Twenty-eight of those 29 runs below average came as a center fielder, where he made 2.50 plays per nine innings compared to the MLB average of 2.76. Here's the rundown: Simmons is unparalleled here. You want them to play as much as they can especially if they are at least as good as the others. He always has been. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. His DPR of -0.2 is below-average at 17th in the league. 0. Bichette was fast enough to play a little center field early in his career, but by 1999 was 35 and lumbering. 2. Fielding percentage: .977 (four-way tie for 11th). At the end of May, Kevin Reynolds of the Yahoo! Defensive skills are the focus for shortstops, with offensive skills being a bonus. Castellanos' range factor was 2.10 per nine innings compared to the MLB average of 2.56, but of course he played on a staff that racked up a lot of strikeouts. The Designated Hitter is a player who only hits, and hits in place of the pitcher. First, it is somewhat subjective. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. But when you look up after a hard-hit ball, and hes standing right there or ranges up the middle to his glove side, hes a very good defender. Look for a rise in the rankings in coming years. For shortstops who were in the field for 800 or more balls in play (roughly 33 games) in both 2007 and 2008, the year-to-year correlation was approximately 0.29. I enjoyed reading your write up Coach Dan Blewett, youre doing a good job. Kemp also had just three assists in 2010 compared to 14 in 2009 and 11 in 2011. A +5 DRS at third means the player is five runs better than the average third. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. This was Braun's rookie season when he came up as a third baseman and he was such a disaster there the Brewers moved him to left field in 2008. Baseball Almanac invites you to examine fielding average records for shortstops. Sabermetric types don't like this measurement, for several reasons. In left field, he made 1.80 plays per game while teammate Josh Willingham -- hardly known as a plus fielder himself -- made 2.17. Sign up for my email list youll get my free throwing ebook and updates on new videos and articles like this one. If you need to improve your throwing, check out my online throwing courses and the video below. *Many detailed statistics are based on play-by-play accounts accumulated by Retrosheet. Probably because shortstops field more balls, the shortstop ratings youre about to see are somewhat more valid than those I presented for third basemen in May. Fielding percentage: .989 (tied for second). Hardy makes it into the top four due to the current number of weighty third-place standings he holds. Sports averred that "he manages the defensive wizardry of a player three inches and 20 pounds smaller." Only at the next level will coaches start to consider height and weight more in hopes of a projection or skill development. He's clearly a level up from the Escobars and narrowly tops Kozma in terms of his composite metrics, which is why he falls above them, but his UZR, RF and fielding percentage are underwhelming when compared to the remaining three on this list. But even if common sense knocks down Shields +26, its still clear that he turned an awful lot of ground balls into outs. Of course, theres more to college fielding stats than a talked-up third baseman. Later, the shortstop was moved permanently to the infield but his number stuck at #6. Baseball-Reference.com (Career Leaders & Records for Range Factor/9Inn as SS), Baseball-Reference.com (Fielding Stats Glossary), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Range_factor&oldid=1133069561, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 January 2023, at 04:16. Volpe has proven himself to be a big-league defender and a legitimate threat on the base paths. 1 on this list. He's finishing plays. In general, positions are more likely to be filled with people with more experience than others. Thanks for reading I hope this overview of positions was helpful! A good shortstop is always in need for a college coach and for programs at this level its no different. The primary reason for Kozma sitting below the top four is the gap in composite metrics. Or write about sports? To be an elite shortstop, you need sure hands, a rocket for an arm, consistency, double-play adroitness and athleticism, and the guys who made the cut all embody this cocktail of skills to a certain degree. Again, only players above the BIP threshold are included; the numbers include two seasons worth of data, and are regressed based on playing time. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. It is also important to note that the . Why did Ross Tucker start Go Big Recruiting? Shortstops with career .271/.340/.493 lines don't grow on trees, and we're projecting him to be better than that this year. 24-year Because the catcher must control and corral the pitcher, he has to be physically and mentally quick. What is a decent fielding percentage for a shortstop? For pitcher fielding the minimums are reduced . Fielding percentage is a very simple measurement. copyright=new Date(); Pingback: How Do You Size A Fastpitch Softball Glove: Beginner's Guide. Pro/Con of going online for senior yr and not playing hs ball. 1 in anything, but Florimon does so in range with an RF of 5.59 (first). Well break each position down, but its important to understand throwing speed as it pertains to which positions a softball player can play. In an interview with Mark Simon of ESPN (found in the preceding link), Braves general manager Frank Wren had this to say about the phenom: To go along with great hands, arm and athleticism, he has excellent awareness on the field. But sound fundamentals and covering good ground are hallmarks of an elite shortstop, and in those areas, Andrus is still a work in progress. Its just like a refresher course for me. The basic infield positions are shown below in diagram above, which illustrates where each player will stand in the most fundamental situations. Fielding percentage: .985 (tied for eighth). Brendan Ryan's UZR is an ugly -1.1 which has him sitting in 20th place among all qualifying shortstops. Cabrera just narrowly missed the cut here. They make the plays, but don't have the best range. How do I pick which schools to send my Go Big profile to? Puckett's defensive metrics don't match up to his reputation -- he won six Gold Gloves -- as Baseball-Reference grades him out as 14 runs below average for his career. While were at it, lets look at a smattering of high draft picks from one year ago. Third basemen in fastpitch need to be great fielders and have strong arms to make the long throw. All rights reserved. His UZR of 11.3, dWAR of 3.1 and DRS of 24 are the best of all shortstops. I couldn't tell you why the discrepancy exists between UZR and dWAR in this case, seeing as they're usually fairly congruent, but here lies the occasional perils of advanced metrics. He has a reputation as a defensive wizard, and his 09 season would seem to support that. No-hitter the latest feat in James Paxton's rise, Deal ends Matt Harvey's roller-coaster ride with Mets, Sizing up potential trade fits for Manny Machado, Real or Not? ), 10. I don't think anyone is going to defend Dunn's defense. For batting rate stats, generally a minimum of 3.1 Plate Appearances/G, 1.0 IP/G, 0.67 Gm and Chances/Team Game (fielding), 0.2 SB att/Team Game (catchers), and 0.1 SB att/Team Game (baserunners only since 1951), and 0.1 decision/G for single-season leaderboards generally needed for rate statistics. Top middle infielders are evaluated first from a defensive standpoint, and then from an hitting standpoint. Ramirez's recent onslaught of errors is cause for concern, but the rest of his numbers still put him among the premier shortstops in the game. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. 1 because not only does he lead UZR, dWAR and DRS, but he leads them by an enormous margin. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. I dont think scouts generally talk about Beckham as a liability in the fieldjust a guy who cant stick at shortstop. Ryan's fielding percentage is also of notewhile it won't make or break a player in my rankings, it's clear that Ryan isn't in the top couple of tiers when it comes to reliability. College pitching coacheswhat do they actually do? UZR had Kemp at minus-26 runs that year, the worst total it has ever given a center fielder going back to 2002, so by all accounts Kemp was awful. Its the most demanding out field position with lots of ground to cover. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. His dWAR is 0.5, which puts him in a four-way tie for 13th place, and his DRS of one has him in a five-way tie for 12th place. We're sorry. The quickness of the exchange on his relays and DP turns are as good as I have ever seen, and have been instrumental in saving a number of games. Make a guess now (Note: Baseball-Reference uses fielding runs below average, which can be drawn from two different sources depending on the year. The hope for the Tigers is that Castellanos is young enough to improve, but he needs a lot of improvement just to become league average. Or write about sports? When weve got multiple full years of data for a shortstop, it would appear that we have something worth looking at. On June 27, 1939, Eddie Miller of Boston played twenty-three innings at shortstop and handled twenty-one chances setting the major league record for most chances by a shortstop in an extra inning game. Do you have a sports website? Over 21 games at shortstop (number one in the AL), his dWAR is 0.5-good for third in the AL. Shortstops at this level will be missing a few elements of the top shortstop, but they still make plays and contribute in the line-up. Beyond that, he needs to pick bad throws, be a great, large target and read throws well to get outs on every throw he can from other infielders. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. No, they're not related. Tulo's UZR of 6.5 is good enough for second-best of shortstops in the majors, while his 0.8 dWAR has him in a three-way tie for ninth place and his DRS of five in a tie for fifth. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? There is some good news, however. Sandwiched around this all-time bad season are two Gold Glove honors in 2009 and 2011. All rights reserved. He'd be higher on the list if not for his component metrics and fielding percentagethe Rangers clearly benefit from his presence on the field. While Drew is middling in terms of most of his stats, the superb fielding percentage is hard to ignore. The meaning of FIELDING PERCENTAGE is the average (as of a baseball fielder) determined by dividing the number of putouts and assists by the number of chances called also fielding average. This is great stuff. A third defensive metric that I'll mention in the piece below is ultimate zone rating, available at FanGraphs. A college shortstop playing high-level competition is probably more like a wood-bat-league third baseman. His UZR and DRS are both higher than Ramirez's, and his dWAR and DRS are higher than Drew's, while more of his secondary stats are mediocre to average, which is why he's slotted at eight. Left fielders typically have good speed and fielding skills and are expected to be good contributors at the plate. The first baseman is paid to HIT, and hit for powerthats job #1. I never thought of Gomez as a bad fielder, but I guess I never really gave all that much thought to Gomez in the first place. 1. If you need to improve your speed, be sure to get in the weight room! Escobar's RF of 4.04 puts him in 16th place while his -0.4 DPR slots him at 19th. Here's how Drew shakes up in comparison to others at his position: Drew's UZR of 5.4 puts him in seventh place among qualifying shortstops, while his dWAR of 0.6 and DRS of two put him at 12th and 11th, respectively. Return to Top; Major League Players. Much like Derek Jeter, there has been a lot of divisiveness over the years about Kemp's defense. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. 6. 7. With all of the hype around the St. Louis Cardinals and their sizable crop of potential All-Stars, Pete Kozma either goes unnoticed or else is pegged as one of the weakest players on the team. Rickie Weeks, 2B, 2012 Brewers (minus-30). Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. Thanks to his performance in the 2008 College World Series, Mendonca may have been the most heralded defensive player available in this years draft. His RF puts him among the top-tier shortstops in that category, and that's something you can't really teach. Good reflexes and instincts are important, as line drives scream to first base. Undoubtedly, voters remembered the spectacular plays, but there was nothing in the numbers that suggested Kemp had above-average range and he was making a large number of miscues at the same time. But I probably won't miss his defense. Your email address will not be published. Jedlovec included Ryan's best and worst plays from 2011-12, too. Get ready to play college softball by training like a college softball player. The league's lowest fielding percentages typically come from shortstops and third basemen, who must deal with a wide array of tricky ground balls and tough throws across the diamond. But, that doesnt mean first base is not a difficult position its easy to play an average first base, but its NOT easy to be great at it. He may be 31, but judging from the video above, he hasn't lost his instincts (or his ups). Current Visitors: 165 (13 members, 152 guests). Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. Bortnick is barely a dozen games into his professional career, but Tampa Bay has put him back at shortstop in the New York-Penn League. But remember that the guy only recently turned 23. Double-play turns for lefty middle infielders are nearly impossible. Data Provided By Get as Excel Workbook. Key NCAA Rule Change for Recruiting Communications. But yes, they're essentially the same player. Coaches look for these key measurables first at these levels. Rankings of Negro League players should consider that Negro League data is not complete. Well, he hadn't played the position much before that and isn't exactly quick to begin with, so it's easy to assume he combined a lack of range with a lack of experience. Sometimes that doesnt show as flashy where it might catch the average fans eye. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Major League . Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. First, lets recap a bit of what I wrote in the Mendonca article. document.write(update); While Escobar isn't quite outstanding enough to crack the top five, his defense is still noteworthy. If a high school shortstop made 50 outs and committed only two errors, his fielding percentage would be 960 (48/50). Metrics from the days of yore: Fielding percentage. Component advanced metrics: Range Factor (RF) and Double Play Runs above average (DPR), 3. First baseman are the biggest power hitters on a team, and they are typically very big and relatively slow because of this. Aside from the pitcher, the strongest arm probably belongs to either the third baseman or right fielder, though it is never a firm rule and varies by team. Chances Records for Shortstops by Baseball Almanac. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. Simmons is No. The statistic is premised on the notion that the total number of outs in which a player participates is more relevant in evaluating that player's defensive play than the percentage of . His dWAR is only 0.2, bad enough for 21st, and his DRS is -2 (18th). The left fielder does not need to have an amazing arm because throws arent terribly long. And Alcides is just a smidgen better. It is important to consider the position when calculating a good fielding percentage. This, in combination with his impressive UZR, gives Drew a leg up on Ramirez, who seems on the precipice of falling apart despite great numbers. In fact, only sixteen (14.3%) played 50 or more games at shortstop as 28-year-olds-a combination of injury attrition, moving to other positions, or manning a backup/utility role that didn't. Each position on the field is designated with a 1-9 number. near the top. Might not be an absolute but they do always seem to be either the catcher or pitcher. What do college baseball scouts look for in a pitcher? With that in mind, lets turn our attention to shortstop defense. Modify, Export & Share Table. Originally, in the early years of baseball, the shortstop was the fourth outfielder. DRS tells you how many runs better or worse that player has been relative to the average player at his position. The fact that the two names at the top are both from D II schools may give us pause. Athleticism, knowledge of the game, and leadership skills are necessary for shortstops at this level. The AL East is setting up as a race for the ages, Albert Pujols' push for 3,000 powered by dominant decade, 'Ich-i-ro! 5. Left-handed catchers are seen occasionally in college softball but its rare. Being versatile is a great thing and having utility in more than one position can help a player. Full Site Menu. Sure, there are some opportunities to range either way and make throws from deep in the hole, but when guys make contact, one of two things happens: It gets by you (and it would get by anybody, because its going that fast), or its a hot shot you can reach. Sis Bates from the University of Washington, shown below, is an outstanding shortstop and epitomizes what they have to be able to do. All rights reserved. Kozma cracks the top five namely because of his UZR, RF and fielding percentage. In Girls HS softball, can a team play 3 infielders and 4 outfielders (rover)? College softball coaches evaluate a player's athleticism based on arm strength and accuracy, speed, fielding range and the ability to hit for . That led to a career-best 13.8% walk rate and a career-low 17.5% strikeout rate. Every time I take ground balls when working out, Im always in a game mode. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Dunn recently confirmed his retirement and I'll miss a guy who had a unique career in major league history. Matt Kemp, CF, 2010 Dodgers (minus-37). It can certainly contribute to the discussion, but until a few more years go by and we can combine the data with professional records for these college players, we dont know just how worthwhile it is. What level of play? Third baseman have a similar skillset to shortstops, but they hit for more power and are more offensive in general, with slightly less range and foot. Before we get going, check out this video about throwing speed by age for fastpitch players. Oddly enough, though, his dWAR is .9, which puts him in a three-way tie for sixth place. Perhaps Shields racked up the strong numbers because Florida Southerns weaker competition didnt generally hit balls as hard as the batters in a top D I conference. Los Angeles Dodgers. Simmons was just named the Defensive Player of the Month for June by ESPN. Michael Young, SS, 2005 Rangers (minus-32). All of this background is meant to say that the Orioles should expect to see a . Its fine to love one position more than the others, but in the competitive world of travel, varsity and collegiate fastpitch, it just may not be realistic that a player can start at that position as they rise. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. A couple of other notes. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. Get table as CSV (for Excel) Get Link to Table. St. Louis' first-round draft pick from 2007 wasn't expected to play much this year as the Cardinals initially had both Rafael Furcal and Ronny Cedeno on their roster, but Furcal's decision to have Tommy John surgery and St. Louis' eventual release of Cedeno provided an opening for Kozma at short. What level of play? a third baseman? The 25-year-old has a RF of 4.66 which has him sitting in fifth place, while his DPR of -0.1 (16th) is below-average to middling. You know, I liken him to Andruw Jones. The statistical portrait of Andrus is as follows: Andrus' UZR of 4.4 is the eighth-highest among qualifying shortstops. All orgs will receive a full list. Between that limitation and small sample sizes, we cant expect too much out of any such college fielding stat. "On the day before the season started, the manager came into the clubhouse and laid brand-new uniforms on a table. Why is it so important to get my video to college coaches? Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. update=copyright.getFullYear(); Copyright 1999- Andrus' Range Factor is surprising and unfortunate, seeing as the rest of his numbers are quite impressive. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Escobar is only 26, meaning his prime will soon be upon us, so it's possible that he'll rise in the rankings in the next several years in a similar way to Andrus. 10. This time needs to be verified by a 3rd party for college coaches to truly believe it. Check out 2023 Regular Season MLB Baseball ss Fielding Statistics on ESPN.com. Small players will NOT get recruited to play in college as a first baseman. This should be the best athlete on the field, but these shortstops aren't playing at higher levels because of a lack of speed and lateral quickness. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com.
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