Tag: Matt Olson

The 2025 Fielding Bible Awards Winners

Contact: Mark Simon

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

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

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

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

This year’s winners are:

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

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

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

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

Below are the details about the winners.

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

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

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

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

Defensive Team of the Year – Chicago Cubs

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

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

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

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

First Base – Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves

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

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

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

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

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

Second Base – Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs

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

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

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

Third Base – Ke’Bryan Hayes, Cincinnati Reds

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

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

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

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

Shortstop – Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

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

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

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

Left Field – Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians

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

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

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

Center Field – Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox

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

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

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

Right Field – Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres

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

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

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

Catcher – Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants

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

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

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

Pitcher – Max Fried, New York Yankees

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

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

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

Multi-Position – Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays

Ernie Clement won his first Fielding Bible Award.

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

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

Voters

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

About SIS

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

October 23, 2025

Stat of the Week: MLB’s Defensive All-Stars

If we were to pick a lineup of the Defensive All-Stars for each league to this point in the season, who would we pick?

The cleanest way to do this is to look at the Defensive Runs Saved leaderboards and select the top players, so that’s what we’ll do.

Here are the NL leaders:

(stats via fieldingbible.com)

Position/Player	Team	Runs Saved
1B- Matt Olson	Braves	14
2B- Nico Hoerner	Cubs	11
3B- Ke’Bryan Hayes	Pirates	11
SS- Nick Allen	Braves	11
LF- Tommy Pham	Pirates	8
CF- Pete Crow-Armstrong	Cubs	13
RF- Fernando Tatis Jr.	Padres	12
C- Patrick Bailey	Giants	11
P- Spencer Schwellenbach	Braves	6

1B- Matt Olson is one of three Braves representatives on the team. He’s had a terrific season, with twice as many Runs Saved as AL leader Carlos Santana. Olson’s 88 assists at first base are 16 more than the next-closest player (Pete Alonso, 72).

2B- Nico Hoerner has a three-run lead in Runs Saved over the next-closest NL contenders, Brice Turang and Tyler Fitzgerald. He’s already matched his career high in Runs Saved at second base.

3B- Ke’Bryan Hayes is 4 runs ahead of Matt Chapman for the NL lead. Hayes has won 2 Fielding Bible Awards and will be a strong contender to win a 3rd.

SS- Nick Allen has met all the defensive expectations that came when he was initially a prospect with the A’s. He’s 3 runs ahead of Mookie Betts for the NL shortstop lead.

LF- Tommy Pham is ahead here, though the competition is tight with James Wood just a run behind and 3-time Gold Glove winner 2 runs behind. Pham has totaled as many as 11 Runs Saved in a season, so this isn’t necessarily new territory for him.

CF- Pete Crow-Armstrong is looking like the heir to Kevin Kiermaier as a regular Defensive Runs Saved leader in center field with a wide-ranging assortment of great catches. He’s already exceeded his 2024 Runs Saved (11) in 27 fewer games and has a 4-run lead on Michael Harris for the NL center field lead.

RF- Fernando Tatis Jr. was one of the top defensive players in baseball two seasons ago and has returned to form in 2025. The next-closest NL right fielder is 5 runs behind him (Mike Yastrzemski).

C- When Patrick Bailey isn’t hitting walk-off inside-the-park homers, he’s winning games with his defense. With 11 Runs Saved he’s 5 runs ahead of the next-closest NL catcher (Pedro Pagés, 6).

P- Spencer Schwellenbach is currently injured, but he’s a deserving choice here. The former college shortstop nearly won a Fielding Bible Award last season and was going to contend for one this year before his injury (still could if he returns in September). He’s 2 Runs Saved ahead of fellow National Leaguers, Logan Webb, Colin Rea, and David Peterson.

Here are the AL leaders:

Position/Player	Team	Runs Saved
1B- Carlos Santana	Guardians	7
2B- David Hamilton	Red Sox	7
3B- Ben Williamson	Mariners	7
SS- Taylor Walls	Rays	18
LF- Steven Kwan	Guardians	13
CF- Ceddanne Rafaela	Red Sox	13
RF- Adolis García	Rangers	10
C- Carlos Narváez	Red Sox	11
P- Max Fried	Yankees	7

1B- Carlos Santana is defying the defensive aging curve. He’s leading AL first basemen in Runs Saved at age 39, two years after leading everyone at the position. It’s close though. He’s currently 1 run better than Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

2B- David Hamilton is No.1 though he’s made only 28 starts at second base for the Red Sox. He’s going to need to play more to qualify for a Gold Glove or Fielding Bible Award but he’s definitely shown he can handle the position. He had 8 Runs Saved in a similar small sample last season. Hamilton has a 2-run lead on Ernie Clement, who is more likely to qualify at third base. Among AL regulars, Andrés Giménez is closest to Hamilton, 3 runs behind.

3B- Rookie Ben Williamson leads the way, 1 run ahead of the just-mentioned Clement. He’s been good fielding balls hit both to his left and right and has looked the part of a solid defender.

