Become a Stathead today and run queries with our, Most Unique Players by Age by Similarity Scores, Most Games without a World Series Appearance, Most Games without a Postseason Appearance, Highest Career and Single-Season Salaries, 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. Diamondbacks primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Corey Seager leaves Dodgers' season on the brink, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. While he trails one player in both RF and DPR, these margins are miniscule in comparison. You can see the maturity. Join our linker program. Not as much fielding range as the shortstop; One of the better power hitters on the team, typically; Many HS shortstops are recruited as SS, but end up playing 2B or 3B in college . 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. 970 or better. A +5 DRS at third means the player is five runs better than the average third. Baseball Info Solutions tracked him with 30 good plays and 39 misplays and it's worth noting that ultimate zone rating had him at minus-23 runs and total zone at minus-31 runs. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. 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. In other words, when aluminum is involved, hard hit balls turn every infielder into a third baseman. 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. My son will be playing in Left Fielder for the first time, but to play I want him to be able to understand all the other positions. Share & Export. Many such players end up being solid 3Bs or 2Bs because of lack of speed or range or arm (in the case of switchers to 2B). What is considered a good fielding percentage often varies based on the position, but a good fielding percentage in high school baseball is about .940 and above. Get ready to play college softball by training like a college softball player. 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. In May, Mike Bauman of MLB.com predicted that Escobar would eventually win a Gold Glove. The big surprise to me in this group is Robbie Shields up at the top. His latest injury is a broken rib that he suffered in the second week of June, and while he may return soon, staying on the field has never been his strong suit. Fielding percentage: .977 (four-way tie for 11th). The position numbers go in order, starting with the pitcher as #1, however the shortstop is out of order and is labeled #6 instead of #5 all other positions go naturally in order from pitcher to catcher, around the infield, then into the outfield. In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. 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. In an interview with Eduardo Encina of the The Baltimore Sun in 2012, Baltimore manager Buck Showalter had this to say about Hardy: Hes making two or three plays every night and it was so impactful. He may be 31, but judging from the video above, he hasn't lost his instincts (or his ups). Because the catcher must control and corral the pitcher, he has to be physically and mentally quick. Full Site Menu. At the college and professional levels, it is about .970 and above. Gomez's range factor was actually higher than the MLB average, 4.63 to 4.58, and his fielding percentage was fine, so I'm not quite sure why he rates so poorly. His +26 is just percentage points below the top performance of the last two years, which belonged to another D II product, UC San Diegos Vance Albitz. Maybe fielding stats for aluminum-bat-league shortstops are at least partly telling us how good the guy will be at third base with wood bats. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. Rules question do runners have to be on base? Drew's numbers aren't outstanding, but they do speak to his point, as does the video above. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. It measures the number of successfully fielded balls (putouts and assists) divided by the number of opportunities (putouts, assists, and errors). Im working with a college play-by-play database that goes back through 2007. 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). Pinch Runners enter the game to run the bases in place of another player, but this is not really a position more just a role. Be willing to learn and play other positions it may keep you off the bench. His dWAR is only 0.2, bad enough for 21st, and his DRS is -2 (18th). Jedlovec included Ryan's best and worst plays from 2011-12, too. You want them to play as much as they can especially if they are at least as good as the others. All stats are per team game. *Many detailed statistics are based on play-by-play accounts accumulated by Retrosheet. . He's certainly not a guy that you have to worry about, "All right, what's going to happen." Velocity from the INF: Upper 70s MPH from SS. Its either the shortstop, center fielder, catcher or pitcher all are critical positions that require lots of skill, athleticism and mental toughness. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted It's a combination of control, cat-like reflexes and pure athleticism. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Thanks for coaching the coaches! While only about 1.6% of high school softball players go on to play at the Division 1 level, the other division levels, NAIA schools, and junior colleges offer many opportunities for promising prospects. In March, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! 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. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Back in May, I looked at some notable defensive performances among college third basemen, especially that of Fresno States Tom Mendonca. 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. The numbers are regressed based on the playing time of each shortstop. 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. Left fielders need to play excellent outfield defense and thus must be fast and have a great glove. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Ultimately, though, the skills play. The 2008-09 correlation was a bit. Data Provided By In 2010, his ratio of good fielding plays to misplays fell to 26-28, which combined with poor range gave him minus-37 defensive runs saved. I'm not sure if he played through an injury or if they used quicksand for infield dirt that year at Miller Park, but in the past five years, the second-lowest range factor for a regular-season second baseman was 4.31 plays per nine innings -- by Weeks in 2011. His dWAR is just a hair below the Escobars' while his UZR bests the two by a greater margin, but it's his fielding percentage and RF that definitively solidify his higher ranking. His DPR of one impressively has Ryan in a tie for third. The Twins walked the fewest batters in the AL and were in the middle of the pack in strikeouts and home runs allowed but were 13th in hits allowed, so the team defense was pretty bad overall, with Puckett apparently playing a big role. Last year, he was actually recognized by American League managers as the best defensive shortstop in the AL, and in an interview with T.R. As seen in the accompanying video, he's got great instincts and can think well on his feet. What position is right for a young fastpitch player? When weve got multiple full years of data for a shortstop, it would appear that we have something worth looking at. His DRS of five puts him in a tie for fifth among qualifying shortstops. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. He won't be slowing down anytime soon. 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. This one may be a bit surprising as Young was regarded as a solid shortstop and even won a Gold Glove in 2008. Great infielders at the highest level of baseball have a fielding percentage of . Component metrics are significantly more specific, and so are less telling of a shortstop's overall ability, but they did factor into my decisions somewhat. Did he deserve those Gold Glove Awards? Defensive metrics aren't as foolproof as some other numbers, so let's dig deeper into what may have caused these poor ratings. Although the remaining candidates hold the top two RFs, Tulo's range is arguably more impressive given that his genetic makeup is atypical for a shortstop. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:21AM. Research is complete through completion of the previous season and includes all the fielding average variations. document.write(update); 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. But remember that the guy only recently turned 23. All rights reserved. Alcides Escobar edges out Yunel due to his higher UZR and slightly elevated RF. Was he really that bad? Shortstops are usually the best athletes on the field at all levels of softball. While it's true that his offensive statistics are mediocre at best, that label doesn't carry over when it comes to his fielding. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. So all the metrics agreed that he just didn't have much range in this year. 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. There is a possibility that Jose Iglesias takes over shortstop duties in the near future, but as of now, it's Drew who qualifies. Again, only players above the BIP threshold are included; the numbers include two seasons worth of data, and are regressed based on playing time. 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. The fact that the two names at the top are both from D II schools may give us pause. Adam Dunn, 1B/LF/RF, 2009 Nationals (minus-43). If he wasn't on fans' radars before 2012, he is now. Join our linker program. 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. First baseman can often hide at first because they dont often have to make long throws or move around too much. Shortstops with career .271/.340/.493 lines don't grow on trees, and we're projecting him to be better than that this year. 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! His DRS of four is just above-average, as it puts him in a four-way tie for seventh in the majors. Here are some of the top 2009 picks who were above the 800 BIP threshold in each of the last two college seasons: The +/- column gives plays above or below average for the combination of the last two seasons per 2400 balls in play (approximately 100 games). Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following. If the key measurables arent there, it doesnt matter how big you are - they will be taking a pass. 970 Numerically, what does it mean to be consistent? Sis Bates from the University of Washington, shown below, is an outstanding shortstop and epitomizes what they have to be able to do. 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? 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. All orgs will receive a full list. 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. Current Visitors: 165 (13 members, 152 guests). This time needs to be verified by a 3rd party for college coaches to truly believe it. OB %: .500; Slugging: .600 (Minimum 2 AB's per game), Prototypical MIFs at this level stand anywhere between 5'8" and 6'2". On the flip side, Jason Christian apparently didnt impress in his first pro season. He always has been. 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. From the minute I saw him, he's been making plays like that. Jean Segura has a UZR of zero, which slots him in 18th place. You don't have to guess. Fielding percentage is a very simple measurement. If a high school shortstop made 50 outs and committed only two errors, his fielding percentage would be 960 (48/50). While Hardy's RF is just 4.02 (seventeenth), his DPR on 1.0 (third-best) is quite impressive, considering the fact that, throughout the years, it has constantly been up in the air as to who his double playmate will be (this happens when you have the oft-injured Brian Roberts as your projected starting second baseman). Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. [1] All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Every time I take ground balls when working out, Im always in a game mode. Who checks out my video and profile at each college? While a handful are big-name stars with well-rounded games, the majority are glove wizards who fly under the radar. And check out my [Shes Got a Cannon] Softball Overhand Throwing Courses. College Baseball Scouts Have Guidelines, Yet All Guidelines Can Be Broken, College Baseball Talent Does Not Fit Into A Neat Hierarchy. This was very helpful! First, it is somewhat subjective. Cabrera's RF of 4.65 is a laudable sixth place in the majors whereas his 0.9 DPR puts him in a tie for fifth. But as seen above, he can lay out with the best of 'em. In terms of arm strength, elite middle infield recruits will throw the ball across the diamond anywhere between 85 MPH and 95 MPH. Oakland promoted him to Kane County thanks to a solid offensive performance last season, but in 79 games this year, hes played 61 at third base and zero at shortstop. 5. 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. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. 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. 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. When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. 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. Heading into the top five, we start to encounter those that encompass the best of the flashy, durable and reliable. 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. Grant Green was the only college shortstop selected in the top 100 picks of this years draft. However, Green did, and his 07 performance was in line with the more recent numbers. I didnt include 07 stats in this calculation because most of these players didnt get the requisite playing time in their freshman year. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Division 1 Pitch velocity: 84 MPH consistently; up to 95+ MPH Command of at least 3 pitches ERA: below 2.00 At least 1 K per inning pitched Walk less than 1 batter per 2 innings pitched Division 2 Pitch velocity: 82 MPH - 90+ MPH 1 on this list. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. He's clearly a gifted athlete and is a treat to watch, so I'd say the future is brighthe just needs to polish up the dull spots. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Sign up for my email list youll get my free throwing ebook and updates on new videos and articles like this one. Look for a rise in the rankings in coming years. League Year-By-Year Fielding--Averages. 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. He is always on the field. He thus had 28.02 expected errors. There is some good news, however. Its both important to be well-rounded AND strong at 1-2 positions, but here are some common mistakes made by softball families. 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. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. His ball exchange and quickness of his arm are the true separators. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? Gerrit Cole's approach bringing Cy Young results, Mookie Betts vs. Bryce Harper -- and other pressing baseball debates, Real or not? Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. The primary reason for Kozma sitting below the top four is the gap in composite metrics. The corner outfielders, shortstop and second baseman are typically the fastest players on a competitive fastpitch softball team. 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. 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. Segura is more of a case of portending. How long did Omar Vizquel play baseball? Foul tips and long days squatting and blocking in the heat make for very long, draining days. Ortiz brings what is now considered Major League average pop (a 50 on that scouting scale) to the Orioles' lineup. A Division I middle infield recruit will generally run between a 6.5 and a 6.8 60 yard dash. Fielding percentage, essentially, measures a player's ability to make a proper catch or throw, taking into consideration the number of opportunities a defender has to make a play.

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