more than any catcher has total Runs Saved.

“Patrick Bailey has many ways of controlling a game as a catcher,” said SIS editorial operations lead Mark Simon. “He is a leader on the field with the way he supports his pitching staff defensively through pitch framing, stolen base prevention, and pitch blocking. He is a deserving honoree as Defensive Player of the Year.”

Defensive Team of the Year – Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are our inaugural Defensive Team of the Year winner. They ranked second in the majors and led all NL teams in Defensive Runs Saved.

The Cubs were the only team to have a positive Runs Saved total from eight of the nine defensive positions (all but right field).

They had the MLB leader in Runs Saved at second base (Nico Hoerner, who won the Fielding Bible Award) and the runner-up in center field (Pete Crow-Armstrong). They also had the No. 3 left fielder (Ian Happ), and the No. 3 pitcher (Matthew Boyd), as well as the No. 4 third baseman (Matt Shaw).

“Cubs management built a team that prides itself in defensive excellence and that showed up all over the field,” Simon said. “They were especially strong up the middle and at some of the game’s most important positions. Their best defensive players stayed healthy all season. They are a great choice as our inaugural Defensive Team of the Year winner.”

First Base – Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves

Matt Olson won his fifth Fielding Bible Award, matching Albert Pujols for the most by any first baseman since the Award was introduced in 2006. Olson previously won in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2024.

Olson led all first basemen with a career-high 17 Defensive Runs Saved in 2025. That matched the most Runs Saved by a first baseman in the last 15 seasons (Mark Teixeira had 17 in 2012, Christian Walker had 17 in 2022).

Olson, as is his custom, had excellent Range Runs Saved. He also added 4 Runs to his total through double plays, bunt defense, and Good Fielding Plays (including scoops). He easily led all first basemen with 145 assists, 40 more than his previous single-season high.

Olson is also an iron man. He has played in 162 games in each of the last four seasons and is the active leader with 782 consecutive games played.

Olson is the only Braves player to win the Award at first base.

Second Base – Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs

Nico Hoerner won his first Fielding Bible Award. He led all second basemen with a career high 17 Defensive Runs Saved in 2025. Only two other players had at least 10 Runs Saved at the position.

Hoerner was an MLB-best 15 Plays Saved better than the average second baseman on balls hit to his right, meaning he took away a lot of potential hits on balls hit up the middle. He is the lone winner from the Defensive Team of the Year, the Cubs.

Hoerner joined Darwin Barney (2012) as the only Cubs second basemen to win the Award. This is the second straight year that a Cubs middle infielder won the Award. Dansby Swanson won at shortstop in 2024.

Third Base – Ke’Bryan Hayes, Cincinnati Reds

Ke’Bryan Hayes won his third Fielding Bible Award. He previously won in 2021 and 2023.

Hayes led third basemen with 19 Defensive Runs Saved in 2025. The next-closest third baseman was Maikel Garcia with 13. Hayes has 95 Runs Saved since the start of the 2020 season. That’s 32 more than the next-closest third baseman, Ryan McMahon. Hayes has led third basemen in Runs Saved four times in the last five seasons and finished second the one year he didn’t lead.

The most impressive things about Hayes’ season were that he was once again great on balls hit to his right (MLB-best 12 Plays Saved) and he cut back on his Defensive Misplays and Errors. He had 18 in 2024, then had 16 in 2025 in 453 more innings.

Hayes joins Brandon Phillips as the only Reds to win a Fielding Bible Award. Phillips won at second base in 2008.

Shortstop – Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

Mookie Betts won his seventh Fielding Bible Award. That snaps a tie with Yadier Molina and Andrelton Simmons for the most Award wins since the Awards were first introduced in 2006. Betts previously won as a right fielder in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2022, and won the multi-position Award in 2023.

Betts tied Taylor Walls for the lead in Defensive Runs Saved by a shortstop in 2025 with 17. Betts had played only 81 MLB games at shortstop prior to 2025 but handled the position very well. He turned 12 more plays than expected on balls hit to his right, best of any shortstop. He had 16 Defensive Misplays and Errors in 2025, three fewer than he made in 2024 in more than twice as many innings.

Betts is the first Dodgers shortstop to win the Award. The only other Dodgers infielder to win a Fielding Bible Award is first baseman Adrián González in 2014.

Left Field – Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians

Steven Kwan won his third Fielding Bible Award in four years. He previously won in 2022 and 2023. His 22 Defensive Runs Saved in 2025 were 10 more than the next-closest left fielder and matched Ernie Clement for the most by any player.

What differentiated Kwan in 2025 was the value of his throwing arm. He had an MLB-best and career-high 7 Outfield Arm Runs Saved and 10 assists without a cutoff man. He showed great skill in playing balls off outfield fences and preventing baserunner advancement. Kwan’s 29 Good Fielding Plays were the most of any left fielder.

Guardians players have won seven Fielding Bible Awards in the last four years. That’s the most of any team in that time.

Center Field – Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox

Ceddanne Rafaela won his first Fielding Bible Award. He led all center fielders in 2025 with 20 Defensive Runs Saved.

Rafaela’s 27 Good Fielding Plays were the most of any center fielder. Rafaela had the second-most Range Runs Saved of any center fielder and tied for the most Outfield Arm Runs Saved at the position. Rafaela was also versatile. He played 24 games at second base and had 1 Run Saved.