SS- Taylor Walls not only has the most Runs Saved by a shortstop this season. He has the most Runs Saved by shortstops over the last 5 seasons, amazing given that he’s never played more than 100 games there in a season. He’s crushing the field in 2025, 10 runs better than closest AL counterpart, Jeremy Peña.

LF- Steven Kwan, a two-time Fielding Bible Award winner, has a 5-run lead on Wyatt Langford for No. 1 in the AL. Kwan’s value has come not just from making catches but also from throws. His 6 assists without a cutoff man are already a career high.

CF- Ceddanne Rafaela is such a good defensive player that the Red Sox moved the 2024 MLB center field leader in Runs Saved, Jarren Duran, to left field to allow Rafaela to play full-time there. Rafaela is tied for the MLB lead in Runs Saved in center field and has a 2-run edge on Julio Rodríguez for the AL lead.

RF- Adolis García had a rough year in right field in 2024 but has bounced back in a big way, going from -5 to 10 Runs Saved. He has a 2-run lead for No. 1 in the AL over newcomer to the position Cam Smith and 2024 Fielding Bible Award winner Wilyer Abreu.

C- Carlos Narváez has been a defensive star as a rookie for the Red Sox this season, matching Bailey in Runs Saved and leading the closest AL catchers, Adley Rutschman and Alejandro Kirk, by 4 runs.

P- Max Fried won Fielding Bible Awards in 2020 and 2021, so we’re used to seeing defensive excellence from him, regardless of what team he’s on. He’s currently 1 run better than Luis Severino for the AL lead.

July 9, 2025

Matt Olson Is Making All The Plays

In a typical season, one or two first basemen total 10 Defensive Runs Saved. The stat puts a priority on defensive range and though throw-handling is a component within the stat, it’s not one that results in large swings of positive or negative value.

But what we’ve seen so far from Braves first baseman Matt Olson is unusual, even for him. He’s already at 11 Runs Saved and we still have nearly three-quarters of the season to go.

Not only that, he’s lapped the field. No other first baseman has more than 4 Runs Saved.

Player Runs Saved

Matt Olson 11

Spencer Steer 4

Vinnie Pasquantino 3

Emmanuel Valdez 3

So what the heck is going on here?

Let’s make a list:

1) It’s early. It’s a small sample. Odd things can happen.

2) Matt Olson is pretty good

Let’s look at balls hit to his right as an example. The average first baseman converts 36% of plays on balls hit to his right into outs. Look at two other prominent NL East first basemen. Pete Alonso converts 30%. Bryce Harper is at 33%.

This is where Olson has separated himself from his positional peers. Through Wednesday there had been 59 balls hit to his right. Olson turned 35 of them into an out. His 35-for-59 is a 59% success rate.

Per our out probabilities, he was expected to turn 28 into an out. Olson was 7 plays better.

Here are a couple of examples, starting with this one, in which a safe call was overturned on replay review.

3) It’s still early. Hot streaks happen for hitters, for pitchers, and yes, for fielders.

4) Matt Olson is still pretty good.

This isn’t a one-year thing.

Olson has led first basemen in Runs Saved three other times: 2018, 2019, and 2024. He could stop playing right now and there’s a good chance his 2025 total would hold up as the MLB lead. (In fact, the MLB leader has saved 11 runs or fewer as often as not over the past 15 years.) But we know he’s not going to suddenly stop playing, given that he played every game in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

5) If you’re a Braves fan you’re probably running through what you’ve seen of his play log in your head. Maybe you’re not that impressed?

Olson has made only 3 plays via slide, dive or jump this year. His one diving play was one in which a subsequent bad throw home was more memorable. On his one jumping catch this season, you don’t even really see him jump. But then again, he’s 6-foot-4. He doesn’t need to jump often.

There are 19 first basemen who have made more sliding, diving, and jumping plays this season. It’s not his thing. It doesn’t need to be his thing. This is more his thing.

His ‘thing’ this year has been volume and a high percentage of plays converted to outs. We’ve credited him with 90 plays made. The only other player with more than 55 is Michael Toglia with 67.

Additionally, Olson has 52 assists this season. That’s about half as many as he had last season. No one else has more than 33 in 2025. Olson’s more than a quarter of the way to the record for most assists by a first baseman in a season, 185, a mark set by Albert Pujols in 2009.

6) So let’s multiply his Runs Saved by 4. He’s going to finish with more than 40 Runs Saved!

Um, no. Let’s not do that. There really isn’t such a thing as playing at a 40-Runs Saved pace defensively. The numbers are much less predictable than that such that “on pace for” doesn’t really work.

The record for most Runs Saved by a first baseman is 31 by Pujols for the Cardinals in 2007. That’s going to be a tough record for anyone to break.

The next-best total is 21 by Mark Teixeria in 2008. The record at any position is 41 by shortstop Andrelton Simmons in 2017.

Something to remember about the time when Pujols did that: more balls in play means more opportunities for plays.

In 2007, Cardinals pitchers struck out 6 per 9 innings (15% of batters). Pujols, who was an ultra-aggressive first baseman in his prime (we’ve written about it), had a lot more chances to make plays than Olson should get, the last 44 games notwithstanding.

