Andrus' Range Factor is surprising and unfortunate, seeing as the rest of his numbers are quite impressive. I dont know whether thats the case, though I can say that the year-to-year correlation is weaker for programs outside of D I. 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. 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 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. J.J. Hardy is quintessential durability. Catchers have an extremely demanding role on the team both physically and mentally. MLB Fielding Complete Stats . 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. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. 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. Sign up for my email list youll get my free throwing ebook and updates on new videos and articles like this one. Interestingly, the best shortstop performance I found for the 2007-08 span, just a hair above Brandon Crawfords +23, was that of Coastal Carolinas Tyler Bortnick. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Fielding percentage is a very simple measurement. Young did seem to improve after that, perhaps with better positioning. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The Padres were third-to-last in the majors in defensive efficiency (percentage of balls in play turned into outs), so a lot of Padres defenders ended up with poor ratings in 1997. - HOF shortstop Dave Bancroft, Single Season Chances Records at Shortstop, Fewest ChancesIn A Season (SS)150+ Games Played at SS, Game Specific Chances Records at Shortstop. College, HS Varsity, JV, Frosh, 14U etc Some information here: We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Chances Records for Shortstops by Baseball Almanac. If his fielding percentage was middle as opposed to dismal, he'd likely move up several spots, but you can't have your shortstop botching every other play, which is why he sits at No. First, it is somewhat subjective. update=copyright.getFullYear(); It's a combination of control, cat-like reflexes and pure athleticism. His UZR of 11.3, dWAR of 3.1 and DRS of 24 are the best of all shortstops. He exceeded his expected errors by 10.98, resulting in a Universal Fielding Percentage Score of .304 for the seasonwell below average: (56.04 - 39) / 56.04 = .304 Before we get going, check out this video about throwing speed by age for fastpitch players. Anyway, Young had come up as a second baseman and moved to shortstop in 2004 and in 2005 he made 4.41 plays per nine innings versus the MLB average of 4.60 (his fielding percentage was about league average). Its both important to be well-rounded AND strong at 1-2 positions, but here are some common mistakes made by softball families. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Research is complete through completion of the previous season and includes all the fielding average variations. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Needs an adequate arm, but it doesnt need to be a cannon, Should be fast and a skilled contact hitter, Typically a spark plug type player who gets on base and makes things happen on the basepaths, Excellent field vision and understanding of where to go and other players movement, Hitting skills are secondary to defensive ability, however at the MLB level there is a growing importance on being threat at the plate its not enough any more to hit .250 as an MLB shortstop, Must be mentally tough and have strong leadership skills, Shortstops are premium athletes and their body types fit this bill, Most are 55 59 at the collegiate level and are fast, explosive, strong and flexible they can run, jump and do it all, There cannot be any defensive tool lacking to play at the highest levels agility, glovework and arm strength must be elite, Again, the body type is typically lean, strong and powerful, VERY strong arm to make long throws across the diamond, Is NOT afraid of the ball because line drives come FAST, Not as much fielding range as the shortstop, Many HS shortstops are recruited as SS, but end up playing 2B or 3B in college, Moves very well and is fast with fast footwork, Should have good speed but doesnt need to be a burner, Typically one of the bigger hitters on the team, Big and strong frame but with good speed and agility, Very similar to shortstops center fielders are one of the best athletes on the team, Must be explosive, lean and strong in a very athletic overall package, Height isnt overly important speed and ability to track down fly balls, In youth softball, the right fielder is one of the lesser players on the team because fewer fly balls are hit that way, Right fielders should have at least modest power and good speed, Is typically a good outfielder but not as fast or skilled as the centerfielder, Collegiate right fielders are athletic and fast with strong throwing arms, Typically taller and have an athletic build. While he occasionally sacrifices accuracy in the name of pizzazz, he's considered by most measures to be one of the most elite shortstops in the game. Is it true that the coachs daughter is normally a pitcher? Just how great is Simmons? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Must be a solid hitter at the plate and a great base runner because of their speed, Corner outfielders do need to have some pop in their bat. It's no surprise that he rated poorly in the outfield -- minus-20 runs -- but he also rated minus-23 runs at first base in just 540 innings. Probably not. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. I would love to be on a softball team someday. As seen in the accompanying video, Florimon has quick hands and is generally speedy. He has a reputation as a defensive wizard, and his 09 season would seem to support that. Simmons was just named the Defensive Player of the Month for June by ESPN. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Cabrera just narrowly missed the cut here. College softball coaches evaluate a player's athleticism based on arm strength and accuracy, speed, fielding range and the ability to hit for . Right field, because young players dont hit the ball very far in the air, and because 80% of athletes are right handed, fewer hard-hit fly balls will go to the opposite field (right field for a right-handed hitter). Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. 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. Career Fielding Percentage: .978 League Average all: .985 Career dWAR: -10.5 Career Rtot: -110 For many years with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Senators, Frank Howard was one of the. 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. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. He debuted when he was just 20 years old, so he likely still has room for improvement. But remember that the guy only recently turned 23. College Baseball Scouts Have Guidelines, Yet All Guidelines Can Be Broken, College Baseball Talent Does Not Fit Into A Neat Hierarchy. Since the Chicago White Sox have become irrelevant, it's easy to forget about Ramirez. Baseball Info Solutions categorizes plays as good fielding plays and defensive misplays and Castellanos' total of GFP minus DM + errors ranked second worst among third basemen in 2014. W. Clayton Kershaw (3-1) L. Tylor Megill (3-1) We've added a page to show the statistical impact of MLB's rule changes for the 2023 season. Lower NAIA/D2 Middle Infielder Physical Measurables: Height: 5'11" Weight: 170 lbs. Everth Cabrera has a UZR of 3.7, good enough for 10th of all qualifying shortstops in the majors. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Contributor Network wrote about the "stability Kozma has injected into the Cardinals' infield," so jumping to extreme conclusions about Kozma's talent may not be warranted. And we'd talk about it for days. completeness, Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following. Third basemen dont have to move as much compared to the SS or 2B, so they can be bigger bodied. I enjoyed reading your write up Coach Dan Blewett, youre doing a good job. He's certainly not a guy that you have to worry about, "All right, what's going to happen." . Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. Escobar's RF of 4.04 puts him in 16th place while his -0.4 DPR slots him at 19th. Speed is still a quality that coaches will look for. That led to a career-best 13.8% walk rate and a career-low 17.5% strikeout rate. Ich-i-ro!' In March, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! The left fielder does not need to have an . Your email address will not be published. The corner outfielders, shortstop and second baseman are typically the fastest players on a competitive fastpitch softball team. Do you have a blog? It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, divided by the number of total chances (putouts + assists + errors ). Top middle infielders will also be able to hit at a high level. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. But even if common sense knocks down Shields +26, its still clear that he turned an awful lot of ground balls into outs. While were at it, lets look at a smattering of high draft picks from one year ago. Get ready to play college softball by training like a college softball player. A college shortstop playing high-level competition is probably more like a wood-bat-league third baseman. [1] 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 cleanly handled chances as calculated by the conventional statistic fielding percentage. Pro/Con of going online for senior yr and not playing hs ball. Just wait, he's salvageable. > Career Fielding % as 3B. Join our linker program. A couple of other notes. Fielding percentage: .977 (five-way tie for 11th). While he isn't seen in the best light due to the eye-black debacle last year, one can't deny that the Tampa Bay Rays are getting their money's worth and more from the Cuban defector. Drew's numbers aren't outstanding, but they do speak to his point, as does the video above. Foul tips and long days squatting and blocking in the heat make for very long, draining days. In left field, he made 1.80 plays per game while teammate Josh Willingham -- hardly known as a plus fielder himself -- made 2.17. The first baseman is paid to HIT, and hit for powerthats job #1. And I happen to think J.J.s substance is his style. Below are some of the skills a pitcher needs: Pitchers need great workouts to stay healthy with as much pitching as they do if you need a great workout, try my online program below, called Early Work. If you need to improve your speed, be sure to get in the weight room! The basic infield positions are shown below in diagram above, which illustrates where each player will stand in the most fundamental situations. The composite metrics are the most comprehensive (and wildly complicated) statistics, so I weighed them more than the rest when making my choices. He's a bit better in his role as half of a double-play combo, as his DPR of 0.2 has him in a three-way tie for 10th. That can be attributed to a good amount of added strength, using his body more efficiently in the box and employing a more direct bat path consistently. Did he deserve those Gold Glove Awards? I also see players and parents fall into the trap of playing too many positions at the high school level, where scouts may not be sure where they fit in. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present a record book of baseball milestones for chances by shorstops - including career chances marks at short, single season chances plateaus for shortstops, and game related chances records at shortstop. I dont think scouts generally talk about Beckham as a liability in the fieldjust a guy who cant stick at shortstop. Data Provided By The prototypical elite middle infield recruit can hit for a high average as well as steal a lot of bases and occasionally hit for power. 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. Still, that's nearly one fewer play every two games. 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. And because I'm a traditionalist, good old fielding percentage has its time of day here and was considered as much as the component metrics. Or write about sports? This is great stuff. Many of the best amateur glovemen are shortstops, and almost as soon as they appear on scouts radars, the debate begins as to whether they can stick at the position. Thanks for coaching the coaches! *Many detailed statistics are based on play-by-play accounts accumulated by Retrosheet. In an interview with Tyler Mason of Fox Sports North, Minnesota general manager Terry Ryan noted Florimon's natural talent: The one thing that we've always talked about with Florimon, he's got every skill you're looking for out of a shortstop, but it's a matter of finishing the plays. Even though Bichette hit 34 home runs and knocked in 133 runs, the Rockies traded him after the season. Well start with the basics, answer a lot of questions and get to some more advanced topics on infield defense and recruiting at the end. 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. He's a phenomenal defensive player. Weeks has never had a good defensive reputation and in 2012 he started 152 games at second base and made just 4.08 plays per nine innings compared to the league-average range factor of 4.77. Kozma cracks the top five namely because of his UZR, RF and fielding percentage. Few fans will be surprised to see Reese Havens in the bottom half of this list, but I cant imagine many of you expected to see Gordon Beckham (a second baseman? While most middle infielders are on the shorter side and scrawny, Tulo is listed at 6'3", 215 pounds. However, Green did, and his 07 performance was in line with the more recent numbers. 4. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. Also, catchers who have many strikeout pitchers on their team will have a high range factor, because the catcher gets the putout on a strikeout if the batter does not reach base. How do I pick which schools to send my Go Big profile to? By 1993, Puckett was 33 and had put on some weight; it's perhaps instructive that the Twins moved him from center field to right field after the All-Star break. Escobar's UZR of 6.0 slots him in fourth place among all qualifying shortstops, while his dWAR of 0.9 has him in a three-way tie for sixth. As seen in the accompanying video, he's got great instincts and can think well on his feet. Left fielders need to play excellent outfield defense and thus must be fast and have a great glove. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. 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. Andrus' has a shockingly low RF of 3.78, which puts him at 24th (26 qualify). If the video above isn't enough the to convince you, check out this barehanded snag. Data Provided By Matt Kemp, CF, 2010 Dodgers (minus-37). Current Greats: Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Jacob deGrom, Miguel Cabrera, Zack Greinke, Jose Altuve, . What do the softball position numbers mean? Learn more. Full Site Menu. Yes, it's another shortstop named Escobar. The tiebreak deciding where Hardy is on the continuum ranging from average to elite is a DRS of seven, which is also good enough for third-best. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Sunday Notes: Bill Haselman Recalls the Brawl That Almost Broke Cal's Streak, Effectively Wild Episode 2000: We Thought of More Things We Like About Baseball, The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 1169 Sunday FAAB ft. Michael Govier, Starting Pitchers Arent Leaning On Their Best Pitches, I looked at some notable defensive performances among college third basemen. If you need to improve your batting power, size and strength, definitely check out my online strength program below. Yet, playing lots of positions with average skill isnt better than playing a few really well. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. I'd say the Hardy play shown above falls under "things that other people can't do." Real or Not? The 2008-09 correlation was a bit weaker, but still above 0.25. And Alcides is just a smidgen better. He was a huge dude and while his outfield defense wasn't terrible in his first few years, he soon became huge and slow. However, some positions (especially first baseman) may have substantially more putouts because of a superior infield around them that commits fewer errors and turns many double plays, allowing them to receive credit for more putouts. While it's true that his offensive statistics are mediocre at best, that label doesn't carry over when it comes to his fielding. What is a decent fielding percentage for a shortstop? 0. Sometimes its simply because the coach is more familiar with the player abilities and skills etc but sometimes unfortunately its seems to be pure favoritism. (My recollection of Kirby, as well: He played a deep center field, which allowed him to make those famous leaping catches at the wall; he also may have played deeper as a way to play the high bounces off the Metrodome turf. It is important to consider the position when calculating a good fielding percentage. 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. 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 . Current Visitors: 165 (13 members, 152 guests). Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. Do you have a sports website? In 2009, he did make a high number of good fielding plays (48), according to Baseball Info Solutions, although that was countered by 33 misplays. For pitcher fielding the minimums are reduced . Since 2002, the site uses defensive runs saved; prior to that, it uses total zone. The typical answer for this is the right fielder, because they will have the longest throw to third base of all outfielders. Many thanks to him. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. Please post more of this stuff because now I know that for example 3rd is not a fit at all unlike left field. The longest games in Major League history (both leagues) with no chances offered to a shortstop? 24-year All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. On a broader scope, however, he's just average. Check out 2023 Regular Season MLB Baseball ss Fielding Statistics on ESPN.com. Do you have a sports website? When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Defensive metrics aren't as foolproof as some other numbers, so let's dig deeper into what may have caused these poor ratings. In 2011, he won his second Gold Glove of his career. 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. near the top. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. In that same Abraham article, Boston Red Sox manager John Farell praised Drew for what he's brought to the team: Hes in many ways a very dependable defender. On the flip side, Jason Christian apparently didnt impress in his first pro season. 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. Thanks to his performance in the 2008 College World Series, Mendonca may have been the most heralded defensive player available in this years draft. In general, positions are more likely to be filled with people with more experience than others. Baseball Almanac invites you to examine fielding average records for shortstops. 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. When it comes to defenseshortstops and beyondthe caliber of Andrelton Simmons' talent is rivaled by few. Statistic Description: Fielding Percentage (Putouts + Assists) / (Putouts + Assists + Errors) Note that seasons prior to 1876 are not included in single-season marks, but are included in career marks. Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? Ortiz brings what is now considered Major League average pop (a 50 on that scouting scale) to the Orioles' lineup. 7. 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. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who were typically poor at batting and were often placed at the bottom of the batting order. Skip ahead anywhere in this article on softball positioning this applies both to fastpitch and slowpitch, though slowpitch is NOT the focus of this article. While none of Escobar's statistics put him among the top tier in any category, his composite metrics speak for themselves. Do you have a blog? Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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? Required fields are marked *.