Rafaela is the first Red Sox center fielder to win a Fielding Bible Award. Mookie Betts and Wilyer Abreu are the two Red Sox outfielders who previously won, both in right field, with Abreu most recently in 2024.

Right Field – Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres

Fernando Tatis won his second Fielding Bible Award. He also won it for right field in 2023.

Tatis finished tied for second among right fielders with 15 Defensive Runs Saved in 2025, just behind the leader Adolis Garcia, who had 16. Tatis led all players with 3 home run robbing catches. His 28 Good Fielding Plays were the most of any right fielder.

Tatis is the only Padres player to ever win a Fielding Bible Award.

Catcher – Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants

Patrick Bailey won his second consecutive Fielding Bible Award. Bailey and Matt Olson are the two returning winners from last year’s Awards.

Bailey has been MLB’s premier pitch framer since coming up to the Giants in 2023. He has led or co-led the majors in Strike Zone Runs Saved in each of the last three seasons (the stat measures how well a catcher does at getting more called strikes than expected). He also rated above average in both pitch blocking and in Stolen Base Runs Saved and led all catchers in Defensive Runs Saved with 19 in 2025.

Bailey joins Buster Posey as Giants catchers with multiple Fielding Bible Awards. Posey, now the team’s president of baseball operations, won it in 2015 and 2016.

Pitcher – Max Fried, New York Yankees

Max Fried won his second Fielding Bible Award. He previously won it in 2020.

Fried led all pitchers in 2025 with 10 Defensive Runs Saved, the most by a pitcher since Dallas Keuchel had 12 in 2021. Fried had 4 Runs Saved from turning batted balls into outs and also had 4 Runs Saved from controlling the running game. The latter stemmed from his 7 combined pickoffs and pitcher caught stealings, second-most in MLB. Fried led all pitchers with 39 assists.

Fried is the first Yankees pitcher to win a Fielding Bible Award. The last Yankees player to win an Award was catcher Jose Trevino in 2022.

Multi-Position – Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays

Ernie Clement won his first Fielding Bible Award.

Clement tied for the MLB lead among all players with 22 Defensive Runs Saved in 2025. He is the second player to record at least 10 Runs Saved at two infield positions in the same season. The other is Ryan McMahon for the 2021 Rockies. Clement had 11 Runs Saved at third base (good for fourth-most) and 10 Runs Saved at second base (third-most). He also had 1 Run Saved at first base and played 29 games at shortstop with 0 Runs Saved.

Clement is the second straight Blue Jays winner of the multi-position award. Daulton Varsho won it last year. The only other Blue Jays infielder to win a Fielding Bible Award is Aaron Hill, who won at second base in 2007 and 2009.

Voters

About SIS

Sports Info Solutions was founded in 2002 and partners with Major Leagues, their teams, media companies, odds providers, and fans, to help them win. The company is well-known for its work in baseball and is the inventor of one of baseball’s most popular defensive metrics, Defensive Runs Saved.

October 23, 2025

2025 Defensive Team of the Year: Chicago Cubs

Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

“The Cubs have a lot of defensive strengths, arguably as many as any team in MLB.”

That’s what I wrote in March in our season previews of all 30 teams and I could write the same thing today. Except I’d get rid of “arguably.”

The Cubs are SIS’ inaugural Defensive Team of the Year, which was voted on as part of this year’s Fielding Bible Awards.

The Cubs were the only team to have a positive Defensive Runs Saved at eight of the nine positions in the field (the exception was right field where injuries had Kyle Tucker not up to his usual standards). They had a Fielding Bible Award winner (second baseman Nico Hoerner), a runner-up (center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong), two third-place finishers (left fielder Ian Happ and pitcher Matthew Boyd), and a fourth-place finisher (third baseman Matt Shaw). The team finished second in Defensive Runs Saved overall and also had the second-most Runs Saved from the skill of their players (factoring out defensive positioning).

As Nico Hoerner pointed out in our interview with him, the Cubs defense gets it done in a lot of different ways.

Hoerner, coming off offseason elbow surgery, was undaunted by it. He specialized in making plays on balls hit up the middle. He had more plays saved going to his right than any other infielder in MLB.

Crow-Armstrong had a long list of highlight-reel catches and was at his best the deeper balls were hit.

Happ, a three-time Gold Glove winner, had the second-lowest baserunner advance rate of any left fielder last season.

Boyd easily led the majors with 11 pickoffs.

Shaw didn’t disappoint as a rookie and was a solid all-around fielder.

The Cubs players acknowledge that the success came from feeding off each other.

“There were times where I felt like our defense was really suffocating,” Happ said a few days ago. “Our pitchers would pitch to contact, nothing would fall and it put pressure on the other team. It felt like every time we had a chance to make a play, we were doing it.”

Said Hoerner in our interview with him on The SIS Baseball Podcast: “There’s something about being around guys who were doing it at a really high level that holds a group to a high standard. It was a point of pride.”

A point of pride with a trophy to back it up. Congratulations to the Cubs, the 2025 Defensive Team of the Year.

October 23, 2025
Q&A: Defensive Player of the Year- Patrick Bailey

Photo: Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire

We’ve been on top of Patrick Bailey’s defensive excellence since first writing about him just five weeks into his MLB career. He’d saved 7 Runs in his first 26 games in the majors, which seemed notable. It was foreshadowing what was to come.

Bailey, the 2025 Fielding Bible Defensive Player of the Year, led all catchers with 19 Defensive Runs Saved this season. Since 2023 he leads all catchers and ranks second among players in Runs Saved.