Braves pitchers in 2025 are striking out nearly 9 batters per 9 innings (23% of batters), though they do have the 5th-highest ground ball rate in the majors.

That’s going to be a tough record to break. But it’s fun to imagine that it’s possible, no?

Move over Aaron Judge, there’s another historic season to keep an eye on. It’s just one that isn’t as obvious.

May 16, 2025

Familiar Names atop Defensive Runs Saved Leaderboards

If you’re someone who looks at the Defensive Runs Saved player leaderboards this early in the season, you should know that the numbers have not reached any sort of predictive level yet.

But if you look at the names of the early-season positional leaders, you might notice that the best defensive players of recent vintage are already the best defensive players in 2025, particularly in the infield and outfield.

There are five past Fielding Bible Award winners currently leading their positions in Defensive Runs Saved. And those that aren’t past winners seem worthy of their top spot early-on in 2025.

Here are the current positional leaders.

MLB Defensive Runs Saved Leaders

Position	Name	Runs Saved
1st Base	Matt Olson	5
2nd Base	Andrés Giménez	5
3rd Base	Matt Chapman	5
Shortstop	Taylor Walls	7
Left Field	Steven Kwan	7
Center Field	Ceddanne Rafaela	6
Center Field	Pete Crow-Armstrong	6
Center Field	Victor Scott II	6
Right Field	Fernando Tatis Jr.	6
Catcher	Carlos Narváez	6
Pitcher	Sean Burke	4

Click the name to see an example of some good defense this season.

Matt Olson is a four-time Fielding Bible Award winner at first base. Winning another would give him five, matching Albert Pujols for most at the position.

Andrés Giménez has won the last two Fielding Bible Awards. The only second baseman to win three in a row is Kolten Wong (2018-2020).

Matt Chapman has won three Fielding Bible Awards. Have you seen some of the throws he’s made this year???

Taylor Walls doesn’t have any hardware, but he has the most Defensive Runs Saved of any shortstop since the start of the 2024 season, though he ranks 24th in innings played in that time.

Steven Kwan has won two Fielding Bible Awards. He currently leads all outfielders with 6 assists.

Ceddanne Rafaela, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Victor Scott II are the new kids on the block, so to speak. Crow-Armstrong and Scott each won minor league Gold Gloves. Rafaela twice won the Red Sox minor league defensive player of the year.

Fernando Tatis Jr. won a Fielding Bible Award two years ago when he was the runaway leader in Runs Saved among right fielders.

Carlos Narváez earned rave reviews from the Yankees for his defense prior to their trading him to the Red Sox this past offseason (Yes, the Yankees and Red Sox made a trade). We’ll see if he gets the playing time needed to stay atop the leaderboard with Connor Wong back from injury.

Sean Burke went from unknown to Opening Day White Sox starter pretty quickly. He hasn’t allowed a stolen base in 39 1/3 innings and leads the AL with 11 assists.

A reminder that you can find all the defensive leaderboards at FieldingBible.com and past leaders at our archive site.

May 7, 2025

Are The Braves A Good Defensive Team?

Photo: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire

Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.

2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: 10th

Team Strengths

The Braves can put some pretty good defenders on the field on a regular basis.

First baseman Matt Olson won his 4th Fielding Bible Award in 2024.

Most Defensive Runs Saved – 1B, Last 2 Seasons

Player Runs Saved

Matt Olson 21

Carlos Santana 20

Christian Walker 16

Austin Riley posted seasons of 13, 7, and 9 Runs Saved in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. He dropped to 0 Runs Saved in 2024. You could make a case he belongs in the strengths column even with that.

Center fielder Michael Harris had a career-high 11 Runs Saved, tied for 7th at the position last season.

Catcher Sean Murphy was one of the best catchers in MLB at blocking potential wild pitches last season. He’s going to miss the start of the season with a cracked rib. Top prospect Drake Baldwin could be his replacement for now. He’s rated as an average defensive catcher in the minors.

And pitcher Chris Sale didn’t just win a Cy Young Award last year. He also won a Gold Glove, though actually Spencer Schwellenbach is the one on the staff with the best defensive numbers.

Team Weaknesses

The outfield has the potential to be problematic. Newcomer Jurickson Profar (left field) could be dicey. Profar ranks next-to-last in Runs Saved in left field over the last two seasons.

And when Ronald Acuña Jr. comes back from his torn ACL, he’s going to have to play right field given that Marcell Ozuna is the main DH. Acuña had -7 Runs Saved in 48 games there last season.

Other things to consider

If you were looking for Ozzie Albies and Orlando Arcia in the strengths list, we don’t think they belong there. Check out their Runs Saved totals the last few seasons. Albies has 3, -1, 1, and 1 at second base the last four years. Arcia has -6 and -1 at shortstop the last two years.

Are They A Good Defensive Team?

The Braves are an average-to-good defensive team in most spots, which should position them in or close to the Top 10. But they have the potential to have some significant in-the-moment issues within games given the potential weaknesses of their corner outfielders.

March 24, 2025

Stat of the Week: Top 10 Defensive Players in MLB

Photos: Mark Goldman (left), Frank Jansky (middle), Randy Litzinger (right)/Icon Sportswire

BY MARK SIMON

During one of its MLB Top 10 Right Now shows this week, MLB Network ran a segment on the Top 10 defensive players in baseball right now.

