All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. If you've ever loved baseball, at any level, you know the guy when you see him. Santana looked to be a fine hitter, and so the Phillies made room by bumping Rhys Hoskins to the corner outfield. Now signed to a minor league deal with his hometown Texas Rangers, Hawpe is hoping to return to full form, although even with the surgery, it may not do much to help his porous defense. Boston Herald reporter Sean McAdam once said of Lugo, "The next base hit Lugo takes away will be the first. Nobody will dispute this rating. He came up just 11 starts shy of getting 100 career starts at all three spots. Now imagine if Stairs would've been able to field? Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. They moved him to third base the following season. Only two third basemen finished worse in the stat than he did. The Worst A.J. However, the Phillies also quickly found out that Samuel couldn't field worth a lick as well. Bichette was second in the National League in errors committed by an outfielder in 1998 and 1999, and oftentimes could be seen flailing in the corner as a ball caromed off a wall and between his legs. One of the more infamous players in baseball history, Jose Canseco had fielding woes that went way beyond when he misplayed a foul ball in 1993 that bounced off his head for a home run. I don't think anyone is going to defend Dunn's defense. Offerman was statistically one of the worst shortstops in history. So all the metrics agreed that he just didn't have much range in this year. 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. Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates (1958-62), Boston Red Sox (1963-64), Philadelphia Phillies (1965), New York Mets (1966), Los Angeles Dodgers (1966), California Angels (1969), Stats: 9,221 chances, 8,294 putouts, 758 assists, 169 errors, Dick Stuart's wonderful array of nicknames helps us understand his place as one of the worst defensive first basemen in MLB history, including "Dr. Strangeglove," "Stonefingers" and "The Man With the Iron Glove.". Teams: Chicago White Sox (1990-2005), Oakland Athletics (2006, 2008), Toronto Blue Jays (2007-08), Stats: 8,487 chances, 7,910 putouts, 497 assists, 80 errors. Teams: Baltimore Orioles (196568), Houston Astros (1969), New York Yankees (197071), Oakland Athletics (197172), San Diego Padres (1972), Stats: 3,461 chances, 3,142 putouts, 261 assists, 58 errors. By any reliable metric, to say nothing of the old-fashioned eye test, the Phillies have the majors' worst defense. Jeter, at minus-33 runs, was BIS's worst-rated shortstop over that two-season span; Ryan, at plus-45, was the best. Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-64), Washington Senators/Texas Rangers (1965-72), Detroit Tigers (1972-73), Stats: 4,793 chances, 4,412 putouts, 277 assists, 104 errors. In my terms, it basically means a whole bunch of guys who couldn't field if their life depended on it. Dave Kingman was bad at three different positions, posting double-digit error seasons at third base, first base and left field, and he was average at the other position he played, right field. The Twins walked the fewest batters in the AL and were in the middle of the pack in strikeouts and home runs allowed but were 13th in hits allowed, so the team defense was pretty bad overall, with Puckett apparently playing a big role. In fact, Lugo in many ways represented the anti-Ozzie in terms of defense. Sheffield couldn't seem to get right wherever teams put him in the field. For example, if your pitching staff leads the league in strikeouts, every fielder is at a disadvantag. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? cafe under the spire newcastle; worst defensive runs saved all time. 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. Infield Defense by Runs Saved Per 1000 Innings. His career batting average of .236 is barely above the Mendoza Line. Nothing has been catastrophic. Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates (1992-99), San Diego Padres (2000), Seattle Mariners (2000-01), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003), Stats: 1,810 chances, 1,700 putouts, 54 assists, 56 errors. Thomas was primarily a designated hitter during his career. Sheffield was only marginally better in terms of numbers in the outfield, and considering where he was numbers-wise before he got there, that's not saying much either. Note: We used a combination of metrics such as Defensive Wins Above Replacement (dWAR), Total Zone Runs (an estimate of runs saved or given up in the field), errors and fielding percentage to produce this lineup. Fans who sat behind the first base area at Dodger Stadium were known to wear helmets, not knowing where Sax's throws would land. DRS was created to take range into account when measuring a player's defensive ability. Teams: New York Yankees (1999-2003, 2013-2014), Texas Rangers (2004-05), Washington Nationals (2006), Chicago Cubs (2007-13), Stats: 5,823 chances, 3,456 putouts, 2,198 assists, 169 errors. Ben Grieve won American League Rookie of the Year in 1998 and had three solid seasons to start out his career, but his numbers at the plate dropped off the map after that. 