Bailey’s specialty is pitch framing. He has more Runs Saved from pitch framing since 2023 than any other catcher has total Runs Saved. He steals strikes at the top and bottom edges of the zone, and on his glove side well better than the MLB average. He doesn’t necessarily dominate when it comes to stopping stolen bases and blocking pitches, but he’s better than average at both.

Giants GM Zach Minasian threw in one other thing about Bailey that’s a little harder to quantify: “A knack for managing pitchers and calling tough games with conviction.”

We caught up with Bailey this week. Here’s what he had to say about his 2025 season.

Mark: Hey Patrick. Congratulations.

Patrick: Thank you

Mark: So this is your second Fielding Bible Award, your first Player of the Year award from us. What was this season like for you overall from a defensive perspective?

Patrick: It was good. Obviously winning the award in 2024 was, was awesome and a cool opportunity. But, one thing that my catching coach Alex Burg and I wanted to work on was how do I continue to develop and get better. It was cool to be able to do that this year as well.

Mark: We last spoke to you in June 2023. We were quite impressed with how you were catching right from the get-go. What’s changed for you since then?

Patrick: Receiving-wise, not a ton. You’re just trying to present each pitch as well as you can and give an umpire the best look.

Blocking’s probably been the biggest change for me back to ’23. Getting out to a (one-knee down) kickstance has helped me with the blocking.

Mark: Where do you feel you are defensively at this point? How much better can you get?

Patrick: I don’t know, but the goal is to find little ways to continue to develop. And obviously a big part of my responsibility is working with pitchers and getting the best out of them. Game calling keeps advancing. There’s a ton of little things that catchers have the opportunity to get better at.

Mark: Game calling is continuing to advance. How so?

Patrick: Just with the amount of information we get as teams, with the advance scouting reports just finding the best ways for your pitchers to have success.

And just balancing pitcher strengths and hitter strengths.

Mark: It seemed like Logan Webb bought into you right away. You had a start with him, I think it was your first or second start as a catcher that went particularly well for him.

What is it like to try to catch him?

Patrick: Yeah. It’s awesome. He’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball. It’s been really cool to see him just continuing to grow and get better as well over the years with his progression adding the cutter and more four-seams.It’s a lot of fun to game plan. As much as his ball moves, it’s a challenge, but it’s fun to be back there and catch him.

Mark: What was it like to catch Justin Verlander?

Patrick: It was incredible, man. He’s a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Seeing how detail oriented he is with scouting, I think it really opened my eyes and it something that will help me continue to grow. The attention to detail he has is pretty incredible.

Not pitching to his standards early on, but just continuing to get better and just how well that he finished, it was incredible to see the journey. He was an awesome teammate through all of that as well.

Mark: What about Robbie Ray?

Patrick: Robbie’s awesome. He’s the simplest of the pitchers I’ve caught, just like here’s my best stuff, good luck trying to hit it, and if you do, you’re not going to get me next time.

Mark: Who are the people that have most influenced you in terms of your success as a catcher?

Patrick: My catching coach now, Alex Burg has been a huge help. Craig Albernaz was working with catchers when I was drafted by the Giants in 2020. He changed pretty much everything I did as soon as I got drafted. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. And then (former major leaguer) Scott Bankhead was the guy who owned the North Carolina Baseball Academy where I trained. He let me catch a ton of his pitching lessons when I was 12, 13, 14 years old. I got a pretty early understanding of what coaching looks like, what pitching looks like, and learning the game from that perspective.

Mark: What would you tell a kid who wanted to catch like you, a kid who was going to that facility now?

Patrick: Oh goodness. Just all this stuff you hear. Keep working hard. Put in the work and effort. Never feel like you know it all. I continue to learn and try to get better at as well. Catch as much as you can.

I feel like that’s something like as a young person that I was fortunate to be able to do is just catch a lot and catch a lot of older guys that were throwing pretty hard. I feel like that helped my comfort level pretty quickly.

Mark: One hitting question: You had an inside the park walk-off home run that pinged off the high brick wall in Oracle Park, and took essentially the perfect carom for you to get a home runs. What do you remember about that moment?

Patrick I remember being tired. No doubt about that man. That was awesome. That was a miracle. To have that as something to remember in my career is pretty special.

Mark: Yep. An indefensible batted ball hit by the guy who is the best in defense in 2025. Patrick Bailey, congratulations again and best of luck.

Patrick: Thank you.

October 23, 2025
Stat of the Week: Fielding Bible Awards Preview Part II

Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire

This year marks the 20th annual Fielding Bible Awards, which SIS created in 2006 to honor the best defensive players in baseball. It was meant to go beyond recognizing the top player in each league and from our view, it has accomplished that. Defensive performance has gotten better recognition with the growth of both our and other statistics that allow us to go well beyond what information previously existed.

This is the second of two preview articles covering this year’s Fielding Bible Awards. The first covered catchers and infielders. This one covers outfielders, pitchers, and multi-position players, as well as Defensive Team of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. This will be the first year we announce a Team of the Year.

The Fielding Bible Awards are voted on by a panel of experts who can vote based on whatever criteria they choose, including observation and subjective judgement as well as statistical analysis. Each position has one overall winner, different from the Gold Gloves which has one in each league.

The Fielding Bible Awards will be announced on Thursday October 23 from 2 to 3 pm ET on Bluesky.