Speaking for myself, I’m not the biggest fan of that type of list. There are a lot of apples-to-oranges comparisons within it. Ideally, players should be compared to each other at their respective positions. It’s tricky to compare a second baseman, right fielder, and catcher within the same statistical plane. We know this from the challenge of voting for the SIS Defensive Player of the Year.

But nonetheless, we indulge such lists because it’s the end of January and there’s not a lot going on right now baseballwise.

Jayson Stark, who was part of the segment along with host Brian Kenny, reached out to me for suggestions for players to select and I gave him a pool of 29 names to consider. I also gave him some questions to think about as he made his picks.

For example:

How much does recent performance matter compared to track record? This is pertinent when considering the merits of Nolan Arenado, Mookie Betts, and a few others.

What do you do about someone like Fernando Tatis Jr., who was great in right field in 2023 and meh there in 2024?

I thought about those things and took a shot at making my own Top 10 list.

The elite

1. Daulton Varsho

2. Andrés Giménez

3. Ke’Bryan Hayes

This was the easy part. Daulton Varsho leads all center fielders in Defensive Runs Saved over the last three seasons and ranks third among left fielders in that time too. The sum of his efforts is well better than the sum of anyone else’s over the last three seasons. And he was the SIS Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.

Andrés Giménez has put up three straight spectacular seasons. He’s 20 Runs Saved better than any other second baseman in that span. He plays the position with the skills of a shortstop and the movement of a dancer (we talked to him about the latter).

Similarly, there’s a 19-run gap between Ke’Bryan Hayes and any other third baseman over the last three seasons. When he’s healthy, he sets the standard at the position and makes the hard play look routine. He was the SIS Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.

Second tier

4. Brenton Doyle

5. Patrick Bailey

6. Matt Chapman

Fielding Bible Award winner Brenton Doyle is by far the best defensive center fielder in Rockies history. He has the franchise’s top two seasons in Defensive Runs Saved in center field.

In fact, there’s only one other instance of a Rockies player playing at least 700 innings in center field in a season and finishing with a positive Runs Saved total.

Patrick Bailey just missed winning a Fielding Bible Award as a rookie and then won it last year when he led catchers in Defensive Runs Saved. He’s the best strike-getter in the game and also one of the best at limiting stolen bases.

Matt Chapman looked fully healthy last season, and his 2024 season looked like something resembling when he was a young up-and-comer with the Athletics. Chapman led all third basemen in Runs Saved in 2024 and was nearly a unanimous Fielding Bible Award selection.

The section where there are 20 good candidates and we’re gonna get second-guessed

7. Steven Kwan

8. Brice Turang

9. Matt Olson

10. Michael A. Taylor and Miguel Rojas (tie)

Steven Kwan has posted three straight seasons with at least 10 Runs Saved and it might’ve been three straight 15s had he not gotten injured last season. Admittedly there are probably a few center fielders who could do what Kwan does, but we feel he deserves credit for the standard of excellence he’s demonstrated in his first three seasons playing that position.

Brice Turang has posted back-to-back standout seasons at second base and led the majors with 22 Runs Saved at the position in 2024. Turang goes to his right to make plays about as well as anyone in the major leagues and is a fun watch.

I wanted a first baseman to make the list and the best in the game right now is Matt Olson, who won his 4th Fielding Bible Award there in 2024. Olson led all first basemen in Runs Saved last season and excels both at covering ground and handling throws. He’s everything you’d want in a first baseman.

Baseball is a young person’s game and most of the best defensive players are the young stars. But I wanted to include a couple of seasoned veterans, which meant including Michael A. Taylor and Miguel Rojas.

In both cases, I’m favoring their track record over those two being in their mid-30s and perhaps slowing down. Taylor has the most Runs Saved among center fielders over the last four seasons. Rojas has the most among shortstops in that span. They’ve both had excellent defensive careers and are still going.

I could very easily put center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong or shortstops Francisco Lindor, Bobby Witt Jr., Dansby Swanson, or Ezequiel Tovar in those spots, but that’s too easy. They’ll have their turn and be recognized plenty by others. Other honorable mentions not referenced yet include Cal Raleigh, Christian Walker, Marcus Semien, Masyn Winn, Ryan McMahon, Jacob Young, Ian Happ, Sal Frelick, Wilyer Abreu, and Jose Trevino.

I used to vote in a small-school Top 25 college basketball poll, and I liked using the bottom of my ballot to reward those whom others might not recognize, to make sure they got their props. That was the point of the Taylor and Rojas selections. I hope it got you thinking about them in a positive light. Jayson did something similar, honoring a career Defensive Achievement team of Salvador Perez, Arenado, Manny Machado, Betts, and Jason Heyward.

Here are our selections compared to Jayson’s and Brian’s.

