By MARK SIMONChas McCormick played 52 of the 220 games he played college baseball at Division II Millersville (Pa.) University in center field. In the minors, he played 270 games in the outfield and only 56 in center field.But in the majors, the Astros have needed him to be adept at the position, particularly after [...]
SIS is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Fielding Bible Awards. This marks the 17th season that we have honored the best defensive players in MLB. The awards are voted on by a panel of experts who consider statistical analysis, the eye test, and any other factors that they wish to consider. Here [...]
Last week and this week, we’re running a two-part series on the top candidates for The Fielding Bible Awards, which will be announced later this month.The Fielding Bible Awards are voted on by a panel of experts who can vote based on whatever criteria they choose, including observation and subjective judgement, as well as statistical [...]
For the next two weeks, this space will feature a two-part series on the top candidates for The Fielding Bible Awards, which will be announced later this month.The Fielding Bible Awards are voted on by a panel of experts who can vote based on whatever criteria they choose, including observation and subjective judgement, as well [...]
The NL MVP race has tightened up. Though it appeared that Paul Goldschmidt’s winning was a foregone conclusion for much of the season, Nolan Arenado, Manny Machado and Freddie Freeman have all been worthy competitors.The NL MVD race (MVD standing for Most Valuable Defender) is also quite tight. Three players are separated by 0.1 Defensive [...]
People love debating the MVP races every year. We’re seeing it now, particularly with some who wish to consider the merits of a one-of-a-kind player in Shohei Ohtani versus a player having a one-of-a-kind season in Aaron Judge.But what about the race for MVD – Most Valuable Defender?You can think of this as an early [...]
Did you see Brewers pitcher Luis Perdomo’s reaction to giving up Aaron Judge’s 59th home run of the season?Perdomo made the ultimate mistake.** Click here to see it **First off, he threw Judge a slider.Per FanGraphs’ pitch values, which have been tracked for the last 20 seasons (using our pitch data), no hitter has had [...]
By MARK SIMONThe Dodgers have led the majors in full shift frequency in each of the last four seasons, so they're going to have some adjusting to do with the implementation of new rules prohibiting such defensive alignments next season.A full shift is defined as one in which three infielders are playing on the pull [...]
The Yankees hit a milestone earlier this week when they reached 100 Defensive Runs Saved for the season.Now understand that Defensive Runs Saved aren’t like wins or home runs. Your defensive performance can fluctuate and the Yankees did in fact dip below 100 to their current total, 98. They’ll likely finish at or above 100 [...]
By MARK SIMONThis is not a misprint. Reds outfielder Aristides Aquino has 19 Defensive Runs Saved in 389 innings this season.Aquino tied for the MLB lead with 9 Runs Saved in August and won our voting for MLB Defensive Player of the Month for August.What differentiates Aquino, and helps him record so many Runs Saved [...]