(Defensive Runs Saved totals in parentheses)

Left Field

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Steven Kwan (22)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Ian Happ (9)

AL Gold Glove Favorite: Kwan

Other Fielding Bible Contenders: Wyatt Langford (12), Jarren Duran (11), Tyler Soderstrom (10)

Steven Kwan is likely to win for the third time in four years after racking up well more Runs Saved than any other left fielder. He had a great season not just turning fly balls and line drives into outs, but also shutting down opponents when they tried to advance. He led all outfielders in Outfield Arm Runs Saved.

Ian Happ did likewise in terms of minimizing baserunner advancement and may win his fourth straight Gold Glove Award.

Center Field

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Ceddanne Rafaela (20)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Pete Crow-Armstrong (15)

AL Gold Glove Favorite: Rafaela

Other Fielding Bible Contenders: Myles Straw (15), Jacob Young (13), Victor Scott II (12)

For a good part of the season Ceddanne Rafaela and Pete Crow-Armstrong were neck-and-neck in Runs Saved. But in the latter part of the year, Rafaela held steady and Crow-Armstrong’s pace slowed down. Both are highly impressive at chasing down fly balls and we’d be surprised if someone else won a Gold Glove Award at the position.

Right Field

Fielding Bible Award Favorites: Adolis García (16), Fernando Tatis Jr. (15), Wilyer Abreu (15)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Tatis Jr.

AL Gold Glove Favorite: García, Abreu

Other Fielding Bible Contenders: Cam Smith (12), Sal Frelick (9)

You could make a good case that any of Adolis García, Fernando Tatis Jr., or Wilyer Abreu is Fielding Bible Award-worthy. García engineered a nifty turnaround after a rough 2024. Tatis Jr. looked like something closer to his 2023 self when he won the Platinum Glove. He led MLB in home run robberies in 2025. Abreu was pretty much just as good as when he won the Fielding Bible Award last season.

Pitcher

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Max Fried (10)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Logan Webb (7)

AL Gold Glove Favorite: Fried

Other Fielding Bible Contenders: Luis Severino (6), Matthew Boyd (6), David Peterson (6), Spencer Schwellenbach (6)

Max Fried became the first pitcher to total at least 10 Runs Saved since Dallas Keuchel in 2021. He’s in position to win his second Fielding Bible Award after having earned the honor in 2020.

Logan Webb has fielded his position well throughout his career and took a big step in lowering his stolen bases allowed to 9, his fewest in any of the five seasons in which he’s pitched 140 innings. There is tough opposition in lefties who stop the running game in Matthew Boyd and David Peterson. Had Spencer Schwellenbach stayed healthy, we suspect he’d have been right there with Fried. The shortstop-turned-pitcher is that good.

Multi-Position

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Ernie Clement (22)

NL Utility Gold Glove Favorite: Jared Triolo (9), Miguel Rojas (7)

AL Utility Gold Glove Favorite: Clement, Mauricio Dubon (14)

Other Fielding Bible Contenders: Myles Straw (18), Jose Caballero (10), Nathan Lukes (10)

Our Multi-Position Award is a tricky one to assess because it pits different types of players against each other. There are some players who played a combination of infield positions, some who played all three outfield positions, and some who played a mix of both infield and outfield.

We listed Ernie Clement as the favorite because he was a standout at two different spots (second base and third base) and was capable at both. Mauricio Dubon feels most likely to be his top competition, as he played every position except pitcher and catcher and totaled 14 Runs Saved.

NL Gold Glove could have a repeat winner in Jared Triolo, though veteran Miguel Rojas —a former full-time shortstop— has made himself into a very good all-around infielder.

The candidate pool for this award was tilted a bit. There were seven American League players on the ballot with at least 10 Runs Saved. Triolo’s 9 Runs Saved were the most for any NL player.

Team of the Year

Fielding Bible Award Favorites: Texas Rangers (89), Chicago Cubs (84)

NL Team Gold Glove Favorite: Cubs

AL Team Gold Glove Favorites: Rangers

Other Fielding Bible contenders: Dodgers (67), Blue Jays (51)

The Rangers and Cubs separated themselves from the other teams defensively in 2025. The Rangers led the majors in Defensive Runs Saved. They were led by right fielder Adolis García, who led the position in Runs Saved, shortstop Corey Seager, and outfielder Wyatt Langford. The Cubs got positive Runs Saved at eight of the nine positions and have very strong Gold Glove candidates in second baseman Nico Hoerner, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, and left fielder Ian Happ.

The Dodgers are an odd case because though they had strong infield defense up the middle, the primary reason why they finished third in Runs Saved was because of their defensive positioning numbers.

The Blue Jays are the one other team with a decent chance to win one of these awards. The Blue Jays had the most Runs Saved from the skill of their players (as opposed to defensive positioning). They had the co-leader in Runs Saved, Ernie Clement, and led the majors in Runs Saved at catcher second base and center field despite not having the individual leader at those positions. The only thing holding them back were their struggles at shortstop and right field.

Player of the Year

Player of the Year Favorites: Steven Kwan (22), Ernie Clement (22), Ceddanne Rafaela (21), Patrick Bailey (19), Ke’Bryan Hayes (19)

NL Platinum Glove Favorites: Bailey, Hayes

AL Platinum Glove Favorites: Kwan, Clement, Rafaela

Player of the Year is definitely a wide-open race.