Mark Simon	Jayson Stark	Brian Kenny
1. Daulton Varsho	1. Andrés Giménez	1. Dansby Swanson
2. Andrés Giménez	2. Daulton Varsho	2. Daulton Varsho
3. Ke’Bryan Hayes	3. Brenton Doyle	3. Patrick Bailey
4. Brenton Doyle	4. Marcus Semien	4. Andrés Giménez
5. Patrick Bailey	5. Dansby Swanson	5. Ezequiel Tovar
6. Matt Chapman	6. Brice Turang	6. Pete Crow-Armstrong
7. Steven Kwan	7. Ezequiel Tovar	7. Jacob Young
8. Brice Turang	8. Matt Chapman	8. Cal Raleigh
9. Matt Olson	9. Pete Crow-Armstrong	9. Matt Chapman
10. Michael A. Taylor/ Miguel Rojas	10. Bobby Witt Jr.	10. Mookie Betts

January 29, 2025

2024 Fielding Bible Award Winners

SIS is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Fielding Bible Awards. This marks the 19th 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 second annual Defensive Player of the Year award.

This year’s group of winners includes three players who previously won a Fielding Bible Award and seven first-time winners. It also marks the first time that two rookies won the Award in the same year (Winn and Abreu). The Giants and Guardians were the only teams to have multiple players win an Award this year.

The winners are:

Defensive Player of the Year

Daulton Varsho is our second annual Defensive Player of the Year. Varsho led all players with 28 Defensive Runs Saved. Varsho’s defensive dominance extends beyond this past season. He leads all players in Defensive Runs Saved over the last three seasons combined.

“Daulton Varsho is a highly deserving winner of Defensive Player of the Year,” said SIS editorial operations lead, Mark Simon. “He played with an incredible effort level and a determination to make every play he possibly could. He had a fantastic season and this is one of his rewards for it.”

Said Blue Jays manager John Schneider: “Daulton never ceases to amaze us. We are really spoiled with him out there. Guys love playing with him because he makes tough plays look routine and makes everyone around him better. It feels like he makes game-changing plays and picks us up every single night. We’ve been saying he’s the best defender in baseball for the last two years, and I’m glad he’s starting to get the proper recognition for it.”

Individual Positions

First Base – Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves

Olson won a Fielding Bible Award for the fourth time in his career. He previously won it in 2018, 2019, and 2020. The only first baseman to win it more often than Olson is Albert Pujols (five times).

Olson led all first basemen with 13 Defensive Runs Saved. After recording 27 and 26 Defensive Misplays & Errors in 2022 and 2023, respectively, he cut that number to 19 in 2024. As per usual for him, he also rated well above average on balls hit to his right.

Olson is also highly durable. He led MLB in innings played at first base and has played 162 games in each of the last three seasons.

Olson is the first Braves player to win an Award since pitcher Max Fried won in 2020. Olson is the only Braves player to win the Award at first base.

Second Base – Andrés Giménez, Cleveland Guardians

Giménez won his second straight Fielding Bible Award, joining Dustin Pedroia (2013, 2014) and Kolten Wong (2018, 2019, 2020) as second basemen to do that since the Awards began in 2006.

Giménez put up nearly identical defensive numbers to those he had in 2023. His 20 Defensive Runs Saved ranked second among second basemen. He was 11 plays saved above average on balls hit to his right and 10 plays above average on balls hit to his left, each of which ranked second-best in MLB. He easily led second basemen with 33 Good Fielding Plays.

The Guardians have now had multiple Fielding Bible Award winners in three straight years, with Steven Kwan and Myles Straw winning in 2022, Giménez and Kwan winning in 2023, and Giménez and Tanner Bibee winning in 2024 .

Giménez is the only Guardians player to win an Award at second base.

Third Base – Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants

Chapman won a Fielding Bible Award for the third time in his career. He also won it in 2018 and 2019. He was one vote shy of being a unanimous selection in all three instances.

Chapman easily led third basemen with 17 Defensive Runs Saved. No one else at the position had more than 10 Runs Saved in 2024. Chapman rated above average on balls hit to his right, to his left, and straight-on.

Chapman and Patrick Bailey are the third and fourth Giants to win an Award, joining Pedro Feliz (third base, 2007) and Buster Posey (catcher, 2015 and 2016).

Shortstop – Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals

Winn won his first Fielding Bible Award. He is the seventh different shortstop to win the Award in the last seven years. Winn and Wilyer Abreu are the fifth and sixth rookie to win a Fielding Bible Award, joining Troy Tulowitzki (2007), Mike Trout (2012), Ke’Bryan Hayes (2021), and Steven Kwan (2022).

Winn was MLB’s premier shortstop when it came to turning double plays. In fact, his 6 Double Play Runs Saved is tied with Andrelton Simmons for the most in a season by a shortstop since Runs Saved was first tracked in 2003.

The Cardinals have won an MLB-best 21 Fielding Bible Awards since the Awards were first given in 2006. Winn is the first Cardinals shortstop to win an Award.

Left Field – Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers

Greene won his first Fielding Bible Award and snapped Steven Kwan’s two-year run of winning the Award in left field.

Greene led all left fielders with 14 Defensive Runs Saved, which was helped by 3 home run robberies. He led the position in Runs Saved despite ranking 19th in innings played.

Greene is the first Tigers player to win an Award since Ian Kinsler won at second base in 2015 and is the first Tigers left fielder to win a Fielding Bible Award.

Center Field – Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies

Doyle, runner-up for a Fielding Bible Award last year, won the award in a close vote this year.

Though Doyle got off to a slow start, he led center fielders in Defensive Runs Saved from May 1 through the end of the season. His 22 Good Fielding Plays for the season were the most among center fielders. He led the position in that stat last year as well.

Doyle is the first Rockies outfielder to win a Fielding Bible Award.

Right Field – Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox

Abreu, a rookie, won his first Fielding Bible Award. He and Masyn Winn are the fifth and sixth rookie to win a Fielding Bible Award, joining Troy Tulowitzki (2007), Mike Trout (2012), Ke’Bryan Hayes (2021), and Steven Kwan (2022).

Abreu led all right fielders with 17 Defensive Runs Saved and 6 Outfield Arm Runs Saved. He had above-average range on shallow, medium, and deep fly balls.

Abreu is the second Red Sox player to win an Award in the last four years (Kiké Hernández, multi-position, 2021). He is the second Red Sox right fielder to win a Fielding Bible Award. The other is Mookie Betts, who won it for them in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Catcher – Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants

Bailey, the runner-up for a Fielding Bible Award last year, won for the first time this year.

Bailey led all catchers with 20 Defensive Runs Saved. He led all catchers in Strike Zone Runs Saved, a stat that measures a catcher’s skill at getting more strikes than expected. He also ranked tied for third in Stolen Bases Runs Saved.

Bailey joined Buster Posey as the only Giants catchers to win a Fielding Bible Award. Posey won it in 2015 and 2016.

Pitcher – Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians

Bibee, the MLB co-leader in Defensive Runs Saved for pitchers, won his first Fielding Bible Award.

Bibee’s 6 Runs Saved were equally split between the range component and the stolen base component. He held baserunners to 6 stolen bases against 6 caught stealing. He also co-led the American League and ranked third in the major leagues with 4 pickoffs.

Bibee is the only Guardians pitcher to win a Fielding Bible Award.

Multi-Position – Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays

Varsho narrowly missed out on a Fielding Bible Award last year but would not be denied in 2024. He won the Award for the first time in his career.

Varsho ranked second among center fielders with 16 Defensive Runs Saved AND tied for second among left fielders with 12 Runs Saved. He did that despite ranking 27th in innings played in center field and 36th in innings played in left field. This is the second consecutive year that Varsho had at least 10 Runs Saved at each of those positions. Varsho excelled at catching both deep and shallow fly balls and also had 3 Outfield Arm Runs Saved.

Varsho is the first Blue Jays player to win the multi-position Award, which has been voted on annually since 2014. This is the second straight year a Blue Jays player won a Fielding Bible Award. Kevin Kiermaier won in center field last season.

—

The 2024 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) on a scale from 1 to 10 at the conclusion of the regular season. A first place vote gets 10 points, second place gets 9 points, third place gets 8 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. There were no unanimous selections this year.

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

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

October 24, 2024
Fielding Bible Awards Preview (Part I – Catcher and Infield)

We spend most of the year in these newsletters talking up defensive excellence across baseball. Now, we’re nearing time to reward those who were most excellent in 2024.

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

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

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

(Defensive Runs Saved totals in parentheses)

Catcher

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Patrick Bailey (20)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Bailey

AL Gold Glove Favorites: Cal Raleigh & Freddy Fermin (16)

NL Top Contenders: Gabriel Moreno (10), William Contreras (6)

AL Top Contenders: Alejandro Kirk (14), Jake Rogers (13), Austin Wells (11), Bo Naylor (11)

After finishing second in Fielding Bible Awards voting last year, Bailey became this year’s favorite by ranking first in our pitch-framing stat, Strike Zone Runs Saved (15), and tied for third in Stolen Base Runs Saved (5).

Raleigh and Fermin are formidable competition and will be in a tight race for AL Gold Glove honors. Raleigh ranked second in Strike Zone Runs Saved. Fermin matched Bailey in Stolen Base Runs Saved and had the highest catcher block rate in MLB, blocking 96.3% of potential wild pitches.

First Baseman

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Matt Olson (14)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Olson

AL Gold Glove Favorites: Carlos Santana (8), Ryan Mountcastle (8)

NL Top Contenders: Michael Toglia (10), Christian Walker (7), Bryce Harper (5), Michael Busch (5)

AL Top Contenders: Nathaniel Lowe (1), Nolan Schanuel (1)

Olson won the Fielding Bible Award in 2018, 2019, and 2020 and is the favorite to snare another after leading his position in Defensive Runs Saved. As has been his norm, Olson excelled at getting to balls in the ‘3/4’ hole and turning them into outs and led all first basemen in the range component of Runs Saved.

As to who wins the AL Gold Glove at first base, Santana had his second straight strong season and has a decent chance at winning as a 38-year-old, though Mountcastle had a good year as well. There’s also intrigue in the NL as to whether Harper will be a finalist for a Gold Glove. He did a nice job in his first full season at first base.

Second Baseman

Fielding Bible Award Favorites: Brice Turang (21), Andrés Giménez (20)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Turang

AL Favorite: Giménez

NL Top Contender: Ketel Marte (10)

AL Top Contender: Marcus Semien (10)

This should be an extremely close vote for the Fielding Bible Award. Turang had a fantastic defensive year for a Brewers team that finished with the 4th-most Runs Saved in MLB. Giménez, who won not only the Fielding Bible Award last year, but also the Platinum Glove for best AL defensive player, was right there with Turang for most of the season.

Both should be favored to win the Gold Glove Award in their respective leagues, though Marte and Semien are highly-credible defensive players in their own right.

Shortstop

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Masyn Winn (14)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Winn

AL Gold Glove Favorites: Zach Neto (11), Brayan Rocchio (10)

NL Top Contenders: Ezequiel Tovar (9), Dansby Swanson (7)

AL Top Contenders: Anthony Volpe (6), Gunnar Henderson (5), Bobby Witt Jr. (2)

Winn led shortstops in Runs Saved based on the combination of his range and his leading the position in Double Play Runs Saved (6). The 6 Double Play Runs Saved matched the most for a shortstop in the 22-year history of Defensive Runs Saved.

Shortstop is a rich position for Gold Glove contenders. By Defensive Runs Saved, Neto is the AL favorite, but the inclusion of other defensive stats in the Gold Gloves’ Sabermetric Defensive Index (SDI, which accounts for about 25% of the vote) may give others who didn’t fare as well in Runs Saved (like Swanson and Witt) a better chance.

Third Baseman

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Matt Chapman (17)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Chapman

AL Gold Glove Favorite: Ernie Clement (10)

NL Top Contender: Ryan McMahon (10), Ke’Bryan Hayes (10)

AL Top Contender: Alex Bregman (6), José Ramírez (6)

Chapman was the runaway leader in Runs Saved in a season in which he looked similar to how he played when he won the Fielding Bible Award in 2018 and 2019. He played the second-most innings of any third baseman in 2024 and showed he is fully recovered from his 2020 hip surgery.

Chapman’s replacement in Toronto, Ernie Clement, has a decent chance to win an AL Gold Glove, though a couple of veterans—Bregman and Ramírez—are aiming for their first Gold Glove and have a reasonable chance given their numbers.

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

October 9, 2024
Fielding Bible Awards Preview: Part I

Photo: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire

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

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

This week, Part I of our preview looks at catchers and infielders.

(Defensive Runs Saved totals in parentheses)

Catcher

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Gabriel Moreno (20)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Moreno

AL Gold Glove Favorite: Alejandro Kirk (17)

NL Top Contenders: Patrick Bailey (13), Will Smith (12), Sean Murphy (8)

AL Top Contender: Jonah Heim (6)

Moreno pulled away from a tight field late in the season. His MLB-leading Defensive Runs Saved total was partly a product of being one of the few catchers who could throw out basestealers at a high rate this season, and his pitch blocking was excellent.

The vote might be close because Moreno had a weakness: pitch framing. Kirk was basically a match for Moreno in pitch blocking and rated considerably better in our framing metric, Strike Zone Runs Saved.

First Baseman

Fielding Bible Award Favorites: Carlos Santana (11), Christian Walker (9), Matt Olson (8)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Walker

AL Gold Glove Favorites: Anthony Rizzo (3), Nathaniel Lowe (3)

NL Top Contender: Pete Alonso (6), Dominic Smith (5), Paul Goldschmidt (3)

AL Top Contender: Ryan Mountcastle (2)

We list three favorites here because we’re expecting a close vote between this trio. Santana is the surprise of the group. His defense has improved with age. This is his fourth straight season with positive Runs Saved and the 11 Runs Saved is a career high. Walker and Olson have the benefit of reputation. Walker won the Award last season. Olson has won three times previously.

In the AL, Lowe winning a Gold Glove would be notable. He was one of MLB’s most-improved defenders, going from -9 Runs Saved last season to 3 Runs Saved in 2023. His most formidable competition is Rizzo, whose season was halted in August by injury.

Second Baseman

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Andrés Giménez (23)

NL Gold Glove Favorites: Nico Hoerner (12), Brice Turang (12)

AL Favorite: Giménez

NL Top Contender: Ha-Seong Kim (10)

AL Top Contender: Marcus Semien (16)

Giménez was our co-Defensive Player of the Month for September and was another player who pulled away from the rest of the field for the positional lead in Defensive Runs Saved. He has a good chance to win a year after finishing second in the Fielding Bible voting to Brendan Rodgers. Semien is good competition. He leads all second basemen in Runs Saved over the last 3 seasons.

In the NL, Hoerner made the transition from full-time shortstop last season to second base in 2023 to accommodate the Cubs’ acquisition of Dansby Swanson. He’s in a tight race for the Gold Glove with an impressive rookie, Turang, and Kim, who has put up very strong defensive numbers wherever he’s played since joining the Padres in 2021.

