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Category: John Dewan’s Stat of the Week

  • Stat of the Week: Fielding Bible Awards Preview Part II

    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).

  • Stat of the Week: Playoff Defenders To Watch

    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).

  • Stat of the Week: Defensive Runs Saved Leader- A Rangers Runaway

    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

     

  • August Defensive Players of the Month

    August Defensive Players of the Month

    Last year and this year we’ve expanded the field for Defensive Player of the Month honorees often selecting three players for the honor. For August we’re going to go four-deep, two in each league, to cover four different positions.

    Here are our four selections.

    Mookie Betts

    Mookie Betts won for the second time in three months and it was well-earned. His 9 Runs Saved led not only shortstops but all positions for August. Take a look at this play against Ke’Bryan Hayes, this one against Xander Bogaerts and this one against Manny Machado.

    Betts has a legitimate chance to win a Fielding Bible Award, which would be his 7th, snapping a tie with Yadier Molina for most since the award was first given in 2006. He has 16 Runs Saved this season, 1 shy of Taylor Walls for the MLB lead at shortstop (and 1 more than Corey Seager, who has also had a terrific defensive season).

    Nathan Lukes

    Nathan Lukes totaled 5 Runs Saved in August. His 4 in right field matched Dylan Crews of the Nationals for most at the position. He also had 1 Run Saved in left field.

    Our Data Scouts award Good Fielding Plays and Defensive Misplays for different things that happen on defense. His 9 Good Fielding Plays matched teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the most by any player for the month. Lukes had 1 error and no Defensive Misplays.

    Lukes had one of the most impressive defensive games this season on August 15 against the Rangers. He made a leaping catch in the first inning, a throw to nail a batter trying for a double for one out in the second inning, and a leaping catch for another out.

    Lukes has 8 Runs Saved in total from playing all three outfield spots. The only player with more than his 6 Outfield Arm Runs Saved is Steven Kwan (7).

    Xavier Edwards

    Last month we honored Marlins shortstop Otto López. This month his infield mate, Xavier Edwards gets the nod. He led all second basemen with 6 Runs Saved in August, had 4 Good Fielding Plays and no Defensive Misplays and Errors. His 13 Runs Saved at second base rank second in MLB at the position and validate the midseason switch that moved him off shortstop, where he has -11 career Runs Saved over 110 games.

    Edwards’ highlights included both the incredible play (check out this diving catch) and the heads-up play (a surprising double play on a popup, watch him repeatedly look to see where the runner was).

    Maikel Garcia

    There aren’t many opportunities for a third baseman other than Ke’Bryan Hayes or Matt Chapman to win this award, so we felt that Maikel Garcia’s MLB-best 6 Runs Saved at third base in August made him worthy.

    Garcia’s 8 Runs Saved overall rank tied for fourth at the position this season.

    Garcia made 4 barehand plays in August (including this one and this one). His 11 this season are 1 shy of Alex Bregman for the lead among third basemen.

    Garcia probably won’t win a Fielding Bible Award this year but he’s done enough to share Player of the Month and played himself into a legit shot at an AL Gold Glove Award.

  • Stat of the Week: No. 1 MLB Prospect Konnor Griffin Is A Defensive Standout

    Stat of the Week: No. 1 MLB Prospect Konnor Griffin Is A Defensive Standout

    Photo:Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire

    BY MARK SIMON

    Each of the top six players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list has shortstop as either their sole position or the position they spend the most time playing.

    No. 1 overall prospect Konnor Griffin of the Pirates’ Double-A affiliate in Altoona stands out from the others not just because he’s hitting .330 with 16 home runs and 64 stolen bases this season. Griffin’s defensive game also separates him from the rest of the group.

    SIS tracks Defensive Runs Saved in the minor leagues in addition to the major leagues, NPB, and KBO. We judge minor leaguers using major league out probabilities and as a result of that, most minor leaguers have negative Runs Saved totals.

    But the 19-year-old Griffin is a special case. His 7 Runs Saved at shortstop this season has been surpassed by only one player at the position, Maximo Acosta, who has 8 and was just called up to the majors by the Marlins.

    Here’s how Griffin compares within the top six overall prospects in Runs Saved as a shortstop.

    Defensive Runs Saved As Shortstop – Top 6 Minor League Prospects

    Player Organization Runs Saved
    Konnor Griffin Pirates 7
    Kevin McGonigle Tigers -2
    JJ Wetherholt Cardinals -2
    Sebastian Walcott Rangers -4
    Jesus Made Brewers -6
    Leo De Vries Athletics -15

    Griffin was a guest on this week’s Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast with me this week. At 6-foot-4 he’s big for a shortstop, but he likes to attack ground balls and field them one-handed. He models his defensive game after Bobby Witt Jr.

    “Being aggressive is the best advice I’ve had,” Griffin said. “I would just kind of wait back and in this game you gotta go get it and, you gotta make good throws because the runners are fast and the game speeds up at each level.”

    Griffin can get it done at other positions too. He sees himself as a shortstop first and center field as a tool in his toolbox. He has 0 Runs Saved in a handful of innings in center but it looks like a good tool. Take a look at the catch he made as a center fielder against Anthony Volpe in spring training.

    “That was a moment I’ll remember forever,” Griffin said. “I was 18 then and [my teammates] saw a kid playing among men. They were excited any time I did anything.”

    For now, Griffin is in Double-A, but given how he’s playing and his quick ascent, it’s looking like there will be plenty more celebrating of what Griffin can do in the near future.

    You can listen to our interview with Konnor Griffin here.

  • Stat of the Week: MLB Trade Deadline- Notable Players

    Stat of the Week: MLB Trade Deadline- Notable Players

    The trade deadline is a week away and you’re probably going to hear more rumors of deals than you can handle in that time. When the hot stove cooks, the focus for position players most often is on what their bat can bring to a lineup.

    But if you’ve been here long enough, you know we like to focus on defense, so we pay attention to what trade candidates could bring in that area (if you haven’t been here long enough, now you know that’s what we do).

    We could easily list 20, 30, or even 50 players, but in the interest of crafting something readable, we’re giving you a summary of those who are pertinent and those who are interesting, either in terms of the skills they bring or those they don’t.

    Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez is the biggest available bat. He’s the NL leader in home runs and RBI. But defense is not his strong suit. In fact, with -4 Runs Saved in 2025, he’s on pace for his 9th season with negative Runs Saved in the last 10 seasons. He hits more than enough to make up for that over an extended period of time.

    There are other third basemen who could be available who bring good defense to the field. If Nolan Arenado decides to waive his no-trade clause, he would be an intriguing acquisition. Arenado is no longer the superstar he was in 2022, but he tallied 6 Runs Saved last year and has 5 in 2025.

    Rockies 30-year-old third baseman Ryan McMahon, 4 years younger than Arenado, has similar defensive stats as Arenado. But his offensive numbers, especially given he plays half the season in Coors Field, leave a lot to be desired.

    That’s kind of a trend on this year’s trade market. The really good hitters aren’t good defensive players and vice-versa (most teams aren’t going to trade someone who is good at both).

    One exception has been Orioles outfielder Ramón Laureano, who is hitting .279 with an .861 OPS and 3 Runs Saved in both left field and right field. Laureano’s defensive value is in using his arm to deter baserunners. He has an MLB-best 35 Outfield Arm Runs Saved since 2018 but also has -28 Runs Saved from range in that time.

    He’s been a more complete player than Cedric Mullins, whose 2025 has been an aberration but perhaps a change of scenery would help. Mullins had 5 and 7 Runs Saved in center field in 2022 and 2023, respectively, but has slipped to an MLB-worst -16 there this season. Another Oriole who could get dealt is Ryan O’Hearn, who has -11 Runs Saved at first base and -10 in right field for his career.

    If Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Adolis García, or Steven Kwan are actually available (we’re skeptical, but others are listing them on their rumor mills), any of them would be the best outfield defenders. Duran led center fielders in Runs Saved last season and is playing a solid left field for the Red Sox. Abreu, Duran’s teammate, won the Fielding Bible Award in right field last season and ranks 3rd at the position in Runs Saved this season.

    One of the players Abreu is behind is García, whose 14 Runs Saved are the most at the position. García was primarily known for his arm in the past, but in 2025 he has shown the kind of range he’s never had before.

    Kwan led left fielders in Runs Saved in 2022 and 2023 and looks like he’ll do so again in 2025, as he’s paced the field with 14 Runs Saved.

    The other standout outfield defender and one more likely to get dealt is Harrison Bader of the Twins. He has 8 Runs Saved in left field and 3 in center field entering Wednesday. He has a track record that is largely good, with past seasons of 15 and 18 Runs Saved in center field. This is his first year in left and the transition has been smooth. He ranks 2nd to Kwan with 17 Good Fielding Plays at the position.

    Bader has more to offer as a hitter than two other solidly-performing defensive outfielders who could get dealt, Pirates left fielder Tommy Pham and White Sox outfielder Michael A. Taylor. Pham has been very good in left field, where he ranks tied for 3rd in Runs Saved in 2025. Taylor, who has always played a good center field, has 5 Runs Saved in right field and ranks 2nd in Runs Saved for an outfielder over the last five seasons.

    White Sox center fielder Luis Robert has had past seasons of 9 and 7 Runs Saved, but he’s managed 1 and now -2 the last two years and hasn’t thrown a runner out trying to advance in either season. But he was a 5-WAR player as recently as 2023 and has had a recent 8-game offensive surge so he may be coveted for his potential as a hitter and fielder.

    One of the better infield defenders who could be available has been traded during two of the past three seasons, Guardians first baseman Carlos Santana. Santana has been a below-average hitter at first base this season but he’s enjoying his third straight very good year with the glove. In fact, only Matt Olson has more Runs Saved at first base than Santana both this season and over the last three seasons.

    That rounds out our list for now, though other players becoming available would certainly interest us (Ke’Bryan Hayes, anyone?). Happy Hot Stove to you!

  • Stat of the Week: All Things Pete Crow-Armstrong

    Stat of the Week: All Things Pete Crow-Armstrong

    Photo: Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire 

    By our anecdotal observations in surveying the various social media, Pete Crow-Armstrong is the most popular defensive player in baseball this season.

    It’s understandable given his assortment of terrific catches, the amount of ground he covers and the capability of his arm to throw 98 miles-per-hour from center field.

    So let’s give the people what they want and provide a few things to watch for after the All-Star Break (we’re not calling it “the second half”) from PCA.

    Best Defensive Center Fielder in Baseball?

    There’s a difference between popular and best and when we talk about the best defensive center fielders in baseball, there’s a lot of competition.

    Ceddanne Rafaela of the Red Sox actually is tied with Crow-Armstrong in Runs Saved (13), and has played 71 fewer innings than Crow-Armstrong has. Myles Straw of the Blue Jays hasn’t even played half as many innings as either of them and is close behind with 11 Runs Saved.

    There’s also defensive sensation Denzel Clarke of the Athletics (7 Runs Saved), who has played even fewer innings than Straw. And if he can get healthy, Daulton Varsho (5 Runs Saved) may be better than all of them. Others in the discussion include Julio Rodriguez, Michael Harris II, and Victor Scott II.

    Crow-Armstrong is a great defensive player having a great defensive season. He’s No. 1 among center fielders in the range component of Defensive Runs Saved and he’s caught 89 of 103 balls hit to the deepest part of center field, 8 more than his expected catch total (his +8 is best in MLB on deep balls for CF).

    But what we’re saying is: Crow-Armstrong is not a lock for the year-end Fielding Bible Award in center field. It’s still an open race.

    Player Team DRS
    Ceddanne Rafaela Red Sox 13
    Pete Crow-Armstrong Cubs 13
    Myles Straw Blue Jays 11
    Michael Harris II Braves 10
    Julio Rodríguez Mariners 10

    (all stats via FieldingBible.com)

    30-30 … and 20

    Crow-Armstrong is 5 home runs and 3 stolen bases away from a 30-30 season. Defensive Runs Saved was first calculated in 2003 and Crow-Armstrong reaching those milestones will give MLB thirty 30-30 seasons in that time.

    But only one player has had a season with 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases, and 20 Defensive Runs Saved.

    Want to take a guess as to who it is? Answer at the end of the article.

    MVP?

    Crow-Armstrong’s defense is an integral part of his MVP argument, as he needs to be multi-dimensional to compete with someone like Shohei Ohtani.

    Let’s use Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement as a proxy for MVP judgement. Crow-Armstrong is caught in a logjam of players at about the same level in the offensive component of WAR. Those include Ohtani, Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker, Will Smith, C.J. Abrams, James Wood, Elly De La Cruz, and Pete Alonso.

    But none of those players are in the same territory as Crow-Armstrong in terms of defensive value. He’s at 1.7 Defensive WAR. Next-best from that group are Smith and De La Cruz, 0.5.

    Ohtani is the one player capable of neutralizing that edge in the season’s remaining games if he pitches well enough. 

    Regardless, it behooves Crow-Armstrong to be as complete a player as he can be. Defense is a vital part of that.

    National League Wins Above Replacement Leaders

    Player Team WAR
    Pete Crow-Armstrong Cubs 5.2
    Zack Wheeler Phillies 4.8
    Paul Skenes Pirates 4.7
    Cristopher Sánchez Phillies 4.6
    James Wood Nationals 4.4
    Shohei Ohtani Dodgers 4.3
    Fernando Tatis Jr. Padres 4.3

    Trivia answer: The two players to hit 30 home runs, steal 30 bases, and record 20 Runs Saved in a season are Ian Kinsler (2009 Rangers) and Mike Trout (2012 Angels)

  • June’s Defensive Players of the Month

    June’s Defensive Players of the Month

    Mariners manager Dan Wilson says that Julio Rodríguez wants to be the best player in baseball.

    That’s a tough hill to climb given the competition of Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. For now Rodríguez will have to settle for being the best defensive player in baseball, at least for a month and maybe more.

    Rodríguez heads our list of Defensive Players of the Month for June. The month’s other honorees as top defenders are Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts.

     ”He’s just made so many of those catches, covered a lot of ground in the outfield, and has really taken charge out there,” Wilson said before a recent game. “You really don’t understand how many runs that saves.”

    With all due respect to the Mariners manager, we are able to put a number on it.

    Rodríguez led all center fielders with 9 Runs Saved in June and ranks third at the position with 11 Runs Saved this season. The highlight was a home run robbery against Chris Taylor of the Angels, his 2nd home-run-robbing catch this season.

    Rodríguez had previously fared well in MLB’s suite of defensive stats but he’s never had a breakout season in Runs Saved until now.

    One of the biggest things for him is that he’s reduced the number of mistakes he’s made this season. Rodríguez had 17 Defensive Misplays & Errors in 131 games in 2024 but has only 7 through 83 games this season.

    * SIS has 60 categories of Defensive Misplays that it gives to fielders for things such as slipping, dropping a transfer on a double play, or overthrowing a cutoff man.

    Ke’Bryan Hayes

    Hayes led third basemen with 7 Runs Saved during the month. Hayes, who won the Fielding Bible Award for defensive excellence in 2021 and 2023, seems to be the frontrunner for the honor just past the midway point of the season. His 11 Runs Saved lead the field by a comfortable margin. Ernie Clement and Caleb Durbin are second among third basemen with 6 Runs Saved.

    Hayes has saved at least 10 Runs in each of the last 5 seasons. He’s already surpassed his 2024 totals for Runs Saved (10) and Good Fielding Plays (10, 3 more than last year). As has been key for him in the past, one area where Hayes stands out for playmaking is on balls hit to his right (like this one), often along the third base line.

