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John Dewan's Stat of the Week
A Defensive Look For Team USA
You might have noticed that over the last couple of years we’ve transitioned our thinking on Stat of the Week to make it largely based around defensive excellence.We consider that our beat here. Some people cover teams. We cover a way to play. As such, we think of things with defensive excellence first in mind.That [...]
Baseball's Rising Defensive Stars
This is the time of year when baseball fans get excited about everyone.Understandably so. Watch a few games and it's easy to feel good about players, often rising stars or prospects. And usually you’re watching home runs because they make for good highlights, so you tend to think about them as hitters. But who are [...]
Defensive Support For Pitchers
We can calculate how many Defensive Runs Saved a team recorded for a pitcher on batted balls. Think of it as similar to a team’s defensive efficiency behind a pitcher, but with a run value instead of a percentage. Here’s a list of the pitchers who received the most Defensive Runs Saved in that regard in [...]
Brotherly Love
Spring Training is coming and we’ll have lots of baseball stat takes, but we’re taking a week to point out the coolest stat of Super Bowl LVII.On Sunday, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Eagles center Jason Kelce will be the first brothers whose teams will face each other in a Super Bowl.Though they won’t [...]
Celebrating Pitchers and Catcher Defensive Excellence
By MARK SIMONPitchers and catchers report to their MLB teams this week. To celebrate as we get ready for baseball, here are nine pitcher and catcher-related stats celebrating their defensive play.1) The catcher leader in Defensive Runs Saved last season was Jose Trevino of the Yankees with 21. Adley Rutschman of the Orioles and Cal [...]
Zack Greinke's Defense
Let’s hear it for pitcher defense!This is a topic we don’t get to touch on much but it’s pertinent this week with Zack Greinke re-signing with the Royals.Why? Because this is the Defensive Runs Saved leaderboard for pitchers. SIS began tracking the stat in 2003.Greinke is tied for the lead with Mark Buehrle, though there’s [...]
The 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot
The neverending debate that is Baseball Hall of Fame worthiness can move ahead to 2024 after the elections of Scott Rolen and Fred McGriff to 2023’s Hall class. Next year’s BBWAA ballot includes not just prominent holdovers like Todd Helton, Billy Wagner, and Carlos Beltran, but also three newcomers who surpass the standard set by Bill [...]
How Cody Bellinger Improves The Cubs Outfield
The big move for the Cubs this winter was signing free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson to a seven-year deal. But signing Cody Bellinger to a one-year contract to play center field might be the most impactful defensive move in MLB this offseason.The Cubs played eight different players in center field last year, with 98% of [...]
How Trea Turner Improves the Phillies Defense
By MARK SIMONA couple of weeks ago, we wrote about the difference that Cody Bellinger should make for the Cubs, whose center fielders ranked worst in MLB in Defensive Runs Saved last season.What Bellinger represents to the Cubs in center field is what Trea Turner represents to the Phillies at shortstop.Didi Gregorius, Bryson Stott, [...]
The Blue Jays Remake Their Outfield
The Blue Jays ranked eighth in MLB in Defensive Runs Saved last season with 44 and they’ve spent a good portion of their offseason trying to improve upon that. A closer look at the components of Defensive Runs Saved might explain why.In 2022, the Blue Jays ranked 3rd in Runs Saved from infield and outfield [...]