Team Runs Saved Leaders
July 6, 2010
Last Stat of the Week, we presented the individual Defensive Runs Saved
leaders. This time, we take a look at which teams top the Defensive Runs Saved
leaderboard. Right now, the Rays are the best defensive team in baseball by a
large margin. Here are the top five teams according to Defensive Runs Saved:
| 2010 Runs Saved Leaders
|
| Team |
P |
C |
1B |
2B |
3B |
SS |
LF |
CF |
RF |
Total |
| Tampa Bay Rays |
0 |
0 |
4 |
25 |
7 |
7 |
15 |
-4 |
6 |
60 |
| San Diego Padres |
9 |
-1 |
3 |
0 |
13 |
6 |
4 |
12 |
5 |
51 |
| Colorado Rockies |
9 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
18 |
11 |
1 |
-9 |
45 |
| Atlanta Braves |
4 |
3 |
-4 |
3 |
8 |
18 |
0 |
-3 |
11 |
40 |
| Oakland
Athletics |
10 |
4 |
13 |
2 |
12 |
5 |
-5 |
-8 |
5 |
38 |
The Rays are led by strong performances by Carl Crawford in left field and
the Ben Zobrist/Sean Rodriguez pairing at second base. The weak link here is
B.J. Upton in center field. The Padres unlikely run is being fueled mainly by
pitching and defense. They are above average at every position other than
catcher, with standout performances by Tony Gwynn Jr. in center and
third-baseman-turned-outfielder-turned-third-baseman Chase Headley. The Rockies’
defense is built mainly on Troy Tulowitzki and Seth Smith. With Tulowitzki now
out of action, the pressure is now on Clint Barmes (48 Runs Saved at SS since
2005) to fill Tulowitzki’s shoes and keep the Rockies in the playoff hunt.
| 2010 Runs Saved Trailers
|
| Team |
P |
C |
1B |
2B |
3B |
SS |
LF |
CF |
RF |
Total |
| Baltimore
Orioles |
1 |
0 |
-5 |
-12 |
-5 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
-17 |
| Los Angeles
Angels |
0 |
-5 |
1 |
-9 |
5 |
3 |
-6 |
1 |
-7 |
-17 |
| Kansas City
Royals |
1 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
-6 |
-7 |
-8 |
-3 |
-5 |
-22 |
| Pittsburgh
Pirates |
1 |
-4 |
-1 |
-10 |
-3 |
-3 |
-1 |
0 |
-3 |
-24 |
| Milwaukee
Brewers |
-1 |
-4 |
-4 |
-8 |
-4 |
-2 |
-7 |
4 |
-2 |
-28 |
The Brewers and Pirates are at the bottom of the league in Defensive Runs
Saved. Despite their offensive success, Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun have been
the biggest defensive liabilities in Milwaukee, while Bobby Crosby and the
recently-released Akinori Iwamura are the main culprits for the porous
Pittsburgh defense.