Steven Kwan, Ceddanne Rafaela, Patrick Bailey, and Ke’Bryan Hayes all led their respective positions in Runs Saved by at least 5 runs. Clement managed an impressive accomplishment of totaling at least 10 Runs Saved at two positions and tied Rafaela for the MLB lead in Defensive Wins Above Replacement (a stat devised by Baseball-Reference that uses Runs Saved in its calculation).

October 22, 2025
Stat of the Week: Fielding Bible Awards Preview Part I

This year marks the 20th annual Fielding Bible Awards, which SIS created in 2006 to honor the best defensive players in baseball. The Awards meant to go beyond recognizing the top player in each league and, in our view, it has accomplished that. The growth of both Defensive Runs Saved and other statistics have allowed us, teams, and fans to go well beyond the information previously available in evaluating a player’s skills.

Our next two Stat of the Weeks will focus on the top candidates for The 2025 Fielding Bible Awards, which will be announced later this month.

The Fielding Bible Awards is voted on by a panel of experts who can vote based on whatever criteria they choose, including observation and subjective judgement, as well as statistical analysis. Each position has one overall winner, different from the Gold Gloves which has one in each league.

This week, Part I of our preview looks at catchers and infielders from the perspective of the top Fielding Bible Awards and Gold Glove favorites and contenders.

(Defensive Runs Saved totals in parentheses)

Catcher

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Patrick Bailey (19)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Bailey

AL Gold Glove Favorites: Carlos Narváez (10), Adley Rutschman (10), Alejandro Kirk (9)

Other Fielding Bible Award Contenders: Freddy Fermin (13), Luis Torrens (11), Sean Murphy (10), Pedro Pages (9)

Patrick Bailey solidified his handle on the title of best defensive catcher in baseball this season as he led all catchers in Runs Saved for the second straight season. Bailey’s defensive excellence stems from pitch framing. He easily led catchers in our strike-getting stat, Strike Zone Runs Saved.

Bailey and Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez were the top two catchers in Runs Saved for much of the season. Narvaez is a favorite for the AL Gold Glove, as he led catchers in Stolen Base Runs Saved. Not bad for a guy picked up in a little-noticed trade from the Yankees last December. Alejandro Kirk is a credible candidate too. He ranks second among catchers in Runs Saved over the last three seasons.

First Baseman

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Matt Olson (17)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Olson

AL Gold Glove Favorites: Carlos Santana (11 w/ Guardians, 12 overall), Ty France (9)

Other Fielding Bible Award Contenders: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (8), Spencer Steer (8), Jonathan Aranda (7)

Matt Olson is highly likely to snag his fifth Fielding Bible Award, which would match Albert Pujols for most by a first baseman. Olson easily led the position in Runs Saved, posting a career high total while playing in 162 games for the fourth straight season. He showed great range as usual, particularly on balls hit to his right. His 145 assists easily led the position.

In the American League, Carlos Santana won his first Gold Glove as a 38-year-old last year. He has a reasonable shot at winning this year too.

By the way: Of the 15 first basemen who played the most innings this season, 10 had a negative Runs Saved. It was tough to play that position a lot and be good defensively this season .

Second Baseman

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Nico Hoerner (17)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Hoerner

AL Gold Glove Favorites: Andrés Giménez (9), Luis Rengifo (5), Marcus Semien (5)

Other Fielding Bible Award Contenders: Xavier Edwards (12), Brice Turang (7)

Nico Hoerner had by far his best defensive season as a second baseman per his 17 Runs Saved. He won a Gold Glove two years ago and he has a good chance to graduate to a Fielding Bible Award in 2025. Xavier Edwards of the Marlins was the only other eligible second baseman in double digits in Runs Saved (Ernie Clement also had 10, but his Fielding Bible eligibility is third base).

Though Andrés Giménez was injured and also spent some time at shortstop, he posted the most Runs Saved of any eligible AL second baseman and we wouldn’t be surprised if he wins his fourth straight Gold Glove.

Shortstop

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Mookie Betts (17), Taylor Walls (17), Corey Seager (16)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Betts

AL Gold Glove Favorites: Walls, Seager

Other Fielding Bible Award Contenders: Zach Neto (13), Nick Allen (12), Dansby Swanson (7), Otto Lopez (7), Bobby Witt Jr. (3)

Mookie Betts won 5 Fielding Bible Awards as a right fielder and another for Multi-Position excellence. One more Award would give him 7, the most of any player in what will be the 20-year history of the Awards. Betts and Taylor Walls tied for the Runs Saved lead at the position. Betts did it over 148 games. Walls’ season was shortened by injury in August. Corey Seager also has a chance at the Award. He had by far the best Runs Saved total of his career in 2025.

There’s good competition for the Gold Glove in both leagues, particularly from Zach Neto of the Angels and Nick Allen of the Braves. Bobby Witt Jr. could also swoop in and take the AL honor. He rated more highly in other defensive metrics than he did in Runs Saved.

Third Baseman

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Ke’Bryan Hayes (19)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Hayes

AL Gold Glove Favorites: Maikel Garcia (13), Ernie Clement (11)

Other Fielding Bible Award Contenders: Matt Shaw (12), Ryan McMahon (10), Nolan Arenado (6), Matt Chapman (5)

Ke’Bryan Hayes, who led the position in Defensive Runs Saved, is highly likely to win his 3rd Fielding Bible Award, his 2nd in the last three years. He was again great fielding balls hit down the third base line. He made only one throw all season that required a Good Fielding Play from his first baseman.