Shortstop

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Dansby Swanson (18)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Swanson

AL Gold Glove Favorite: Anthony Volpe (15)

NL Top Contenders: Ezequiel Tovar (13), Miguel Rojas (12)

AL Top Contender: Jeremy Peña (7)

Swanson gave the Cubs exactly what they were looking for in his first year with the team. There are a lot of good candidates here, including a pair of rookies. Anthony Volpe didn’t hit much for the Yankees but put up strong overall defensive numbers. The Gold Glove Award may come down to him and last year’s winner, Peña.

Third Baseman

Fielding Bible Award Favorite: Ke’Bryan Hayes (21)

NL Gold Glove Favorite: Hayes

AL Gold Glove Favorite: Matt Chapman (12)

NL Top Contender: Ryan McMahon (17)

AL Top Contender: Alex Bregman (5)

Even with a midseason injury, Hayes was easily the leader in Runs Saved among third basemen. Hayes came in 2nd to Nolan Arenado in last year’s Fielding Bible Awards, but this season, Hayes has him beat in Runs Saved, 21-1. It’s actually McMahon who might be Hayes’ most formidable competitor for both Fielding Bible and Gold Glove wins this season.

In the AL, Chapman looked something like his 2-time Fielding Bible Award-winning self this season. There aren’t any other Gold Glove Award-eligible 3rd basemen close to his Runs Saved total. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll win, but he has a good chance.

October 11, 2023

Stat of the Week: A Defensive Look for Team USA

You might have noticed that over the last couple of years we’ve transitioned our thinking on Stat of the Week to make it largely based around defensive excellence.

We consider that our beat here. Some people cover teams. We cover a way to play. As such, we think of things with defensive excellence first in mind.

That brings us to the World Baseball Classic and with defensive excellence at the forefront, we wondered what Team USA’s position player roster would look like if defense was the primary priority.

For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll presume that players that could have played for the United States but who are playing with other countries chose to stay on those teams. Our choices may differ from yours and that’s fine. There are lots of ways to do this. These are our selections.

Catcher – Adley Rutschman was so good in his debut season, finishing second to Jose Trevino in Defensive Runs Saved. The latter won the 2022 Fielding Bible Award. We’re taking both of them along with 2021 Fielding Bible Award winner Jacob Stallings.

First Base – Christian Walker would undoubtedly make the team. He won the Fielding Bible Award at the position last year and he’s the leader in Defensive Runs Saved at the position since 2020. Walker’s backup would be a tough call. We’d lean to three-time Fielding Bible Award winner Matt Olson, who ranks third in Runs Saved at the position over the last three seasons behind Walker and Lewin Díaz.

Second Base – 2022 Fielding Bible Multi-Position Award winner Tommy Edman chose to play for Korea and Brendan Rodgers is injured, so that makes a tough call a little easier. We’ll take Marcus Semien, who’s someone who has been very good at second base the last two seasons (most Runs Saved in MLB in that time) and offers additional defensive flexibility because he can play shortstop.

Shortstop – We can garner some more positional flexibility with our pick here, Taylor Walls. Walls, who also plays second base and third base, ranks second to Carlos Correa in Runs Saved at shortstop the last two seasons, though he’s played less than half as many innings as Correa has in that time.

Third Base – The actual Team USA took six infielders, so we’ll take six as well. That means our squad has room for both Ke’Bryan Hayes and Nolan Arenado. This one is clearcut. They rank 1-2 in Defensive Runs Saved at the position over the last three seasons.

Outfield – Team USA took six outfielders, so we’ll match that. Mookie Betts, who has won five Fielding Bible Awards, is our No. 1 choice. Michael A. Taylor, who won a Fielding Bible Award in 2021 and leads center fielders in Runs Saved over the last three seasons, is next on our list.

It gets harder after that as we ponder whether to reward outstanding performance accumulated in short periods of time. We’ll do that by adding Byron Buxton and Brett Phillips to the squad.

Buxton is second to Taylor in Runs Saved since 2020 even playing 1,000 fewer innings than Taylor has. Phillips has 17 Runs Saved in just over 600 innings in right field the last two seasons, which is too good to pass up. Plus, we know he’d bring the fun.

Steven Kwan was deemed ineligible to play for Japan or China (read more about it here) in the actual WBC. But we’d welcome the 2022 Fielding Bible Award winner for left field on our team. He led the position in Runs Saved last season.

The last slot is a tough one. Apologies to Kevin Kiermaier, Daulton Varsho, Joey Gallo, and a lot of other worthy options. We’re going to give it to Kyle Tucker, who leads right fielders in Defensive Runs Saved the last two seasons.

Here’s our full roster. We think they’d be pretty good.

Position	Player
C	Adley Rutschman
C	Jose Trevino
C	Jacob Stallings
1B	Christian Walker
1B	Matt Olson
2B	Marcus Semien
SS	Taylor Walls
3B	Ke’Bryan Hayes
3B	Nolan Arenado
LF	Steven Kwan
CF	Michael A. Taylor
CF	Byron Buxton
RF	Mookie Betts
RF	Kyle Tucker
OF	Brett Phillips

March 8, 2023

Player	Runs Saved
Matt Olson	21
Carlos Santana	20
Christian Walker	16

Tag: Matt Olson

Photo: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire