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Category: 2023 MLB

  • Stat of the Week: AL Defensive Stories In 2024

    Stat of the Week: AL Defensive Stories In 2024

    Photo: Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire

    BY MARK SIMON

    With Opening Day approaching, we wanted to preview the 2023 season from a defensive perspective. So to be fair to all 30 teams, we’ve got a stat-driven theme or story to watch for each team. We’ll do the AL teams this week, the NL next week.

    Angels – The Angels ranked 19th in Defensive Runs Saved last season and didn’t make any significant improvements on the defensive side. Mike Trout hasn’t been moved off center field but Mickey Moniak fared well there when Trout was out, so it’s worth wondering if anything could happen on that front in 2024. For now, Trout is in center field and Moniak is in right field.

     

    Astros – The Astros finished 17th in Defensive Runs Saved last season but have the capability to be better than that, given a roster of players with good track records (Kyle Tucker, Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers, Alex Bregman). The thing to watch will be a potential trouble spot, the right side of their infield, in particular José Altuve, who has totaled a positional-worst -28 Runs Saved over the last 2 seasons.

     

    Athletics – The A’s best defensive player is shortstop Nick Allen, who has saved 9 Runs in a little over 1,300 innings at the position the last 2 seasons. If his bat keeps him on the field, he’s Oakland’s best shot at a Fielding Bible Award.

     

    Blue Jays – The Jays are basically running it back from last season, when they led the majors in Runs Saved. The only exception is third base where Isiah Kiner-Falefa is slated to be the primary replacement for Matt Chapman. IKF has a very good history at the position so if he plays (likely contingent on how he hits), the drop-off at that position might be very small and the Blue Jays could again contend to be the top defensive team.

     

    Guardians – The Guardians have 3 outfielders who are capable of winning a Fielding Bible Award. Left fielder Steven Kwan already has two. Myles Straw came close. And Ramón Laureano has a great history in right field in a little more than a season’s worth of innings. The Guardians, in the eyes of some, are MLB’s top defensive team entering the season.

     

    Mariners – The Mariners have a couple of players who have contended for or won Gold Gloves in the past but didn’t put up the best defensive numbers last season. We’re referring to first baseman Ty France and shortstop J.P. Crawford. For the Mariners to contend, it would help if they excelled at their respective spots.

     

    Orioles – The Orioles ranked tied for 6th in Defensive Runs Saved last season because they were basically average or better at every position. They’re capable of matching that with their current roster particularly because they have 2 defensive standouts, Ramón Urias and Jorge Mateo who can come in late in games if needed for youngsters Jordan Westburg at third base and top prospect Jackson Holliday at second base.

     

    Rangers – After looking great in the 2023 postseason, making several highlight-reel plays, Josh Jung could step up a level defensively. He may become one of the game’s elite defenders in 2024.

     

    Rays – Rays shortstops tied for the MLB lead with 19 Runs Saved last season. With Wander Franco in significant legal trouble and Taylor Walls injured, will new acquisition José Caballero perform at a high level? Caballero looked the part at both middle infield spots last season and he seems like a good fit on a team that typically maximizes the talent of its roster.

     

    Red Sox – There’s a lot to watch throughout the Red Sox outfield. They’ll have a new player standing in front of the Green Monster in left fielder Tyler O’Neill, who won the Fielding Bible Award at that position in 2020 and 2021. Rookie Ceddanne Rafaela will be the center fielder. Jarren Duran, who played mostly center field and left field the last two seasons, will now try right field. It will be interesting to see how all three mesh in Fenway Park.

     

    Royals – Bobby Witt Jr. was one of the most improved defensive players in MLB in 2023. Is he capable of making the jump to being one of the top shortstops by Defensive Runs Saved?

     

    Tigers – Tigers third basemen combined to have the worst Runs Saved total of any infield position. The addition of Gio Urshela should make things considerably better there. And we’ll see how things shake out with rookies Parker Meadows and Colt Keith and how well they fare at center field and second base.

     

    Twins – After a year away from center field, Byron Buxton is going to return to playing the position in 2024. When healthy, Buxton is as good as it gets in center field. But his injury history is a concern. The Twins are ready for potential issues though with Manuel Margot available to back up at multiple spots.

     

    White Sox – The White Sox ranked 29th in Runs Saved last season, so they have nowhere to go but up. Their weakest spots included right field, where for now they have newcomer Dominic Fletcher, and shortstop, which will be manned by Paul DeJong. They’ll also have a new catching tandem in Martín Maldonado and Max Stassi. Maldonado has something to prove after a career-worst -10 Runs Saved in 2023.

     

    Yankees – The Yankees’ outfield Runs Saved numbers last season were among the worst in MLB. How will that change in 2024? They’ve got two new acquisitions to acclimate in Alex Verdugo (typically a good defender) and Juan Soto (typically not as good), and they’re giving Aaron Judge another try in center field, where he’s rated basically as average in the past.

  • Stat of the Week: 2023 MLB Year-End Awards

    Stat of the Week: 2023 MLB Year-End Awards

    Happy holiday season!

    Every year at this time we do some supplemental, statistically-driven MLB awards. These will salute some of the leaders in specific areas of our recordkeeping. Here are the 2023 winners:

    The Hard Hitter Award

    Sports Info Solutions charts every batted ball as hard-, medium- or soft-hit, based on the ball’s location and velocity (note that this differs from how Statcast tracks hard-hit rate).

    The winner of the Hard-Hitter Award is the player who had the highest percentage of batted balls that were hard-hit among batters with a minimum of 350 plate appearances in 2023.

    Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge won the award for the 2nd straight year, recording a hard-hit ball in 53.8% of his at-bats. No one else reached 50%. J.D. Martinez (49.0%), Corey Seager (48.4%), Ronald Acuña Jr. (46.1%), and Yordan Álvarez (45.0%) ranked 2nd through 5th. For those curious, recent Dodgers signee Shohei Ohtani ranked 8th (42.9%).

    The top 5 teams were the Braves (38.3%), Rangers (36.7%), Rockies (34.8%), Cardinals (34.6%), and Dodgers (34.5%).

    The Contact Minimizer Award

    The Contact Minimizer goes to the pitcher who most limited hard contact in 2023 (minimum 100 innings pitched).

    The winner was Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks, who allowed a hard-hit ball in 24.9% of at-bats against him. He was followed by Nick Martinez (25.1%), Kyle Bradish (26.9%), Mike Clevinger (26.9%), and Justin Steele (27.8%). Perhaps the most interesting finish was Zack Greinke placing 9th (29.0%) despite posting a 5.06 ERA in 2023.

    The team leaders were the Padres (29.6%), Orioles (31.0%), Mariners (31.0%), Mets (31.0%), Phillies (31.3%), and Cubs (31.3%).

    The Flat Bat Award

    The Flat Bat Award is given annually to the best bunter of the year. To determine the winner, we look at run value–run expectancy gained or lost–for both successful and unsuccessful sacrifice bunt and bunt-for-hit attempts for each player.

    The runaway leader this year was Reds outfielder T.J. Friedl, who had an MLB-best 17 bunt hits (against 5 failed attempts) and 8 successful sacrifices (versus 1 failed sacrifice).

    The runner-up for the 2nd straight year was Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho, who had 11 bunt hits (5 failed attempts) and 1 sacrifice (no failed attempts).

    Click here to read about the methodology behind the Flat Bat Award.

    The Vacuum Cleaner Award

    SIS Video Scouts also track what are known as “Good Fielding Plays,” which are often those that lead to the unlikely recording of an out. Those can be broken up into different subtypes, including one just for groundballs. The leader in Good Fielding Plays on groundballs is the winner of our Vacuum Cleaner Award.

    This year’s winners are Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez, and Mets first baseman Pete Alonso. Each had 19 such Good Fielding Plays, one more than Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner and Brewers/Pirates first baseman Carlos Santana. Giménez was rewarded at season’s end with a Fielding Bible Award and the Platinum Glove Award.

     The Fly Swatter Award

    The Fly Swatter Award is a similar award to The Vacuum Cleaner, except it’s for Good Fielding Plays resulting in outs on fly balls and line drives.

    This year’s winners were Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle and Cardinals outfielder/infielder Tommy Edman, who each had 17 Good Fielding Plays on flies and liners. That’s one more than Blue Jays outfielder George Springer. Doyle won a Gold Glove Award this season and finished 2nd to Kevin Kiermaier in Fielding Bible Award voting for center field.

    Stolen Base Stopper

    The award for the Stolen Base Stopper goes to the catcher and pitcher who had the most Stolen Base Runs Saved in 2023. This year’s winners were Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (7 Stolen Base Runs Saved) and Mets pitcher David Peterson  (4 Stolen Base Runs Saved).

    Moreno threw out 21 baserunners and had 2 pickoffs, netting a caught stealing percentage of 38% in a season in which it became much more challenging to throw out potential basestealers. That was a big reason why he won the Fielding Bible Award as baseball’s best defensive catcher.

    Peterson allowed 4 stolen bases, but his catchers caught 2 would-be basestealers and he caught 3 himself. He also had 3 successful pickoffs.

     The Hall of Framer

    The Hall of Framer award goes to the catcher who had the best pitch-framing numbers in 2023. In our world, that means the catcher who had the most called strikes above expectations (Strike Zone Plus-Minus).

    We split this award between 2 catchers. Francisco Álvarez of the Mets had an MLB-leading 92 more called strikes than expected. So did Pirates and Rangers catcher Austin Hedges, who had the most on a per-pitch basis (1.82 per 100 pitches).

    To learn more about our pitch-framing methodology, read the paper from our award-winning presentation at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

  • Stat of the Week: MLB’s Most Improved Defenders

    Stat of the Week: MLB’s Most Improved Defenders

    Between social media and our website we lauded the Blue Jays outfield frequently in 2023 because they were so good defensively. But there was another big reason besides the outfield as to why the team led the majors in Defensive Runs Saved this past season. The Blue Jays had MLB’s most improved defensive player by that stat.

    Shortstop Bo Bichette went from -16 Runs Saved in 2022 to 5 Runs Saved in 2023. The 21-run improvement was the largest for anyone who played at least 500 total MLB innings in each of the last 2 seasons.

    Biggest Improvement in Defensive Runs Saved – 2022 to 2023

    Minimum 500 innings played in each season

     

    Player DRS Improvement
    Bo Bichette 21
    Nicky Lopez 20
    Andrew Vaughn 17
    Bobby Witt Jr. 16
    Wander Franco 16
    Thairo Estrada 14
    Alex Verdugo 14
    Yandy Díaz 14

    Bo Bichette

    Bichette’s improvement was most prominent specific to one aspect of his game – making plays on balls hit to the left of where he was initially positioned.

    Bo Bichette On Balls Hit To His Left

    Season Plays Made/Opportunities Out Rate (Plays Saved)
    2022 137/304 45% (-15)
    2023 129/219 59% (10)

    >> Opportunities = plays with a >0% out rate for the shortstop.

    To explain this chart:

    In 2022, Bichette made 137 plays on 304 balls that had a >0% out rate for the shortstop (that’s how we define an “opportunity”). According to our calculations, he made 15 fewer plays than an average shortstop would have on those balls (hence the -15 in the 3rd column of the chart).

    In 2023, he made 129 plays out of 219 opportunities. According to our calculations, he was 10 plays better than the average shortstop.

    You can see the difference in the out rates. Bichette went from a 45% out rate on balls hit to his left to 59%.

    Bichette’s throwing improvements may have played a role here. He went from 18 throwing errors and misplays (misplays being plays that weren’t scored errors but could have been) in 2022 to 7 in 2023.

    For more on Bichette, check out this Twitter thread from SportsNet Blue Jays producer Chris Black.

    Nicky Lopez

    Lopez, a utility player traded from the Braves to the White Sox this offseason, had been known as a good glove in the past but had a drop-off in 2022, particularly at second base, where he accrued -8 Runs Saved. He totaled 4 runs there in 2023 and fared better on balls hit to his right than he ever had before. Lopez also went from 1 Run Saved at third base to 5 Runs Saved there in a comparable though limited number of innings.

    Andrew Vaughn

    Vaughn’s improvement is the result of both a position switch (from corner outfield to first base) and improvement at his new full-time position. Vaughn totaled -17 Runs Saved in 2022, with -14 of those coming from his combined total in left field and right field. At first base in 2023, Vaughn rated MLB average, with 0 Runs Saved.

    Vaughn handed first base better than he did in the roughly 300 innings he played there in 2021 and 2022 when he amassed a combined -5 Runs Saved.

  • NPB Free Agent Scouting Report: Yoshinobu Yamamoto

    NPB Free Agent Scouting Report: Yoshinobu Yamamoto

    If you’re not familiar with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, I can sum this up pretty quickly. He is one of the greatest pitchers of his generation and one of the best in NPB history. After seven stellar seasons and three years of utter dominance, the Orix Buffaloes are posting Yamamoto. He can sign an MLB contract this offseason.

    The 25-year-old has produced an incredible three-season stretch.

    Season IP ERA Strikeouts Walks SO/W
    2021 193 2/3 1.39 206 40 5.2
    2022 193 1.68 205 42 4.9
    2023 164 1.21 169 28 6.3

    Yamamoto’s pitching earned him three consecutive Triple Crowns and Sawamura awards, NPB’s equivalent of the Cy Young Award. In his last game for Orix, Yamamoto cemented his status as an NPB legend, throwing a complete game with 14 strikeouts in Game 6 of the Japan Series. The 14 strikeouts broke a Japan Series record formerly held by Yu Darvish. 

    Here’s all 14 strikeouts:

    Why is he so good?

    Yamamoto blends power and command, the traits that teams look for in a starting pitcher. At 5’10” and 176 pounds, he is a smaller pitcher but has a strong frame and the ability to pitch deep into games and throw many innings without injury. He’s thrown at least 160 innings each of the last three seasons. 

    In Game 6 of the Japan Series, he threw 138 pitches. He’s durable and maintains velocity. His 133rd pitch was a 98-MPH fastball. He’s just as effective deep into games as he is at any other point, which is what makes him an ace.

     

    Yamamoto’s sequencing, arsenal, and control, compounded by his elite command and ability to throw 4 to 5 pitches in specific quadrants in the zone make him a nightmare for hitters.

    Mechanics

    Yamamoto’s change to go from a held leg kick that’s done by many Japanese pitchers to an elimination of his leg kick altogether in 2023 is fascinating. He now replicates his motions from the stretch to his movements in the windup. He still gets good extension down the mound for his height and puts himself in a nice sequence to throw the ball.

    Yamamoto 2022 Mechanics   

    via GIPHY

    Yamamoto 2023 Mechanics 

    via GIPHY

    The repeatability of the delivery is textbook. He had a 68.5% strike rate last season. That would have put him at 5th among qualified starters in MLB behind Joe Ryan and ahead of Spencer Strider. A clean and efficient delivery puts him in optimal fielding position. He is an excellent fielder who won the 2023 NPB Fielding Bible Award for pitchers.

    The Arsenal (2023 usage and Average Velocity)

    Yamamoto’s arsenal is deep and it’s electric with a pitch mix that attacks the zone more vertically, than horizontally. He fits the profile of power pitchers that teams desire. He has velocity along with a killer breaking ball and offspeed pitch; the three make him hard to hit and, with his control, he rarely gives up free passes.

    Fastball  48 %, 95 mph 

    Yamamoto has a four-seam and two-seam fastball and will sprinkle in the two-seam on the hands of righties or he will occasionally front-hip the pitch to lefties. The main attraction is his four-seam. 

    Yamamoto averaged just under 95 mph on his fastballs this season but his four-seamer plays up in the zone with good carry. A lower release point due to his height and 3/4 arm slot make it a unique pitch that explodes at the top of the zone. 

    Yamamoto’s average release height is around 5.5 feet putting him in elite company in terms of that metric. With 17 inches on average of induced vertical break (IVB), he’s able to carry the ball through the top of the zone with ease.

    Yamamoto doesn’t always live at the top of the zone even though his fastball tunnels with his curveball nicely. He opts to tunnel the pitch with his splitter more but his command of the pitch in all four quadrants is what makes him special. Yamamoto can spot his fastball where he wants it and it sets up the rest of his devastating arsenal.

    Curveball  16%, 77 mph

    Yamamoto’s curve is one of the prettiest in the world. It drops out of the sky for strikes but also generates plenty of whiffs. He also can get chases by throwing curves below the zone, or he can steal strikes late and early in the count.

    Throwing with a Ginoza grip as he shows the back of his hand towards the plate, he then pushes or flicks the ball with his thumb, which is what gives the pitch such high spin. It averages 77 mph and he’s also able to take some off or throw it harder when need be.

    I love this overlay from Pitching Ninja that illustrates how good the pitch is:

     

    Splitter  26%  90 mph

    Yamamoto’s splitter is effective against left-handers with a .178 opponents’ OBP and a .424 OPS. The crazy thing is against right-handed batters it performs even better, a .106 OBA and a .324 OPS. The splitter is his go-to strikeout pitch and is nightmare fuel for batters.

    Also like much of the rest of his arsenal, he’s able to manipulate the speed and shape. Yamamoto can create more backspin and higher velocity when needed or can take some off and kill spin depending on the situation. 

    This was never more evident than in a game in 2022 when he threw a two-seamer and a splitter at the same speed in back-to-back pitches. The pitch averages 90 MPH but he has been able to throw the pitch from 82 mph up to 93 mph. He has the feel to “gas pedal” all his pitches at any time. This messes with the hitter’s timing and rhythm as well as their ability to sit on specific pitches.

    via GIPHY

    If the pitch is put in play he keeps it on the ground. The splitter has a 77% ground ball rate. Couple that with a 60% groundball rate for his curve and you can see that it was difficult for hitters to get his secondaries into the air. His groundball rates should take a dip in MLB with the types of hitters he faces. Remember too that his current numbers may be distorted because NPB is currently in a “dead ball era” but a better positioning of fielders in MLB can also help him out.

    The splitter is a weapon for him against both righties and lefties and with its darting and diving action, he’s able to generate whiffs and chases with a 40% whiff rate each of the last two seasons. The pitch has late action and ducks underneath barrels consistently.

    Here’s Yamamoto’s split that looks like a wiffle ball as it takes off from the batter:

    via GIPHY

     

    Slider and Cutter (SL) 2% 85 mph / (CUT) 8%  92 mph

    To round out his arsenal we can look at both his cutter and slider together. The slider, rarely thrown, is more of a sweeper. The cutter was thrown more to RHBs than LHBs but he does throw the pitch in on the hands of lefties. With a .366 opponents’ OBP and an OPS of .825, it was by far his worst-performing pitch. 

    via GIPHY

     

    via GIPHY

    The issue is sometimes the cutter will occasionally leak to his arm side, but he’s still very comfortable spotting the pitch where he wants it and has no lack of confidence in throwing it. Here’s a front-hip cutter to a RHB that’s perfectly painted on the inside getting an emergency hack: 

    via GIPHY

    The slider is rarely thrown, less than two percent of the time. He still spots the pitch very well and it has a good sweep to it.

    It’s a very projectable pitch for him and he has the feel to throw it. He just never had to in NPB because of his three best pitches and because he was facing more left-handed hitters. He might never throw it more in MLB but it could play as a real weapon against MLB hitters, especially right-handed hitters.

    via GIPHY

    What to Expect

    As Yamamoto transitions to facing MLB hitters, he might opt for more high four-seams and more reliance on his curveball as a change of pace early. The MLB ball is slightly bigger and less tacky than its NPB counterpart, and we could see his usage possibly change by adding in more cutters and sliders while he adapts his splitter. However, it is worth mentioning that he threw an MLB ball in the World Baseball Classic this spring with minimal issues. 

    With three double-plus offerings and elite command of all his pitches, Yamamoto has the chance to be a Top 10 or Top 5 pitcher in MLB next season. There are always questions about the transition from NPB to MLB, but Yamamoto is the most polished pitcher to make this transition.

  • Stat of the Week: The Rangers Did It With Defense

    Stat of the Week: The Rangers Did It With Defense

    A slightly belated tip of the hat to the Rangers’ infield defense for their dominant work against ground balls and bunts this postseason.

    The Rangers faced 207 grounders and bunts in the playoffs and World Series— more than any other team this postseason— and got at least one out on 77% of them, the highest rate of any team this postseason. All four of their infield regulars deserve recognition for their play in 2023.

    First baseman Nathaniel Lowe went from -9 Defensive Runs Saved in 2022 to 3 in 2023. He won the AL Gold Glove at first base and finished 6th in the Fielding Bible Awards voting at the position (highest among AL first basemen). With the Rangers protecting a 3-2 lead against the Astros in the 7th inning of Game 6 of the ALCS, Lowe had a big stretch and scoop of a throw to complete a double play. The Rangers won that game and then Game 7 the next day.

    Second baseman Marcus Semien has finished tied for 2nd, 4th, and 2nd in Runs Saved at the position the last 3 seasons. But because of that consistency he leads all second basemen in Runs Saved in those 3 years. He likely saved 2 runs with a diving stop in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Astros, 1 of 4 Good Fielding Plays he made in the postseason.

    Shortstop Corey Seager had 5 Runs Saved this season, a respectable total but one that didn’t rank in the Top 10 at the position this season.

    However, Seager tied for the MLB lead among shortstops in Double Play Runs Saved with 3. Seager converted 74% of double play opportunities in the regular season, the 2nd-highest rate among the 35 shortstops with the most opportunities in 2023. Seager was 100% when it mattered most, spearing Ketel Marte’s bid for a hit in the 8th inning and turning it into an inning-ending double play. That helped preserve a 3-1 Rangers win in Game 3 of the World Series.

    Third baseman Josh Jung finished the regular season with 0 Runs Saved but tied for the MLB regular season lead in Good Fielding Plays at the position with 21. Jung rated among the best third basemen in baseball at making plays on balls hit to his right, not surprising given his great arm. He had a pair of Good Fielding Plays on balls hit down the line in the postseason (this one and this one).

    The Rangers’ outfield may not have ranked No. 1 at turning balls hit in the air into outs but they made some terrific plays. Right fielder Adolis Garcia threw Christian Walker out at the plate in a key moment in Game 3 of the World Series. Garcia also won a Gold Glove and finished 2nd to Fernando Tatis Jr. in the Fielding Bible Award voting in right field. Center fielder Leody Taveras robbed Yordan Alvarez of a home run in the ALCS. Left fielder Evan Carter had 3 Good Fielding Plays, all impressive catches.

    In fact, you could say that Carter’s diving catch in the 1st inning of Game 1 of the Wild Card Round against the Rays was the tone setter for what was to come the rest of the postseason. Highly impressive for a rookie to start a highly impressive run for the Rangers, the 2023 World Series winners.

  • Stat of the Week: Fielding Bible Awards Runners-Up

    Stat of the Week: Fielding Bible Awards Runners-Up

    Last week we honored so many great defensive players in our announcement of The Fielding Bible Awards.

    But in doing so, we were limiting our selection to one per position. We don’t want to forget about some of the other great players who didn’t win an Award.

    So today is for the runner-ups, the players who finished second for each of the Fielding Bible Awards in 2023.

    First Base – Carlos Santana of the Brewers led all first basemen in Defensive Runs Saved (11) and ranked 2nd in Good Fielding Plays (41). The 11 Runs Saved were a career high. Santana, not known for his defense, has finished with a positive Runs Saved in 7 of the last 8 years.

    Second Base – Marcus Semien of the Rangers leads all second basemen in Runs Saved over the last 3 seasons, one better than the 2023 Fielding Bible Award winner, Andrés Giménez, though Giménez beat him out for the lead in 2023. 

    Third Base – Ryan McMahon of the Rockies had the misfortune of going up against the Defensive Player of the Year winner, Ke’Bryan Hayes. McMahon holds up well against every other third baseman in the sport. He ranks 2nd to Hayes in Runs Saved at the position over the last 3 seasons and ranked 2nd in 2023 too. Yes, that means he’s ahead of former Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado.

    Shortstop – It was a crowded field of players battling for the No. 2 spot behind unanimous winner Dansby Swanson, and it was Swanson’s division rival, Willy Adames of the Brewers, who ended up there. Adames ranked tied for 7th at the position in Runs Saved but was 4th in the component of Runs Saved that comes from turning batted balls into outs.

    Left Field – Daulton Varsho of the Blue Jays was the runner-up to Steven Kwan, but just noting that would be an injustice to Varsho, who led all players with 29 Runs Saved in 2023  Unfortunately for him, he ended up with no Fielding Bible Awards to show for it because he split time between left field (where he finished 3rd in Runs Saved) and center field. He qualified for the Award in left field because he played more there but lost to Kwan in the voting. Varsho did finish 4th in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

    Center Field – Brenton Doyle of the Rockies just missed beating out Kevin Kiermaier for the Award. Doyle did beat out Kiermaier for the MLB lead in Runs Saved at the position with 19. That’s remarkable given that the most Runs Saved by a Rockies center fielder in a season prior to that was 6.

    Right Field – Rangers postseason star Adolis García is a defensive star too. He was the runner-up to Fernando Tatis Jr. in right field. García and Tatis tied for the MLB lead in Outfield Arm Runs Saved at the position. García leads all outfielders in that stat over the last 3 seasons.

    Catcher – Patrick Bailey stepped into a big role as a rookie for the Giants and matched up well with Award winner Gabriel Moreno. Bailey tied for the MLB lead in our pitch-framing metric, Strike Zone Runs Saved.

    Pitcher – Jesús Luzardo of the Marlins led all pitchers in Runs Saved in 2023 and finished No. 1 in Runs Saved from turning batted balls into outs. He also ranks 3rd in Runs Saved at the position in the last 3 seasons.

    Multi-Position – Jon Berti of the Marlins didn’t quite match up to winner Mookie Betts but Berti was highly versatile. He played at least 15 games at 4 positions – shortstop (64), third base (41), left field (18), and second base (15) – and finished the season with 5 Runs Saved.

    Full voting results for The Fielding Bible Awards can be found in The Bill James Handbook, Walk-Off Edition, which is available for pre-order at ACTA Sports, and on the Sports Info Solutions website.

  • 2023 Fielding Bible Award Winners

    2023 Fielding Bible Award Winners

    SIS is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Fielding Bible Awards. This marks the 18th 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 inaugural Defensive Player of the Year award.

    This year’s winners are:

    Position Name Team
    Player of the Year Ke’Bryan Hayes Pirates
    1B Christian Walker Diamondbacks
    2B Andrés Giménez Guardians
    3B Ke’Bryan Hayes Pirates
    SS Dansby Swanson Cubs
    LF Steven Kwan Guardians
    CF Kevin Kiermaier Blue Jays
    RF Fernando Tatis Jr. Padres
    C Gabriel Moreno Diamondbacks
    P Zack Greinke Royals
    Multi-Position Mookie Betts Dodgers

    Defensive Player of the Year

    Ke’Bryan Hayes is our inaugural Defensive Player of the Year. He led 3rd basemen in Defensive Runs Saved this season and easily leads all 3rd basemen in Runs Saved since his debut season, 2020.

    “Ke’Bryan Hayes had another outstanding season defensively,” said SIS VP Baseball, Bobby Scales. “Since the day he entered the Major Leagues he has displayed a level of defensive excellence that few young players exhibit at this early stage of their careers. This year was truly a special one for him.”

    Individual Positions

    1B – Christian Walker won his 2nd straight Fielding Bible Award. He finished 2nd among 1st basemen with 9 Defensive Runs Saved in 2023. He joins Albert Pujols and Matt Olson as the only 1B to win in consecutive years. Walker cut back on his Misplays & Errors from 19 in 2022 to 11 in 2023 in nearly the same number of innings.

    Walker and Paul Goldschmidt are the only Diamondbacks players to win a Fielding Bible Award at 1st base.

    2B – Andrés Giménez won his 1st Fielding Bible Award. Gimenez led all 2nd basemen with 23 Defensive Runs Saved in 2023. He was our Co-Defensive Player of the Month in September. Giménez was the only infielder to be at least 10 Plays Saved above average on balls hit to both his left and his right in 2023.

    He’s the only Guardians player to win the Award at 2nd base.

    3B – Ke’Bryan Hayes won his 2nd Fielding Bible Award (previously won in 2021) to go along with Defensive Player of the Year honors. He led all third basemen with 21 Defensive Runs Saved. Hayes cut back on his mistakes in 2023. He finished with 13 Defensive Misplays & Errors, down from 25 in 2022. He was also the only third baseman to have at least 10 plays saved on balls hit to his right.

    He’s the only Pirates player to win the award at 3rd base.

    SS – Dansby Swanson won his 1st Fielding Bible Award. He was the only unanimous selection among 2023 winners. Swanson led all shortstops with 18 Defensive Runs Saved. He was +14 Plays Saved on balls hit to his right, the most of any player at the position. Balls hit to that area (the shortstop-third base hole) have been a weakness for Swanson in past seasons but in 2022 and 2023, he’s improved considerably.

    Swanson is the second Cubs player to win a Fielding Bible Award at shortstop, joining Javier Báez (2020).

    LF – Steven Kwan won his 2nd Fielding Bible Award. He’s the first player to win a Fielding Bible Award in each of his first 2 MLB seasons. He led all left fielders in both Defensive Runs Saved (16) and Good Fielding Plays (24) in 2023. He’s the only Guardians player to win the Award for left field.

    CF – Kevin Kiermaier won his 3rd Fielding Bible Award. He finished 2nd among center fielders with 18 Defensive Runs Saved, his most since recording 20 in 2017. Kiermaier made 92 catches on 110 opportunities on balls classified as deep, 11 more than the average center fielder would have made. Kiermaier joins Kevin Pillar as the only Blue Jays to win the Award for center field.

    RF – Fernando Tatis Jr. won his 1st Fielding Bible Award and became the 1st Padres player to win the Award. Every team now has at least one Fielding Bible Award winner. Tatis was the runaway leader with 29 Defensive Runs Saved in right field. He led all right fielders in Plays Saved on medium and deep-hit balls and led the position in Outfield Arm Runs Saved. Tatis’ 29 Runs Saved were the most for any player at any position in 2023. The 20-run gap between Tatis and the next-best right fielder was the largest gap between No. 1 and No. 2 for right field since Runs Saved was first tracked in 2003.

    C – Gabriel Moreno won his 1st Fielding Bible Award. Moreno threw out 21 would-be basestealers in 56 attempts, which equated to an MLB-best 7 Stolen Base Runs Saved. He also earned 5 Runs Saved for pitch blocking, 2nd in MLB to Nick Fortes. Diamondbacks pitchers had a 3.94 regular season ERA when Moreno caught. When he didn’t, their ERA was 5.25. Moreno joins Jeff Mathis as the only Diamondbacks catchers to win a Fielding Bible Award.

    P – Zack Greinke won his 3rd Fielding Bible Award, his first with the Royals (other ones: 2018, 2019). He finished 2nd among pitchers with 6 Defensive Runs Saved this season. In the 21-year history of the stat, Greinke ranks first at the position with 93 Runs Saved. Greinke allowed only 2 stolen bases all season. He picked off 5 baserunners, 1 more than he had in the previous 8 seasons combined. Greinke is the only Royals pitcher to win a Fielding Bible Award.

    Multi-Position – Mookie Betts won his 6th Fielding Bible Award, tying Andrelton Simmons and Yadier Molina for the most in the 18-year history of the Award. It’s the first time that Betts won for multi-position excellence. The other 5 came as a right fielder. Betts saved 6 Runs at 2nd base and 3 runs in right field. He’d never played more than 14 games at 2nd base prior to 2023, when he played 70. He also played 16 games at shortstop, the first time he’d played the position in the major leagues. Betts is the 3rd Dodgers player to win the Multi-Position award joining Cody Bellinger (2019) and Kiké Hernández (2020).

    —

    The 2023 awards were determined by a panel of 16 voters, who ranked the top 10 players at each defensive position (including a spot for multi-position players) at the conclusion of the regular season. A first-place vote gets 10 points, second-place gets nine points, third-place gets eight points, etc. Total up the points for each player, and the player with the most points wins the award. A perfect score is 160 points.

    Our voting panel consisted of SIS co-founder John Dewan and baseball stat pioneer Bill James, along with Daniel Álvarez-Montes (El Extra Base), Chris Dial (sabermetrician), Alyson Footer (MLB.com), Peter Gammons (The Athletic), Tyler Kepner (The Athletic), Bill Ladson (MLB.com), Eduardo Pérez (ESPN), Hal Richman (Strat-O-Matic), Travis Sawchik (The Score), Bobby Scales (SIS), Joe Sheehan (longtime writer), Mark Simon (SIS), Dani Wexelman (MLB Network Radio), and an aggregate vote from the SIS Video Scout staff.

    A complete list of ballots and the history of the Fielding Bible Awards (which began in 2006) can be found online at FieldingBible.com and in The Bill James Handbook: Walk-Off Edition, which is available at ACTASports.com.

     

  • 2023 Defensive Player of the Year: Ke’Bryan Hayes

    2023 Defensive Player of the Year: Ke’Bryan Hayes

    When we talk about defensive excellence, all too often we talk about great plays. We’re wowed by the spectacular, the diving, the sliding, and the jumping. Whatever makes for good social media and gets shared a million times over is what we see the most.

    And that’s great. It’s fun.  Fans love it. Players love it.

    But maybe with our inaugural Defensive Player of the Year, Ke’Bryan Hayes, we need to look at this differently. Maybe what defensive excellence is for Hayes is a little different than what it is for someone else.

    Hayes’ great plays are high quality but not necessarily high in quantity. Our Video Scouts track Good Fielding Plays. These are largely the highlight-reel plays I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, along with (in smaller numbers) things like keeping the ball on the infield to keep a run from scoring.

    Here’s one example, and another. They’re really good plays. By our count, Hayes had 14 Good Fielding Plays in 2023. On a per-1,000-inning basis, he wasn’t close to the MLB leaders at third base. He was middle-of-the-pack.

    I have a theory here, though it’s a hard one to prove statistically. It’s that Hayes doesn’t have a lot of Good Fielding Plays because that’s not how he does things. As Pirates manager Derek Shelton told me “He makes really, really difficult plays look routine.”

    For example, this play doesn’t look that difficult on TV.

     

    But I watched a ballpark All-9 camera view of it (we can’t show it due to MLB rules). It was a tougher play than you think. Hayes reacted quickly to the ball. Some players might have dove for it. He didn’t need to.

    “The thing that impresses me most is the consistency,” Shelton said. “He’s just so good.”

    That Hayes can make defense look easy makes sense given that he’s basically been preparing to be a major leaguer since he began playing baseball as a kid. In two conversations with him, a few years apart, Hayes brought up how one of the most important things he learned as a kid was how to throw a ball to his first baseman. The first baseman wore a Superman t-shirt, and it was Hayes’ job to throw to the ‘S.’ He picked this up well.

    “I remember his mom asking me why I hit ground balls so hard to him,” said Ke’Bryan’s father, former 14-year major leaguer Charlie Hayes. “He was blessed with great hands. I told her that he was better than most, so I needed to challenge him more. Catching and throwing is the easiest thing to do on a baseball field so there’s no reason not to be great at it. He bought into it all.”

    There’s another point that’s important to consider when watching how Hayes defends.

    What makes Hayes great is not that he makes great plays. It’s that he makes very few mistakes.

    In addition to tracking Good Fielding Plays, our Video Scouts also track Defensive Misplays. Those are things that aren’t scored errors but that have a negative consequence.

    Bobble a ball such that you get only a force out rather than a double play? That’s a Defensive Misplay.

    Slip and fall trying to catch a popup and have the ball drop behind you or in front of you?  That’s a Defensive Misplay.

    At SIS, we combine those Defensive Misplays with Errors to provide another data point for defensive evaluation.

    Let’s compare Hayes’ 2023 Defensive Misplay and Errors per 1,000 innings to five other third basemen considered to be among the best in MLB.

    Player Team Misplays & Errors Per 1,000 Innings
    Ke’Bryan Hayes Pirates 12.5
    Manny Machado Padres 18.5
    Ryan McMahon Rockies 19.0
    Alex Bregman Astros 21.9
    Nolan Arenado Cardinals 21.9
    Matt Chapman Blue Jays 26.4

    Hayes crushed all of those guys this season.

    The only player to have a better rate at third base than Hayes in 2023 was DJ LeMahieu of the Yankees. Hayes played about 450 more innings at third base than LeMahieu did. Look at this stat for the last 4 seasons and it’s LeMahieu and Hayes as the best, with Hayes having played about 1,700 more innings than LeMahieu has.

    This low misplay total is particularly impressive for 2 other reasons.

    And it’s all done very calmly and with an ease that other players don’t necessarily have.

    A high school coach used to tell Hayes to be extraordinary at the ordinary. Hayes lives that saying. To do that he embraced the other side of playing defense.

    “The mental side has been the biggest thing for me,” Ke’Bryan Hayes said. “Playing outcomes in my head before they happen. Knowing the runners, knowing who’s pitching, knowing how they hit the ball off that pitcher.  I try to break down everything and that way, whatever it does happen, I kind of just let my instincts take over. I just trust myself.”

    SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales said on our baseball podcast “Ke’Bryan Hayes never panics on any ball.”

    All the work Hayes put in pays off and you can see that if you watch him up close every day.

    “He has the ability to read hops that no one else has,” said Shelton. “That’s not something you can teach. One of the things that elite third basemen do is have the ability to decide if they’re going to come get the ball or if they’re going to take a drop step to get it. It’s not even something he has to think about. It’s just something that he does.”

    Hayes’ role is changing. At age 26, he’s no longer the youngest infielder on the team. He’s now the player the younger infield prospects watch to see how he does things.

    “At the end of the day, I’m just trying to go out there and be an example of just doing things the right way,” Hayes said.

  • 2023 Fielding Bible Awards Voting

    2023 Fielding Bible Awards Voting

    Below we show the final point tally for The Fielding Bible Awards in the 2023 season. We asked a panel of experts to complete a 10-man ballot ranking players from 1 to 10 based on their defensive abilities. We show the ranks in the tables below. We then awarded 10 points for a first place vote, 9 for second, etc., down to 1 point for 10th place. We cover all nine positions, looking at only their fielding work for the 2023 season. Position players are eligible if they played at least 600 innings while catchers require a minimum of 500 innings. Either can qualify with 10 Runs Saved, as well. Pitchers require a minimum of 120 innings pitched or 5 Runs Saved. 

    In 2014, we introduced a Multi-Position Award for fielders who are excellent defensive players but do not call any one position their home. Eligible players include those who exhibit a high degree of positional versatility and value; players who usually play many positions over the course of the season, might move from position to position within a game, and have demonstrated the ability to handle high leverage positions when the team needs him to.

    In 2023, we added an award for Defensive Player of the Year. All players eligible for a Fielding Bible Award can be voted on for this award. All voters ranked players from 1 to 3, with 5 points for a first place vote, 3 for a second place vote, and 1 for a third place vote.

    Voters were Alyson Footer (MLB.com), Bill James, Bill Ladson (MLB.com), Bobby Scales (SIS), Chris Dial, Dani Wexelman (MLB Network Radio), Daniel Alvarez-Montes (El Extra Base), Eduardo Perez (ESPN), Hal Richman (Strat-O-Matic), Joe Sheehan, John Dewan, Mark Simon (SIS), Peter Gammons, Travis Sawchik (The Score), Tyler Kepner (The Athletic), and the Sports Info Solutions Video Scouts.

  • Stat of the Week: Premier Playoff Defenders

    Stat of the Week: Premier Playoff Defenders

    Have you liked the defense so far this postseason?

    Hope so! There’s been some pretty good glovework all the way around, and even a few highly-impressive pickoffs at key moments.

    With 8 teams remaining after all the Wild Card sweeps, there are plenty of standout players still in the field.

    Let’s go position-by-position to find the players with the most Defensive Runs Saved who are still playing as the LDS begins.

    First Base – Christian Walker ranked 2nd in Runs Saved at first base this season, two runs behind the leader, Carlos Santana, and one run better than another playoff participant, Matt Olson. Walker is the reigning Fielding Bible Award winner at the position. Olson’s pretty good too. He won the Award 3 years in a row from 2018 to 2020.

    Second Base – Marcus Semien ranked 2nd in Defensive Runs Saved this season but over the last 3 seasons, he’s No. 1 at the position. He brings it every game. Semien led all second basemen in innings played and since 2021, he has played 700 more innings than the next-closest second baseman.

    Shortstop – Like Semien, veteran Miguel Rojas leads shortstops in Runs Saved over the last 3 seasons. Rojas finished tied for 4th in Runs Saved in 2023 and has been particularly good at fielding balls in the shortstop-third base hole the last 2 seasons.

    Third Base – Austin Riley has also done well by Defensive Runs Saved the last 3 seasons, ranking 3rd among third basemen in that time behind Ke’Bryan Hayes and Ryan McMahon. The two guys ranking 4th and 5th behind Riley are two defensive superstars, Nolan Arenado and Matt Chapman. Riley ranked 4th at the position this season.

    Left Field – Lourdes Gurriel Jr. totaled 14 Runs Saved this season and ranked 2nd at the position, just behind Steven Kwan. How did Gurriel do it in only 95 games in left field? He ranked 2nd in the range component of Runs Saved AND 2nd in the throwing component.

    Center Field – We’ve written about Johan Rojas before and we acknowledge him here again. He handily leads the remaining playoff center fielders in Runs Saved despite not even having played 400 innings there this season. The next-closest playoff center fielder to Rojas’ 14 is Cedric Mullins, with 7.

    Right Field – Adolís Garcia’s cannon of an arm was responsible for all 7 of his Runs Saved this season. Garcia and Fernando Tatis Jr. trailed only Nolan Jones of the Rockies for most Outfield Arm Runs Saved in MLB in 2023.

    Catcher – Gabriel Moreno led all catchers in Runs Saved this season. He was the top catcher at thwarting basestealers by our measures and one of the best pitch blockers too. His status is in question after getting injured in Game 2 against the Brewers. If he’s out, the top remaining catcher is Will Smith, whose 12 Runs Saved ranked 4th overall.

    Pitcher – The Phillies ranked 25th in Defensive Runs Saved during the regular season, but they’ve got some good gloves on the pitching staff. Taijuan Walker came in 2nd in the Fielding Bible Awards to teammate Ranger Suárez last season. His 18 Runs Saved over the last 3 seasons are the most of any pitcher in MLB.

    Most Defensive Runs Saved – Players on LDS Teams

    Player Team Runs Saved
    1B- Christian Walker Diamondbacks 9
    2B- Marcus Semien Rangers 16
    SS- Miguel Rojas Dodgers 12
    3B- Austin Riley Braves 9
    LF- Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Diamondbacks 14
    CF- Johan Rojas Phillies 15
    RF- Adolís Garcia Rangers 7
    C- Gabriel Moreno Diamondbacks 20
    P- Taijuan Walker Phillies 5