Hayes, who has always been good at minimizing mistakes, had 16 Defensive Misplays & Errors this season. That’s actually two fewer than he had in 2024 when he played in 56 fewer games.

Maikel Garcia and Ernie Clement make for a tough call for the AL Gold Glove at third base. Clement’s potential path to a Fielding Bible Award also comes via our Multi-Position Award, which we’ll detail next week. Garcia came on strong at the end of the season, sharing Defensive Player of the Month honors in August. He had a 10-run jump in Runs Saved from 2024 to 2025.

Next week we’ll look at outfielders, pitchers, and the multi-position award.

October 22, 2025
Stat of the Week: Playoff Defenders To Watch

I had the idea to do a Playoffs Defenders To Watch and that dovetails perfectly with 10 players having at least 15 Defensive Runs Saved active this postseason. So let’s put the spotlight on them.

Ernie Clement (Blue Jays IF, 23 Runs Saved) heads our list (probably much to your surprise). He’s the jack-of-all-trades, who saved 11 Runs at third base, 10 Runs at second base, 1 run at shortstop, and 1 run at first base. This was his second straight standout multi-positional season. He’s not going to overwhelm you with great plays, but he is going to make a lot of good ones while keeping mistakes to a minimum.

Ceddanne Rafaela (Red Sox CF-2B, 22 Runs Saved) led all center fielders in both Runs Saved and Good Fielding Plays. Rafaela finished second at the position in Range Runs Saved and tied for first in Outfield Arm Runs Saved. He also had one of the best catches of the season (click to watch). And he did this despite having his time interrupted by moving to second base for a few weeks.

Steven Kwan (Guardians LF, 22 Runs Saved) didn’t just lead left fielders in Runs Saved. He dominated the position, finishing 10 runs ahead of the next-closest player. Kwan actually didn’t have the most Range Runs Saved, but he had an MLB-outfield-best 7 Outfield Arm Runs Saved and 10 assists without the help of a cutoff man. Watch him for how well he plays balls off the wall, part of his MLB outfield best 29 Good Fielding Plays this season.

Ke’Bryan Hayes (Reds 3B, 19 Runs Saved) has now led third basemen in Runs Saved in four of the last five seasons. This was his flashiestseason in that he had a career-high 21 Good Fielding Plays (as many as 2023 and 2024 combined).

We split Runs Saved into components and this was the first season in which Hayes had more Runs Saved for finishing plays than he did for range. Others throw harder but it’s harder to be better than Hayes, who had 1 throwing error, no throwing misplays, and had only 1 throw that required his first baseman to make a Good Fielding Play.

Myles Straw (Blue Jays OF, 18 Runs Saved) gives the Blue Jays the equivalent of two center fielders in the outfield, even when he’s playing left field. Straw accumulated most of his Runs Saved in center field (15 of them) before Daulton Varsho returned from shoulder surgery. In left field he’s netted 4 Runs Saved in 40 games and has no errors or defensive misplays. He has phenomenal range and that will be put to good use this month.

Nico Hoerner (Cubs 2B, 17 Runs Saved) led the Cubs in Baseball-Reference’s Wins Above Replacement and defense was a big part of that. He led the position in Runs Saved and excelled at defending balls hit up the middle. He has a strong chance to win his first Fielding Bible Award.

Mookie Betts (Dodgers SS, 17 Runs Saved) has turned himself into one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball. He tied for the lead at the position. The biggest thing Betts did was cut back on his mistakes. He had 19 Misplays & Errors in 65 games at shortstop in 2024 but had only 16 in 148 games there this season.

Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs CF, 16 Runs Saved) played his best defense prior to the All-Star Break, netting 13 of his 16 Runs Saved then. He tapered off as both a hitter and fielder in the latter part of the season but still finished second in Runs Saved at the position. At his best he can go back and get the ball as well as anyone.

Wilyer Abreu (Red Sox RF, 15 Runs Saved) was terrific in right field for the second straight season (he won a Fielding Bible Award last year) and actually had a higher Range Runs Saved total than he did last season despite playing fewer innings. He also co-led right fielders in Outfield Arm Runs Saved. Abreu was involved in two of the stranger plays of the season, a home run robbery that he didn’t catch but knocked over to Ceddanne Rafaela, and a 9-3 assist to prevent a single.

Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres RF, 15 Runs Saved) matched Abreu in Runs Saved (the only right fielder with more is Adolis Garcia). A big component of this was an MLB-best 4 home-run-robbing catches (and one play in which he prevented a home run but didn’t make the catch). His 28 Good Fielding Plays led all right fielders.

Honorable mention: Harrison Bader (Phillies OF, 14 Runs Saved), Carlos Narváez (Red Sox C, 11 Runs Saved, most among playoff catchers), Max Fried (Yankees P, 10 Runs Saved, most of any pitcher).

September 29, 2025
Up For Grabs: Who’s Going to Be The Overall Defensive Runs Saved Leader?

We normally advocate comparing players to those at their respective positions when it comes to defensive performance because that’s the best way to evaluate them. But there isn’t really any harm in pointing out the Defensive Runs Saved overall leader.

With that in mind, we’ve enjoyed something that’s happened within the last week. Three different players have led the majors in Defensive Runs Saved in 2025 within a five-day span. None of them are the player who opened September as MLB’s overall leader, Pete Crow-Armstrong.

No, these three are Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, and Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement.

Ceddanne Rafaela

Rafaela can catch it and he can throw it. He has 22 Runs Saved total, 21 in center field and one at second base, where he’s played 24 games. He has an MLB-leading 26 Good Fielding Plays in center. His specialty has been catching the shallow fly ball but last night he showed how good he is at getting the deep fly ball too. He’s tied for the center field lead in Outfield Arm Runs Saved with Andy Pages of the Dodgers.

The Red Sox have tried Rafaela at shortstop (last year) and second base (this season), but he’s made only one start at second since August 25. It seems they know what to do with their best defender for the stretch run.

While Crow-Armstrong’s numbers have stalled, Rafaela’s haven’t. He’s now 5 runs ahead of Myles Straw for the center field lead in Runs Saved. PCA is 6 runs behind.

Ernie Clement

We’re guessing that Clement has low name recognition outside Canada, but he held the Runs Saved lead entering Wednesday before ceding it back to Rafaela today. Clement has 11 Runs Saved at third base, 9 Runs Saved at second base, and 1 Run Saved at shortstop this season.

This isn’t a fluke. Last season he had 9 Runs Saved at third base and 6 Runs Saved at shortstop. Both years at third base he has specialized in making plays on balls hit to his left. At second base he’s been solid going in both directions and at turning double plays.

Clement is the favorite both to win a Utility Player Gold Glove Award and to win The Fielding Bible Award for multi-position play.

Patrick Bailey

The thing that Bailey has going for him is his pitch framing, which accounts for 14 of his 20 Runs Saved this season. Bailey has 40 Strike Zone Runs Saved (our pitch framing stat) since the start of the 2023 season. Only three other catchers have half that many (Austin Hedges, Alejandro Kirk, Cal Raleigh).

This season Bailey has more Runs Saved from pitch framing than any other catcher has from all aspects of catching (framing, blocking, limiting basestealing, fielding balls).

The strikeout-to-walk ratio when he’s caught this season is just about 3-to-1. With other Giants catchers, it’s barely over 2-to-1.

The Giants’ ERA when Bailey catches this season is 3.58. With their current backup, Andrew Knizner, it’s 5.31.

It is entirely possible that the end-season leader will be none of these players. Steven Kwan is within 2 runs of the lead and Ke’Bryan Hayes is 3 runs back. Kwan has been No. 1 at a few points this season (we just wrote a whole article about him at the trade deadline). Hayes led all players in Runs Saved in 2022.

September 19, 2025
Stat of the Week: Defensive Runs Saved Leader- A Rangers Runaway

Photo: Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire

BY MARK SIMON

The Rangers, fresh off a sweep of the Brewers, lead the majors with 97 Defensive Runs Saved. They’re 24 runs clear of the No. 2 team (Cubs) and 46 runs ahead of the No. 3 team (Braves). If you were to say they were the best defensive team in the majors, we’d have a hard time disagreeing.

That they are this good is impressive though not necessarily surprising. We noted in our preseason preview series that the Rangers had the potential to be one of the best defensive teams, though they didn’t get there in the manner that we thought they would.

In theory, they’re staggering to the finish line given an abundance of injuries to some of their top defensive performers. But in practice they’ve won 14 of 18 and are a season-high seven games over .500 with postseason hopes very much alive.

In fact, two of their top three defensive players are out. Shortstop Corey Seager had an appendectomy and hasn’t played since August 27. Right fielder Adolis García is out with an ankle injury and last played on September 1.

Seager has had by far the best defensive season of his career. He’s third among shortstops with 16 Runs Saved. He’s never finished a season with more than 6 Runs Saved at the position.

He’s much more about consistency than flash. We track Good Fielding Plays, which encompass highlight-reel plays and also things like keeping a ball on the infield to prevent baserunner advancement. Seager has only 4 this season, which isn’t even in the top 30 among shortstops. But his range rates well above average on balls hit either to his left or his right.

García has twice been honored as a Defensive Player of the Month for his excellence this season, winning for May and July. His 16 Runs Saved are the most he’s had in right field in any season (he had 15 in only 51 games in 2021). It represents a big bounceback from his -5 Runs Saved last season. In particular he’s been very good on balls hit to the shallowest part of the outfield.

The other Rangers player with great defensive numbers is outfielder Wyatt Langford, who ranks second with 11 Runs Saved in left field and also has 5 Runs Saved in center field, filling the latter position after Evan Carter (4 Runs Saved) suffered a season-ending injury. Langford has covered much more ground than he did last season. He’s made 13 more plays than the average left fielder and 6 more plays than the average center fielder. His 19 combined Plays Saved is well more than his 2 in 2024.

The Rangers have 10 Runs Saved at three positions (shortstop and both corner outfield spots). The one team that has them beat is the Blue Jays, who have 10 Runs Saved at five different positions, but they’re -12 in right field and -13 at shortstop. The Rangers don’t have any defensive holes that big.

Other Rangers with notable Runs Saved totals are injured second baseman Marcus Semien (6) and also backup catcher Kyle Higashioka (4). The most surprising position where the Rangers are positive in Runs Saved is first base. Jake Burger has played there the most and has 0 Runs Saved. But occasionally-used Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith have combined for 6 in 52 games.

There are two players with good reputations but surprisingly poor Runs Saved: Gold Glove-winning catcher Jonah Heim (-6) and third baseman Josh Jung (one of three third basemen on the team at -2). Jung was outstanding in the 2023 postseason but has not been able to match that level of play in either 2024 or 2025.

The Rangers and Cubs have nearly identical Runs Saved with regards to the skill aspects of defense. But where the Rangers separate from the Cubs and other teams is in defensive positioning.

They have 21 Runs Saved from infield positioning, which ranks tied for seventh. They get almost all of their credit for that for putting fielders in good spots to make plays on partial shifts, situations where the defense plays a second baseman or shortstop adjacent to second base and maneuvers other defenders accordingly. And they have 7 Runs Saved from their outfield positioning, a total topped by only three teams.

The combination of skill and positioning has produced a team that easily ranks No. 1 in how often they turn grounders and bunts into outs (77% of the time) and No. 7 on how often they turn flies, line drives and popups into outs (69% out rate).

They’re the only team to be top seven in both and that pretty much sums up why they are where they are defensively.

Rangers Defensive Runs Saved – 2025 Season

Notable Ranks

Runs Saved Rank

Shortstop 18 1st

Left Field 11 4th

Center Field 9 6th

Right Field 18 2nd

Infield Positioning 21 T-7th

Outfield Positioning 7 T-4th

September 11, 2025

The Guardians Have Done Great Work For Gavin Williams

Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams is having a nice close to 2025 and a good season overall, with a 3.26 ERA. But if any pitcher ever needed to buy his fielders dinner (or something nicer) for their work this year, he’s the guy.

Williams has a 4.54 FIP, the product of 4.6 walks per 9 and 1.3 home runs per 9. Normally we would ascribe “luck” (in whatever form you might think) as the reason for Williams’ surface-level success. But his 3.26 ERA is a true team effort.

Cleveland’s defense has 16 Runs Saved on the batted balls against Williams, the most of any pitcher in the majors.

Additionally, the defense behind him has been aesthetically pleasing. SIS tracks Good Fielding Plays, which includes highlight-reel plays and things like cutting off a ball in the gap to hold a batter to a single or deking a baserunner.

The Guardians have 33 Good Fielding Plays when Williams pitches. That’s the most by any team for a pitcher this season. They have 13 Defensive Misplays & Errors when he pitches (Misplays are an additional thing we track- things that produce a negative consequence for the defense but aren’t errors, like slipping and falling or overthrowing a cutoff man).

By comparison, the pitcher with the second-best defensive support, Jacob DeGrom, has gotten 15 Runs Saved on his batted balls, which is roughly the same number as Williams. The Rangers have made 11 Good Fielding Plays and 9 Defensive Misplays & Errors.

Here’s a list of the pitchers with the most defensive support this season, along with the Good Play and Misplay & Error totals for their teams.

Pitcher	Team	Runs Saved (Good Plays-Misplays)
Gavin Williams	Guardians	16 (33-13)
Jacob deGrom	Rangers	15 (11-9)
Nathan Eovaldi	Rangers	14 (7-9)
Merrill Kelly	Dbacks-Rangers	14 (22-14)
Hunter Brown	Astros	13 (16-7)

Let’s give you a sense of what we’re talking about with Williams. To do that, we can go back just one start, when he pitched seven innings of one-run ball against the Athletics. It could have been two runs but not for this extraordinary catch by Steven Kwan. I’m not one to often hand out superlatives, but by our calculations this is ‘Catch of the Year’ territory, a play with an 8% out probability.

The big run savers for Williams have been outfielder Daniel Schneemann and shortstop Gabriel Arias. We don’t express Defensive Runs Saved to a decimal point but for the purposes of this article, we’ll note that each has about 2.5 Runs Saved on the balls hit against him.

Here’s a diving catch by Schneemann on a ball with a 11% out probability.

And here’s a ‘nifty play’ by Arias ranging well to his left to get an out on a ball with a 39% out probability.

Of the 16 Runs Saved for Williams, roughly 9 come from the skill of Guardians defenders (range for infielders and outfielders and throwing for infielders). Another 7 runs come from Cleveland’s defensive positioning, tied for the third-most by any team for a pitcher (the Rays have 9 runs of positioning for Shane Baz and the Dodgers have 8 behind Clayton Kershaw).

Here’s a good example of the value of positioning. This ball, hit by Jeff McNeil of the Mets, is an out 87% of the time given where second baseman Brayan Rocchio is playing.

But if we didn’t know Rocchio’s defensive positioning, ground balls hit to that spot at that speed are an out only 20% of the time. The Guardians get a team credit for improving the out probability from 20% to 87%. Williams took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning of that game. Though C.J. Kayfus made a diving catch in the seventh inning, the defense on that McNeil at-bat was the most important in terms of denying a hit in the first eight innings of that game.

One more example of good positioning: Kayfus makes a nice reaching catch on a fly ball hit towards the right field line here, a ball on which his positioning improved the out probability from 19% to 82%.

I’ll note that we’re only looking at batted balls here but if we looked at other things, Williams would probably benefit too. Basestealers are 6-for-12 against him this season and Williams has helped his own cause with 3 pickoffs.

Williams has 3 Defensive Runs Saved this season, all from limiting stolen bases. He deserves some of the defensive credit too, though it’s his teammates who have been true Guardians of the baseball galaxy when it comes to watching out for him this season.

September 4, 2025

	Runs Saved	Rank
Shortstop	18	1st
Left Field	11	4th
Center Field	9	6th
Right Field	18	2nd
Infield Positioning	21	T-7th
Outfield Positioning	7	T-4th

Category: 2025 MLB

Photo: Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire