Last season, A.J. Burnett pitched 191 stellar innings, leading Pittsburgh to its first postseason appearance since Sid Bream’s slide ended the 1992 NLDS. Burnett’s 3.30 ERA was backed up by even better peripherals, as his 2.80 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) mark was fifth among qualified NL hurlers. While Burnett certainly…
Derek Jeter recently announced through Facebook that the 2014 season would be his last. Immediately upon his announcement, ticket prices for Jeter’s final home game at Yankee Stadium soared. Before the announcement, tickets for the September 25th game against the Baltimore Orioles were selling for less than $100 on StubHub; however,…
When the Diamondbacks, Angels, and White Sox agreed on a three-team deal that sent Mark Trumbo to the desert during this year’s Winter Meetings, the trade was widely panned from the Diamondbacks’ perspective. Many observers felt that the Snakes had given up too much young, controllable talent in a myopic…
Los Angeles Dodgers’ right fielder Yasiel Puig emerged as an instant sensation when he debuted June 3rd in a Dodgers’ victory. A defector from Cuba, Puig immediately contributed to the Dodgers turnaround midseason from division bottom feeder to pennant contender. Puig made many “web gems” on defense, from outstanding throws…
Baltimore Orioles shortstop, JJ Hardy, is one the top defensive shortstops in Major League Baseball. However, despite finishing 2013 statistically among the top five shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved (estimated number of runs saved by player for his team), he is widely considered on the second tier of shortstops in…
With the 2013 World Series underway on Wednesday between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, it seems like a great time to take a look at how each team stacks up against one another defensively. Baseball Info Solutions estimates that the Red Sox saved 24 runs with their defense…
In 2012, Mike Trout burst onto the Major League scene with what can be considered one of the greatest rookie campaigns of all time. While he was a strong offensive player and baserunner, Trout made defense his calling card. As he ran, jumped, and dove across the field making one…
The National League is down to four teams now that the Pirates eliminated the Reds last week, but even including Reds, those teams reached the postseason because of their pitching and defense. The top-five teams in the National League in runs allowed this season are also the five teams that…
We’ve all seen it. Runner on first, chopper back to the pitcher for an easy double play…. and the throw sails into center field. While watching a game last week where this exact event occurred, I asked myself who is actually the worst fielding pitcher in all of baseball, and…
The Milwaukee Brewers’ shortstop, Jean Segura, has had an intriguing and puzzling season this year. He has been able to tackle difficult fielding plays, but at the same time, he’s been prone to errors on routine balls hit to him. Segura has made 90 Good Fielding Plays (GFPs) this season,…
