Who Are the Best and Worst Defensive Teams So Far?

It is too early in the season to draw definitive conclusions about teams in any respect. Twenty or so games have the Red Sox in last place in the AL East and the Brewers in first place in the NL Central. Perhaps those results will hold true for the entire season, but a lot of the conclusions you might draw after the first month will seem ridiculous by the time August rolls around.

That said, it is interesting to see some of the early leaders and trailers in team defense, especially since many of them were not on those same lists for the 2013 season. Last year featured some truly outstanding defensive teams, notably the Royals and Diamondbacks who saved 93 and 90 runs, respectively. The Royals are close to the top five in the early going this year, falling one run short of the list. In contrast, the Diamondbacks have fallen off dramatically.

First, here are the top five defensive teams so far:

The Braves are the early defensive frontrunners, although Andrelton Simmons has not been the primary factor, as you might expect. Instead, Braves outfielders have combined for 19 of their 22 Runs Saved, in large part because of Jason Heyward, who leads baseball with 10 DRS. In addition, the Upton brothers have combined to save the team seven runs after costing them four in 2013.

In second place, the Rockies have been a two-man show defensively. Troy Tulowitzki has been typically excellent, saving the team seven runs so far at shortstop. Meanwhile, Charlie Blackmon has seven Runs Saved of his own, and is just as hot offensively to start the season. The Angels, Giants, and Mets round out the top five.

Now, here are the bottom five defensive teams:

On the other end of the spectrum, the Indians, Tigers, and Twins have separated themselves from the rest of the teams in baseball with their poor defensive play. The early injury to Michael Bourn was particularly hard on the Indians as replacement center fielders Nyjer Morgan and Michael Brantley have combined to cost the team nine runs. With Bourn back, expect the Indians to rebound.

Earlier in the offseason, Baseball Info Solutions projected the Tigers to be one of the better defensive teams in baseball this season. That would have been quite a turnaround from 2013, when they had the second lowest Runs Saved total in the AL. Unfortunately, early injuries to Jose Iglesias and Andy Dirks cost them two of their best defensive players, and their minus-19 DRS total reflects those losses.

The Twins don’t have any particular player among the worst defenders in baseball to date. However, they have a lot of players who’ve been below average. In fact, they do not have a single outfielder, pitcher, or catcher who has been better than neutral. The Athletics and Diamondbacks—whose defensive collapse is one of their many issues so far this season—round out the bottom five.