    Mookie Betts

    Betts tallied 6 Runs Saved in June, one shy of Trevor Story for the most by a shortstop. Just past the season’s midpoint, Betts and Nick Allen of the Braves look like frontrunners for the NL Gold Glove Award. Allen has 9 Runs Saved this season, one more than Betts. Both are chasing Rays shortstop Taylor Walls, who leads all shortstops with 18 Runs Saved.

    The biggest thing that Betts has done at shortstop is similar to what Rodríguez has done in center field: cut down on his mistakes. He had 19 Defensive Misplays & Errors in 65 games there last season. He has 9 through 77 games entering July.

    The Dodgers coaching staff has also done its part in helping Betts acclimate to a new position (remember, he’s won 5 Fielding Bible Awards in right field). The Dodgers have been credited with 7 Runs Saved for how they’ve positioned Betts, tied for the most for any team in positioning its shortstop. That has allowed Betts to do what he does best (click the link to see what we mean).

  • Stat of the Week: Which Team Positions Its Outfielders Best?

    Stat of the Week: Which Team Positions Its Outfielders Best?

    Photo: Steven King/Icon Sportswire

    You’ve heard of the game-saving defensive play, right?

    How about game-saving defensive positioning?

    Go back about a month to the bottom of the eighth inning at Busch Stadium in a matchup between the Cardinals and Tigers. The score was tied with two men on and two outs. Pedro Pagés hit a 107-MPH line drive to right center that looked like it could be a go-ahead hit. But center fielder Javier Báez sprinted over to make the running catch. The Tigers went ahead in the top of the ninth inning and won the game.

    You can see that catch here.

    But what you don’t see in watching the TV broadcast was how the Tigers put Báez in position to make the play. This image from MLB helps provide a better understanding. The filled in black dot shows where he was stationed prior to the pitch.

    By our calculations, balls hit to that spot at that speed in the last two years have been caught 43% of the time. But that out probability jumps to 95% when we know where Baez was positioned.

    This was one of several examples of how the Tigers outfield has been the best positioned in baseball this season. They lead the majors with 12 Outfield Positioning Runs Saved.

    We explained this in a couple of recent articles and will reiterate it again here. Pre-2013, SIS awarded positioning Runs Saved credit to the player. That credit now goes to the team as with the advent of shifting and positioning cards, the team has more control over where its players play.

    The data we collect allows us to establish:

    A) An overall out probability for a ball hit to a certain spot at a determined velocity without knowing where the fielder is positioned

    B) An out probability for which we do know where the fielder is positioned.

    The formula calculates the difference between A and B and converts it to a run value based on the characteristics of the batted ball. That value is credited to the defensive team rather than the player.

    This happens whether the play is successfully completed or not, because positioning can be good even when a play is not made.

    In other words, if we know a fly ball hit at 107 miles per hour to a designated spot Y is an out 43% of the time overall, but 95% of the time when the outfielder is positioned in location Z, then the team gets credit for improving the out probability by 52%, which is worth some fraction of a run. That’s the example with which we led this article.

    Most Runs Saved – Outfield Positioning

    2025 Season

    Team Runs Saved
    Tigers 12
    Guardians 8
    Braves 7
    Rays 5
    White Sox 5

    The Tigers’ success isn’t new. They led the majors with 18 outfield positioning runs two years ago before slipping to 2 such Runs Saved last season. We should note too that this year’s results are not the product of high volume. Tigers outfielders have faced the 20th-most balls hit in the air.

    Here are a couple other examples of plays from 2025 in which positioning resulted in a significant payoff for the Tigers.

    This ball was tagged 108 MPH and Riley Greene’s positioning in left field upped the out probability from 45 to 93%. You can see why. He barely had to move from where he was playing.

    Sometimes positioning and playmaking go hand in hand. On this ball hit by Drew Waters of the Royals, right fielder Kerry Carpenter goes deep to make a tough catch.

    Carpenter’s positioning upped the out probability of that play from 20% to 41%. Carpenter gets credit for the remaining 59% for making the catch that resulted in an out.

    Though the positioning Runs Saved totals are relatively small, the numbers do matter. The Tigers rank 8th in Defensive Runs Saved overall.

    They rank 19th in the skill components of Runs Saved but rank 1st in combined Runs Saved from infield and outfield positioning.

    The team is in first place in the AL Central and its outfielders can rejoice as they did in the picture atop this article. Good positioning is the key to their defense.

  • Stat of the Week: Which Team’s Infield Defense Has Been Best?

    Stat of the Week: Which Team’s Infield Defense Has Been Best?

    Photo: John Cordes/Icon Sportswire

    The naysayers will tell you that the Pirates are worth watching once every five days, only on the days that their phenom, Paul Skenes, pitches.

    But for as bad as the Pirates have been, and it’s been a rough year in Pittsburgh, there’s actually something that the team excels at. They lead MLB in Defensive Runs Saved from their infielders.

    It’s actually not even that close.

    Most Runs Saved From Infielders

    Team Runs Saved
    Pirates 36
    Dodgers 26
    Cubs 24
    Braves 23
    Rangers 21

    That defensive excellence starts with third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who leads the position with 9 Runs Saved. Over the last four seasons, Hayes’ 65 Runs Saved are 22 better than the next-closest third baseman, Ryan McMahon.

    Hayes is good at making the hard plays look routine and has excelled at turning balls hit down the third base line into outs this season, which was also true in 2022 and 2023. Hayes has won 2 Fielding Bible Awards and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he won another.

    The other top defender within the Pirates infield is Jared Triolo, who won the NL Gold Glove for utility infielders in 2024. Triolo has 3 Runs Saved at second base, 2 at third base, 2 at first base and -1 at shortstop this season, giving him a combined 6 Runs Saved. If he played second base full time, he’d probably be among the league leaders. He has 10 career Runs Saved in 71 games there.

    But what has led to the Pirates doing so well at turning ground balls into outs (they rank 3rd in that stat behind the Rangers and Braves) and leading in Runs Saved is the defensive positioning of their infield. The Pirates have 18 infield positioning Runs Saved, the most of any team.

    They’ve been particularly well positioned when playing what we call a partial shift,* They rank 8th in terms of how often they’ve used a shift against a batted ball but tied for 1st in infield positioning Runs Saved from shifts.

    * Partial shifts are ones in which the second baseman or shortstop is near second base and other infielders have significantly adjusted positioning as well.

     The Pirates have a veteran second baseman in Adam Frazier and a shortstop in Isiah Kiner-Falefa who have been reliable defenders in the past. They’re players who may not have the most range but, if positioned well, are going to make plays. That’s what’s happened this season.

    Frazier has 2 Runs Saved from the Range & Throwing component of Runs Saved but the Pirates have saved 5 runs in how they’ve positioned him, tied for the most for any second baseman in MLB.

    Similarly, Kiner-Falefa also has 2 Range & Throwing Runs Saved but the Pirates have 6 Runs Saved from positioning him, one run shy of the most in MLB (the Padres have 7 Runs Saved in how they’ve positioned Xander Bogaerts).

    Pre-2013, SIS awarded positioning Runs Saved credit to the player. That credit now goes to the team as with the advent of shifting and positioning cards, the team has more control over where its players play. If we gave that credit to the player now, both Frazier and Kiner-Falefa would rank among the leaders in Runs Saved at their position.

    In terms of what we’re specifically talking about, here are two good examples of infield positioning by the Pirates involving Frazier and Kiner-Falefa (here and here). The first example is a play that’s routine because of where Frazier is stationed. The other is a tougher play, but one made possible by how the Pirates positioned Kiner-Falefa and the scoop by Emmanuel Valdez, who is part of a committee effort at first base that has produced 3 Runs Saved.

    The shame of all this is that the Pirates are 30-46 and in last place in the NL Central entering Friday. The team is averaging an MLB-worst 3.2 runs per game and their infield has the lowest OPS in MLB (.616) by 26 points.

    For as good as the infield defense has been in trying to make up for the team’s deficiencies, the rest of the team’s defense has been problematic. The Pirates otherwise have a combined -18 Runs Saved this season.