Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. The fielding percentage for National League shortstops in 1974 was .961, and Russell had 724 fielding chances. Volpe has proven himself to be a big-league defender and a legitimate threat on the base paths. Let's look at his range factors per nine innings: In raw numbers, Kemp played nine fewer innings in 2010, but made 37 fewer putouts. While most middle infielders are on the shorter side and scrawny, Tulo is listed at 6'3", 215 pounds. Nobody will dispute this rating. 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). What do the softball position numbers mean? I dont think scouts generally talk about Beckham as a liability in the fieldjust a guy who cant stick at shortstop. 6. Now that hes a Ranger, well soon have an idea of how his defensive numbers hold up among pro competition. On a broader scope, however, he's just average. 1 in anything, but Florimon does so in range with an RF of 5.59 (first). Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:21AM. 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. I'd say the Hardy play shown above falls under "things that other people can't do." And check out my [Shes Got a Cannon] Softball Overhand Throwing Courses. 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. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. How do I pick which schools to send my Go Big profile to? 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. Share & Export. MLB Player Fielding Stats - As SS - 2023. document.write(update); If the video above isn't enough the to convince you, check out this barehanded snag. 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. 5. 10. Sis Bates from the University of Washington, shown below, is an outstanding shortstop and epitomizes what they have to be able to do. 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. The Designated Hitter is a player who only hits, and hits in place of the pitcher. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Sabermetric types don't like this measurement, for several reasons. Ideal Body Type and Attributes for Pitchers, Ideal Body Type and Attributes for Catchers, Demands, Skills & Role of a First Baseman, Ideal Body Type and Attributes for First Basemen, Ideal Body Type and Attributes for 2nd Basemen, Ideal Body Type and Attributes for Shortstops, Demands, Skills & Role of a Third Baseman, Ideal Body Type and Attributes for Third Basemen, Ideal Body Type and Attributes for Left Fielders, Demands, Skills & Role of a Center Fielder, Ideal Body Type and Attributes for Center Fielders, Demands, Skills & Role of a Right Fielder, Ideal Body Type and Attributes for Right Fielders, Mistake #1: Sticking too long with a position that just isn't a good fit, Mistake #2: Not being open minded about other positions, Read My Article on Beginner Throwing Footwork, My Article on Building Great Softball Workouts, [Shes Got a Cannon] Softball Overhand Throwing Courses, Softball Batting Power: 5 Ways to Increase It, Two Pitch-Calling Mistakes that Cause High Pitch Counts - Elite Baseball Performance, How to Create High-Velocity Softball Throwing Mechanics, 5 Easy Ways Softball Players Can Throw Harder - Coach Dan Blewett, How Do You Size A Fastpitch Softball Glove: Beginner's Guide, The modern catcher is getting taller and more athletic than in the past, Catchers need to have strong legs and be able to withstand some punishment, Hitting skills are a plus and less of a requirement, Slightly slimmer, more athletic and agile catchers are becoming more common, Overall, scouts want to see catchers who are very athletic, strong and agile, A strong arm is a bonus but not overly important, Good fielding skills needs to be able to pick balls and read bad throws, Quick reflexes batted balls come to first base HOT. Kozma cracks the top five namely because of his UZR, RF and fielding percentage. What is a good infield fielding percentage? When weve got multiple full years of data for a shortstop, it would appear that we have something worth looking at. Rules question do runners have to be on base? Sometimes, it seems like Elvis Andrus has been a longtime Texas Ranger, but he's only 24. Height and Weight for MIFs are really not as important as the key measurables and obviously the technical offensive and defensive ability. College Baseball Scouts Have Guidelines, Yet All Guidelines Can Be Broken, College Baseball Talent Does Not Fit Into A Neat Hierarchy. Copyright 1999- Real or Not? Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:21AM. Frankie Crosetti and Honus Wagner are the only two shortstops to ever play a game on Opening Day and not receive a single chance at shortstop. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, 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. From his simpler stats alone, it appears that he's deserving of his own slide. Do you have a sports website? Left fielders typically have good speed and fielding skills and are expected to be good contributors at the plate. - 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. Later, the shortstop was moved but the number six stuck. 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. This one makes a lot of sense: An old outfielder trying to play in Coors Field. The first baseman is paid to HIT, and hit for powerthats job #1. 5. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Center field requires lots of speed and great fly ball reading ability. 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! 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. 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. I checked Baseball-Reference.com for their list of worst individual fielding seasons and thought it would be fun to look at the bottom 10. What can help a young softball star reach the next level? > Career Fielding % as 3B. While it's true that his offensive statistics are mediocre at best, that label doesn't carry over when it comes to his fielding. Do you have a blog? All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Who checks out my video and profile at each college? 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. In an interview with Bauman, Kansa City Royals manager Ned Yost sung Escobar's praises after a game in which the shortstop made a game-saving, slick play: He's as good as anybody. 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. Infield Velocity: Low 80s and above from SS. It's hard to top this list's No. Ryan doesn't make the cut for several reasons, the first being that his UZR is unforgivable. His dWAR is only 0.2, bad enough for 21st, and his DRS is -2 (18th). This was very helpful! near the top. 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. When it comes to defenseshortstops and beyondthe caliber of Andrelton Simmons' talent is rivaled by few. The other positions require similar skills but are less demanding. When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Speed is still a quality that coaches will look for. The statistical portrait of Andrus is as follows: Andrus' UZR of 4.4 is the eighth-highest among qualifying shortstops. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. And Alcides is just a smidgen better. "A couple of years ago there was a group of good, young shortstops who emerged as future stars: Derek Jeter, Rey Ordonez, Alex Rodriguez and Nomar . Totals are Below. Do you have a sports website? 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 invites you to examine fielding average records for shortstops. He's a phenomenal defensive player. Bortnick was selected by the Rays in the 16th round of this years draft. Its both important to be well-rounded AND strong at 1-2 positions, but here are some common mistakes made by softball families. All stats are per team game. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. But I probably won't miss his defense. 970 Numerically, what does it mean to be consistent? On the flip side, Jason Christian apparently didnt impress in his first pro season. When Andruw Jones first came to the big leagues (with the Atlanta Braves), he'd make plays in the outfield, and we'd go: "Oh, man, did you see that?" Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. What is a decent fielding percentage for a shortstop? First baseman are the biggest power hitters on a team, and they are typically very big and relatively slow because of this. Or write about sports? He debuted when he was just 20 years old, so he likely still has room for improvement. The 2008-09 correlation was a bit weaker, but still above 0.25. Current Greats: Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Jacob deGrom, Miguel Cabrera, Zack Greinke, Jose Altuve, . The basic infield positions are shown below in diagram above, which illustrates where each player will stand in the most fundamental situations. 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. I didnt include 07 stats in this calculation because most of these players didnt get the requisite playing time in their freshman year. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. 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. 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? Simmons' RF of 5.04 and DPR of 1.2 are both second among all qualifying shortstops. 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. Top middle infielders are evaluated first from a defensive standpoint, and then from an hitting standpoint. Lower NAIA/D2 Middle Infielder Physical Measurables: Height: 5'11" Weight: 170 lbs. Probably not. Fielding percentage: .989 (tied for second). 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. 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. 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. Get as Excel Workbook. 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. Please post more of this stuff because now I know that for example 3rd is not a fit at all unlike left field. Do you have a sports website? Im working with a college play-by-play database that goes back through 2007. 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. He's going to make errors, because he's going to get to more balls that most other guys, but he's not booting one every four or five days. Sign up for my email list youll get my free throwing ebook and updates on new videos and articles like this one. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Many thanks to him. In left field, he made 1.80 plays per game while teammate Josh Willingham -- hardly known as a plus fielder himself -- made 2.17. His UZR is just 2.7 which is 11th-best, but his dWAR slots him as third from the top. Later, the shortstop was moved permanently to the infield but his number stuck at #6. The composite metrics are the most comprehensive (and wildly complicated) statistics, so I weighed them more than the rest when making my choices. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. Andrus' has a shockingly low RF of 3.78, which puts him at 24th (26 qualify). Troy Tulowitzki is not your typical shortstop. 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. Thanks. 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. It is also important to note that the . If you need to improve your throwing, check out my online throwing courses and the video below. 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. Because the catcher must control and corral the pitcher, he has to be physically and mentally quick. The longest games in Major League history (both leagues) with no chances offered to a shortstop? Left-handed catchers are seen occasionally in college softball but its rare. As seen in the accompanying video, he's got great instincts and can think well on his feet. 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. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. It is important to consider the position when calculating a good fielding percentage. Gary Sheffield, 3B, 1993 Padres/Marlins (minus-31). I dont know if flashy is the word, but he can do things that other people cant do. Florimon out of the bunch is seemingly worthless on offense (he has a lifetime .220 average), but he makes up for it by covering ground in the middle infield like no one else can. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Shortstops are usually the best athletes on the field at all levels of softball. copyright=new Date(); He's finishing plays. Just how great is Simmons? 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. While Escobar's RF of 4.11 is only 13th-best, he's tied for fifth place in DPR with a 0.9 rating. Join our linker program. But yes, they're essentially the same player. At the end of May, Kevin Reynolds of the Yahoo! Might not be an absolute but they do always seem to be either the catcher or pitcher. There is some good news, however. OB %: .500; Slugging: .600 (Minimum 2 AB's per game), Prototypical MIFs at this level stand anywhere between 5'8" and 6'2". Simmons was just named the Defensive Player of the Month for June by ESPN. 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). A +5 DRS at third means the player is five runs better than the average third. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Plus, don't you want to read about the worst defender ever? Required fields are marked *. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? 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. Defensive skills are the focus for shortstops, with offensive skills being a bonus. Find out more. 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. Below is a standard softball position chart with numbers for each position. Young did seem to improve after that, perhaps with better positioning. Why is it so important to get my video to college coaches? Theres little question he was one of the top available prospects with the bat, but it will be interesting to see how his glove measures up in the pros. What is a decent fielding percentage for a shortstop? Cabrera just narrowly missed the cut here. They make the plays, but don't have the best range. Do you have a blog? 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. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Or write about sports? About Sharing Tools. 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. Fielding Percentage (FPCT) = (put outs + assists) (put outs + assists + errors). It's a combination of control, cat-like reflexes and pure athleticism. Left fielders need to play excellent outfield defense and thus must be fast and have a great glove. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. 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. These totals may be incomplete (3.6% of all plays from 1914 to 1972 are missing or have incomplete accounts, click link for year and team summary of data completeness) for some players prior to 1973 and even complete seasons may not match the official totals due to errors in both the official totals and the . Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. He thus had 28.02 expected errors. Range Factor (commonly abbreviated RF) is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. He's certainly not a guy that you have to worry about, "All right, what's going to happen." Just wait, he's salvageable. 1 because not only does he lead UZR, dWAR and DRS, but he leads them by an enormous margin. Again, only players above the BIP threshold are included; the numbers include two seasons worth of data, and are regressed based on playing time. Fast legs are strong legs. The fact that the two names at the top are both from D II schools may give us pause.