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! As you can see, the Royals are, quite literally, at the bottom of this list. Kansas City lacks an above-average position anywhere on the infield . Teams: San Francisco Giants (1971-74), New York Mets (1975-77, 1981-83), San Diego Padres (1977), California Angels (1977), New York Yankees (1977), Chicago Cubs (1978-80), Oakland Athletics (1984-86), Stats: 6,702 chances, 5,835 putouts, 693 assists, 174 errors. Piazza could rake, and might be the greatest hitting catcher to ever play, defensive inequities be damned. So the two kind of balance each other out. Edwin Encarnacion 1 of 40 Career Fielding Percentage: .934 League Average 3B: .956 Career dWAR: -6.3 Career Rtot: -61. His Rtot and dWAR numbers certainly suggest that a minor league replacement player would have put up a better defense at first than Giambi, known to have limited range and mobility, and hands that were not exactly soft in nature. Be honest, please. No-hitter the latest feat in James Paxton's rise, Deal ends Matt Harvey's roller-coaster ride with Mets, Sizing up potential trade fits for Manny Machado, Real or Not? It's safe to say that Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Edwin Encarnacion is not a reincarnation, so to speak, of Brooks Robinson. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? No, we cant measure defense precisely. You just had to hope and pray that the other team didn't hit the ball back to him. What's strange is the lowest of his per position totals was at third base, where it was -12. There are a lot of times the Gold Glove has been handed out over the years, and we look back in confusion. So let's take a look at his undoing. His defensive WAR is one of the highest you'll find in this lineup. Thats what the table is showing you. And teams have done a really good job at that. Groom's fielding percentage hovered around or below .900 for most of his career and finished at an atrocious .940 in 13 seasons. Theres no reason for them to have a bias. 7. Overall, things have worked out okay, but they havent worked out well enough to win, and win consistently. The table below shows a comparison between the top 10 shortstops in terms of fielding percentage and the top 10 shortstops in terms of defensive runs saved from 2002 to 2019 in MLB. Barrett's career became known much more for his scraps: two fights with pitcher Roy Oswalt in 2004, a legendary brawl with White Sox catcher A.J. After seven seasons at shortstop for both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Royals, enough was enough, and the Royals finally moved Jose Offerman to second base. Errors have been moved to the same dustbin as pitcher wins, batting average, and rbi. Still, even then the tools are there. Even though Bichette hit 34 home runs and knocked in 133 runs, the Rockies traded him after the season. Hippo Vaughn only played 13 seasons but led the National League in errors five times. But while he looks bad Devers is definitely the better fielder, and it isnt even close. Defensive runs saved, a measurement developed by Baseball Info Solutions, paints an even harsher picture. Lasorda asked what else he was thinking. While his fielding improved over the course of his career, you can point directly to his early struggles in the outfield as one of the reasons the Oakland A's traded him after three seasons and an average of approximately -20 total zone runs allowed in that span. Since then, theyve gone an NL-worst 14-28, while the Braves have gone 27-19. Let's first give Buddy Groom credit for being really, really determined. My next thought was 'I hope they don't hit it to Sax. In the November 1992 issue of the Baseball Digest, writer Glenn Liebman quoted a teammate of Herman, who said of him, "Babe wore a glove for only one reason. Part of Manny Ramirez's appeal was somehow his struggles in the field. Adam Dunn, 1B/LF/RF, 2009 Nationals (minus-43). Teams: Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals (199293, 2011), Boston Red Sox (1995), Oakland Athletics (19962000), Chicago Cubs (2001), Milwaukee Brewers (2002), Pittsburgh Pirates (2003), Kansas City Royals (200406), Texas Rangers (2006), Detroit Tigers (2006), Toronto Blue Jays (200708), Philadelphia Phillies (200809), San Diego Padres (2010), Stats: 3,414 chances, 3,159 putouts, 215 assists, 40 errors. Worst Defenses, 2003 - 2018 There are three teams in there from this season alone. Here, then, is a list of 40 of the worst defensive players in MLB history. That soon changed. Stuart did rack up 228 home runs during his career, leading the American League in RBI for the 1963 season, but the man who would also be called Stonefingers and The Man with the Iron Glove" made his mark as the poorest defensive fielding first baseman in major league history. Teams: Boston/Milwaukee Braves (1942, 1946-64), New York Mets (1965), San Francisco Giants (1965), Stats: 1,279 chances, 222 putouts, 999 assists, 58 errors. 48. Rank Team P C 1B 2B 3B SS LF . Kingman wasn't much better at first base, where his slow footwork often left him entangled on the bag in awkward positions and routine grounders were a complete adventure. Ryan Braun, 3B, 2007 Brewers (minus-32). All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? Martin had a horrendous -52 total zone runs allowed for his career, with a -39 mark in left field, where he started almost 843 games. Grieve's -76 total zone runs allowed for his career is truly horrendous. The point is that Devers is not much better than Andujar and therefore the remark about Andujar and the worst DRS is garbage. Honestly, in looking at the career of shortstop Johnnie LeMaster, it's hard to believe that he actually enjoyed a 12-year career. Yep, you read that right, the master of the acrobatic play that we have all come to attach his name to ended his career negative 155 defensive runs saved. "You are going to see Mark start out at third base in the spring. What a weak comeback. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Outs above average also had Devers as a . "Please, God, don't hit it to me," said Guerrero, who also played some outfield in his career in addition to first and third. There are just zeroes. Unfortunately, as a fielder he could boot a ball a country mile as well. Unlike a lot of bad defensive players, Canseco didn't force the issue and wasn't used as an everyday outfielder after 1991, spending the last decade of his career as a designated hitter. Could be the new position. Join our linker program. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. It's never good to make a list like this early in your career, but Jorge Polanco has done just enough in six seasons to make the cut. The last third baseman to put up equally putrid numbers was Ryan Braun in 2007 (-32 in comparable innings). We all have at least one great "Oh, Manny!" His fielding got worse as his career progressed, and his caught stealing percentage was usually about 10 points below the league average. Sheesh! He was just really bad whenever he got a chance to be an everyday player. One thing Ill highlight, though: dating back to August 8, according to Baseball Savant, Phillies pitchers have ranked seventh in baseball in expected wOBA allowed, while Braves pitchers have ranked 16th. How did Duane Kuiper play 10 seasons in the majors? More dishonesty parading as insight. Outfielder Smead Jolley was easily one of the great minor league players of all time, hitting 336 home runs with a lifetime .367 batting average during his 16-year career at the lower level. Sanchez, who relies on unbelievable power at the plate to change games, improved on blocking pitches in 2019. Torres at SS and Andujar at 3B is the worst left side of an infield (defensively) since Yuniesky Betancourt and Wilson Betemit for the 2010 Royals. Im older than him, and I can barely catch the TV remote when my roommate tosses it to me (from a couple of feet away mind you lol). Madlock's zone rating and other defensive variables were far below that of the league average, and in a report that measures Total Zone ratings for players between the years 1956 and 1986, Madlock places dead last among all third basemen. But Howard also could launch a baseball off a bat, leading the American League in home runs twice. Early in his career with the Texas Rangers, Sierra quickly fell out of favor when he concentrated solely on hitting, completely ignoring any effort to even practice defensively. I never thought of Gomez as a bad fielder, but I guess I never really gave all that much thought to Gomez in the first place. Nobody talks about errors. Butch Hobson was a former quarterback for the University of Alabama and legendary coach Bear Bryant, but Hobson had some legendary struggles fielding a baseball. Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers (1992-98), Florida Marlins (1998), New York Mets (1998-2005), San Diego Padres (2006), Oakland Athletics (2007), Stats: 12,247 chances, 11,347 putouts, 768 assists, 132 errors. These are the worst glovemen of all time at every position. Nimble is one thing; actually being able to field is another matter entirely. Rank Team P C 1B 2B 3B SS LF . However, some would say he was a big hurt defensively as well. Stuart was in the on-deck circle when teammate Bill Mazeroski hit the game-winning home run for the Pirates in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. It's a good thing they don't look at defense. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of his defensive prowess. usa cycling masters road national championships 2021 lore olympus is bad declaration of voluntary surrender of driving licence In his 16 seasons in baseball, Dave Kingman was known for hitting some of the most prodigious home run shots in history, amazing fans and players alike with his sheer power. Snow's worst defensive season by defensive WAR coincided with the first of six gold gloves he won as a member of the California Angels and San Francisco Giants. Gomez's range factor was actually higher than the MLB average, 4.63 to 4.58, and his fielding percentage was fine, so I'm not quite sure why he rates so poorly. Devers was credited with minus-13 defensive runs saved, basically neck-and-neck with the Phillies' Alec Bohm for the worst third baseman in the majors. Teams: Rockford Forest Citys (1871), Philadelphia Athletics (187275), Chicago White Stockings/Colts (187697), Stats: 25,160 chances, 22,572 putouts, 1,612 assists, 976 errors. Al Martin carved out 11 seasons in the majors by being pretty decent with his bat he had a career .276 batting average. Realmuto and Sean Murphy for eighth among those with at least 500 . No teams pitchers have been worse, while the catchers have also combined to be a problem. Castellanos' range factor was 2.10 per nine innings compared to the MLB average of 2.56, but of course he played on a staff that racked up a lot of strikeouts. Truly one of the more despicable people to ever play the game, Kingman could do one thing well hit for power. In fact, in the early 1990s, many would argue that the Pittsburgh Pirates outfield of Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and Bonilla was one of the best in baseball at the time. Thanks for setting me straight. But when the ball did come his way it was hold-your-breath time. Offerman's defense was so bad the Dodgers traded him to the Royals after his first All-Star season, in 1995. Had it not been for two truly awful seasons in 2008 and 2009, Brad Hawpe probably would've been able to avoid this lineup. Probably not. This is just about range. The Padres made the playoffs with Gomez playing shortstop in 1996 and 1998, so they apparently didn't think he was awful there. He was just 37 years old. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Andujar, not so much. The really strange thing about Bill Madlock's career is teams didn't try to fit him into an easier position to play, like right field. Luzinski's misplay of a line drive to left field in the 1977 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers triggered what Phillies' fans call "Black Friday.". To say that outfielder Jose Canseco was defensively challenged is a bit like saying that Babe Ruth was just a better than average slugger. Michael Young, SS, 2005 Rangers (minus-32). Hawpe managed to survive getting the axe over this stretch by posting his best seasons at the plate. 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. Thus, players of earlier eras who were noted for the defensive skillssuch as third baseman Brooks Robinson and shortstop Ozzie Smithwere not evaluated in this manner. Anyone who can bounce a ball off their glove 20 feet into the stands for a home run deserves a spot on this list. However, as a third baseman, Bonilla's deficiencies were in plain sight. "Range factor" isn't a terribly advanced metric it's basically "plays made per game (or per 9 innings)", not difficult to understand but subject to some systematic errors. Last season, Mark Reynolds as a third baseman registered the fourth-worst season by Defensive Runs Saved in FanGraphs' entire database at -29. Weeks has never had a good defensive reputation and in 2012 he started 152 games at second base and made just 4.08 plays per nine innings compared to the league-average range factor of 4.77. Rays. Except for catchers, Plus/Minus represents the majority of a player's DRS. Frank Howard could've had a lengthy career as an NBA power forward. The Phillies havent done enough hitting, and so theyll go into the offseason looking to make a major splash. No, the formulas havent remained consistent and identical over the past decade and a half. Cap Anson played in the dead ball era, where errors were out of control, but theres still no way to get around his 976 errors. Find out more. This blend of rage-judging isnt welcome here. Teams: Minnesota Twins (199197), New York Yankees (19982001), Kansas City Royals (2002), Stats: 6,821 chances, 2,852 putouts, 3,844 assists, 125 errors. Michael Barrett's caught stealing percentage is pretty horrendous only 22 percent thrown out over his entire career. by Handedness, Effectively Wild Episode 1274: Meet the New Manager, Different From the Old Manager, https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=400&type=1&season=2018&month=0&season1=1871&ind=1&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=11,a. But the two-time American League Most Valuable Player was really bad in the field. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Let's just get this out there right nowshortstop Julio Lugo was not Ozzie Smith. Its totally fair to question the latter, since the numbers at Baseball Prospectus think the Phillies catchers have been slightly above-average, but I led with DRS, so thats the main focus. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Gross was so bad in his time with the A's that he was named to the Athletics' All-Time All-Iron Glove team in ESPN writer Rob Neyer's "Big Book of Baseball LIneups" in 2003. In this day and age, theres no reason not to explore further. There are studies to run, to see if maybe the team could improve its positioning. Sorry, the RF variance is not enough to claim 1) Devers is better (certainly not offensively) and 2) Andujar has the worst DRS Evah, as you suggest. His overall defense has suffered as well. We hate to put Frank Thomas on this list. Defensively, sabermetricians use such terms as dWAR, UZR, Rtot (Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Average) along with many others. While Nolan Ryan may be in the Hall of Fame, have seven no-hitters to his credit and be the all-time strikeout king, he will never be compared to either Jim Kaat or Greg Maddux in terms of defense. install package source. I thought it would be about Gleyber Torres. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. The ability to handle a pitching staff, call a game, throw out baserunners and be a good receiver certainly can never be underscored. Check. Flynn won two World Series titles as a backup infielder on the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976, his first two seasons in the majors, and spent the rest of his career living off that. His errors doubled to 26 in 1999, and in 2000, his continued struggles ultimately forced his move to left field. Hell, he doesnt even have 2018s worst DRS! Mookies BA will not be considered in his MVP, assuming he beats JDM. How do you measure an Outfield Arm Runs Saved? He also was among the league leaders in passed balls and errors committed by a catcher on a regular basis. During late innings of many games, Vaughn would often be seen playing just two steps off the bag, and even then balls hit down the line would get by him. For 13 seasons, Pete Browning toiled in the old American Association and National League, playing five positions overall and none of them with any skill whatsoever. worst defensive runs saved all timedr wellness products reviews. They did, however, cost him being a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He made his lone All-Star appearance in 2016 and parlayed that into a six-year, $83 million extension in 2017. It was because Thomas, a former tight end at Auburn, said he didn't feel involved with the game and focused on hitting when he was DH. Over the whole season, the Phillies pitching staff ranks third in expected wOBA on contact. But we don't. Picciolo, who was the Angels' bench coach for four seasons, died in 2018 at 64 years old. What's impressive is that he's actually gotten better on defense over his career, and his real struggles in the field were mostly over his first six seasons. However, Howard's defense was anything but power. Youll recall they were the team that, in spring training, experimented with swapping left and right fielders based on the handedness of the hitter. Rafael Palmeiro won the American League Gold Glove Award in 1999 while playing only 28 games all year at first base, so controversy abounds concerning criteria for Gold Glove Award winners. Wayne Gross finished his career with -19 total zone runs allowed for his time at third base, where he went over 20 errors in three of his first four seasons with the Oakland Athletics. Santanas been a useful first baseman, and Hoskins has been a useful left fielder. These are the worst glovemen of all time at every position. He also was terrible at first base and in right field. worst defensive runs saved all timefee concession letter due to covid 19. world record of blood donation by single person. The Cubs moved Soriano to the outfield after he signed an eight-year, $136 million contract, but that did little to curb his defensive struggles. In doing a quick Google search concerning outfielder Greg Luzinski and his defense, here are just some of the phrases used: "Luzinski was a solid player, but contributed zero on defense. This one makes a lot of sense: An old outfielder trying to play in Coors Field. Gleyber will be fine. Saying Devers is worse than Andujar on the sole basis that he has more errors is like saying Mike Moustakas has been a better hitter than Mike Trout this year because he has more RBI (its true!). His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. There are two easy ways to explain Nolan Ryan's low number of chances over 27 seasons in the majors he's the MLB career leader in both walks and strikeouts. Ed Taubensee was an average hitter who was historically bad at defense for his entire career he threw out only 23 percent of baserunners who tried to steal.