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Part 1 of 2
Kansas City Royals top Buster's top 10 ranks of MLB defenses - ESPN
By Buster Olney
More and more, the use of defensive shifts is impacting the play of individuals. Last summer, there might not have been a better example than Jhonny Peralta. If a coach stood at the plate and mashed ground balls at Peralta and some of his peers, Peralta might be among the least impressive, lacking the range or the arm strength of someone like Andrelton Simmons.
But the Cardinals bought into the use of shifts last season, and Peralta, who was regarded as so limited in range at shortstop that the Tigers replaced him, finished third in Defensive Runs Saved. Some of the Pirates' defenders might be dressed up in a similar way by Pittsburgh's advanced use of shifts.
That's a factor in Part IV of our team element rankings. Earlier this week, we laid out the top-10 rotations, the top-10 bullpens and the top lineups. Now it's time to rank the defenses.
1. Kansas City Royals
In the postseason, casual baseball fans got to see the vision of GM Dayton Moore, who decided to fill the vast Kauffman Stadium outfield with guys who can cover a whole lot of ground and infielders who can make plays. Left fielder Alex Gordon chases off teammates so that he can do his intense pre-game work during batting practice, Lorenzo Cain seemingly catches anything and anywhere, and Jarrod Dyson is an impact defender when he's on the field. Eric Hosmer is an elite defender whose desire to throw is a weapon, Salvador Perez is regarded by scouts as a really good catcher -- although he does not score well in pitch-framing metrics -- and Alcides Escobar is a high-end shortstop.
The Royals are exceptional at run prevention, and again ranked among the best teams in DRS, and in a lot of respects, they remind you of another Missouri ballclub from another time: the Cardinals of the mid-80s, who had jackrabbit outfielders and agile infielders.
2. Baltimore Orioles
When you walk through the halls leading to the Orioles' clubhouse at their spring training complex, massive pictures of some of their players line the wall, with one common thread: Gold Glove winners. That gives you an idea how much the Baltimore organization stresses defense. This is the backbone of what is known as the Orioles' way, a tradition that includes the likes of Brooks Robinson and Mark Belanger and Paul Blair and continues today with Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters and Chris Davis. Catcher Caleb Joseph is already seen as one of the best-throwing catchers in the game; watch him throw out Jarrod Dyson here and Anthony Gose in this video.
Speaking of Machado, he appeared at the Orioles' minicamp Wednesday and said he feels really healthy.
3. Cincinnati Reds
The Reds have some challenges with their rotation and bullpen, and must hope that both Joey Votto and Jay Bruce rebound from their 2014 injury problems. But the Cincinnati defense should be good again. Atlanta's Andrelton Simmons was the only shortstop to rank higher than Zack Cozart in Defensive Runs Saved last season, and Billy Hamilton already has established himself as one of the game's better center fielders. Brandon Phillips and Votto are solid in their glove work, and let's not forget just how dominant Bruce was in right field in 2013, when he ranked third at his position in DRS and had 13 assists. Devin Mesoraco is already among the best catchers in the game.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
The working goal of the team's new baseball operations department could not have been more clear this winter, and it falls in line with what the coaching staff believed needed to happen: The Dodgers had to get better on defense, so Dee Gordon, inexperienced at second base, was moved in a trade, and has been replaced by the steady Howie Kendrick. Hanley Ramirez was a major defensive liability at shortstop, and now Jimmy Rollins, still one of the game's better defenders, has taken over. With the trade of Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig has been moved back to right field, and the Dodgers will look to establish Joc Pederson, a legitimate center fielder, in that spot.
The difference will be striking; with changes all over the defensive spine of this team, the Dodgers should go from being one of the worst defensive teams to being one of the best, with a group that complements their ballpark and their pitching staff. The Dodgers already had good defenders in first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and third baseman Juan Uribe.
Don Mattingly told reporters he believes the Dodgers are a more cohesive team.
5. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals' defense starts with Yadier Molina, who has won Gold Gloves in seven consecutive seasons, and while rival evaluators saw some regression in in 2014 in some particulars of what he does -- that might be largely attributed to his injuries -- he remains the single greatest force in curtailing the running game of opposing teams. He caught 106 games last season, and in those, opponents attempted 44 steals and were thrown out 21 times. In his 11 seasons, base runners have managed a total of 317 steals, a mind-bogglingly low number. That's slightly less than 30 per year for a catcher who has typically played about 130 games per year.
But as mentioned above, the Cardinals invested more in their defense last year, employing shifts, benefiting from the steady play of Peralta, seeing improvement in the play of their center fielders, and now they've added Jason Heyward, who is arguably MLB's premier shutdown right fielder. Defensive metrics can be murky, with the numbers not necessarily matching the eye tests, but in Heyward's case, there can be no doubt: He is extraordinary in turning hits into outs. He led all right fielders in Defensive Runs Saved last season by a Wayne Gretzky-like margin:
Defensive Runs Saved leaders, RF
1. Jason Heyward 32
2. Giancarlo Stanton 7
6. Oakland Athletics
The A's have been among the more aggressive teams in focusing on run prevention, especially with their outfield play, and Ben Zobrist, an efficient defender whether he plays at second base, shortstop or right field, will help with that. Brett Lawrie could be one of the best third basemen in baseball with his extraordinary range, and Marcus Semien should be an upgrade at shortstop. Overall, the infield should be improved. To date, the Athletics have not been seen as strong subscribers in catching defense, but there is turnover at the position for this year, with Stephen Vogt and Josh Phegley currently at the top of the depth chart.
7. Tampa Bay Rays
Club evaluators have helped with these rankings this week, and I also solicited the help of Mark Simon, Justin Havens and John Fisher of ESPN Stats & Info, and they all pushed for a high ranking of the Rays, partly because of the ascension of Kevin Kiermaier, who seems destined to be an everyday player now that Wil Myers has been traded. He is an impact defender, and the Rays are already good at third base, with Evan Longoria, and in a couple of other spots.
The greatest concern I've heard from rival evaluators about the Rays' defense is the likely use of Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop, because other teams have determined for themselves that he cannot be effective playing regularly in that role. We'll see how that goes.
8. Pittsburgh Pirates
Some quarterbacks are referred to as "system quarterbacks," those who are installed to manage the scheme chosen by the organization rather than be a creator of offense, and in some respects, this is a good way to describe the Pittsburgh infield. The Pirates don't necessarily have players seen as classic Gold Glove-style defenders, but Pittsburgh is viewed by rival evaluators as having an excellent system of shifts and positioning, and this has helped augment the play of shortstop of Jordy Mercer and of second baseman Neil Walker. The Pirates have strong outfield play with Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte, and Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart are good catchers.
9. Colorado Rockies
Third baseman Nolan Arenado is arguably one of the three best defensive infielders in baseball, making plays like this, and this one (he shows off his cannon), and also this. Troy Tulowitzki is among the best at his position, DJ LeMahieu just won a Gold Glove, and Justin Morneau is adept at first base. The Rockies seem intent on improving their defense at catcher, signing Nick Hundley to a multi-year deal.
10. New York Yankees
Pitchers will probably see a major difference this year. They'll have Chase Headley for a full season at third base in 2015, and Didi Gregorius will represent a significant upgrade at shortstop. Stephen Drew played effectively at second, which figures to be his primary spot this summer, and if the Yankees have a lead, they'll probably finish games with an outfield of Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and Chris Young, which is pretty good. Catcher Brian McCann is underrated in his defensive play.
Honorable mention: The Toronto Blue Jays. Catcher Russell Martin and third baseman Josh Donaldson are two of the best defenders at their respective positions. … The Boston Red Sox. They have a lot of question marks, from right fielder Shane Victorino, who, when he plays, is an impact defender, to shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Nobody knows how Hanley Ramirez will adjust to left field. But Dustin Pedroia is exceptional at second base, first baseman Mike Napoli and third baseman Pablo Sandoval are better than advertised, and catcher Christian Vazquez is going to be one of the dominant players at his position. … The Atlanta Braves. They have major questions at other positions, but shortstop Andrelton Simmons is a one-man defensive wrecking ball. … The Arizona Diamondbacks. Ender Inciarte had a strong year on defense in 2014, and Paul Goldschmidt is underrated in his glove work.
Kansas City Royals top Buster's top 10 ranks of MLB defenses - ESPN
By Buster Olney
More and more, the use of defensive shifts is impacting the play of individuals. Last summer, there might not have been a better example than Jhonny Peralta. If a coach stood at the plate and mashed ground balls at Peralta and some of his peers, Peralta might be among the least impressive, lacking the range or the arm strength of someone like Andrelton Simmons.
But the Cardinals bought into the use of shifts last season, and Peralta, who was regarded as so limited in range at shortstop that the Tigers replaced him, finished third in Defensive Runs Saved. Some of the Pirates' defenders might be dressed up in a similar way by Pittsburgh's advanced use of shifts.
That's a factor in Part IV of our team element rankings. Earlier this week, we laid out the top-10 rotations, the top-10 bullpens and the top lineups. Now it's time to rank the defenses.
1. Kansas City Royals
In the postseason, casual baseball fans got to see the vision of GM Dayton Moore, who decided to fill the vast Kauffman Stadium outfield with guys who can cover a whole lot of ground and infielders who can make plays. Left fielder Alex Gordon chases off teammates so that he can do his intense pre-game work during batting practice, Lorenzo Cain seemingly catches anything and anywhere, and Jarrod Dyson is an impact defender when he's on the field. Eric Hosmer is an elite defender whose desire to throw is a weapon, Salvador Perez is regarded by scouts as a really good catcher -- although he does not score well in pitch-framing metrics -- and Alcides Escobar is a high-end shortstop.
The Royals are exceptional at run prevention, and again ranked among the best teams in DRS, and in a lot of respects, they remind you of another Missouri ballclub from another time: the Cardinals of the mid-80s, who had jackrabbit outfielders and agile infielders.
2. Baltimore Orioles
When you walk through the halls leading to the Orioles' clubhouse at their spring training complex, massive pictures of some of their players line the wall, with one common thread: Gold Glove winners. That gives you an idea how much the Baltimore organization stresses defense. This is the backbone of what is known as the Orioles' way, a tradition that includes the likes of Brooks Robinson and Mark Belanger and Paul Blair and continues today with Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters and Chris Davis. Catcher Caleb Joseph is already seen as one of the best-throwing catchers in the game; watch him throw out Jarrod Dyson here and Anthony Gose in this video.
Speaking of Machado, he appeared at the Orioles' minicamp Wednesday and said he feels really healthy.
3. Cincinnati Reds
The Reds have some challenges with their rotation and bullpen, and must hope that both Joey Votto and Jay Bruce rebound from their 2014 injury problems. But the Cincinnati defense should be good again. Atlanta's Andrelton Simmons was the only shortstop to rank higher than Zack Cozart in Defensive Runs Saved last season, and Billy Hamilton already has established himself as one of the game's better center fielders. Brandon Phillips and Votto are solid in their glove work, and let's not forget just how dominant Bruce was in right field in 2013, when he ranked third at his position in DRS and had 13 assists. Devin Mesoraco is already among the best catchers in the game.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
The working goal of the team's new baseball operations department could not have been more clear this winter, and it falls in line with what the coaching staff believed needed to happen: The Dodgers had to get better on defense, so Dee Gordon, inexperienced at second base, was moved in a trade, and has been replaced by the steady Howie Kendrick. Hanley Ramirez was a major defensive liability at shortstop, and now Jimmy Rollins, still one of the game's better defenders, has taken over. With the trade of Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig has been moved back to right field, and the Dodgers will look to establish Joc Pederson, a legitimate center fielder, in that spot.
The difference will be striking; with changes all over the defensive spine of this team, the Dodgers should go from being one of the worst defensive teams to being one of the best, with a group that complements their ballpark and their pitching staff. The Dodgers already had good defenders in first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and third baseman Juan Uribe.
Don Mattingly told reporters he believes the Dodgers are a more cohesive team.
5. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals' defense starts with Yadier Molina, who has won Gold Gloves in seven consecutive seasons, and while rival evaluators saw some regression in in 2014 in some particulars of what he does -- that might be largely attributed to his injuries -- he remains the single greatest force in curtailing the running game of opposing teams. He caught 106 games last season, and in those, opponents attempted 44 steals and were thrown out 21 times. In his 11 seasons, base runners have managed a total of 317 steals, a mind-bogglingly low number. That's slightly less than 30 per year for a catcher who has typically played about 130 games per year.
But as mentioned above, the Cardinals invested more in their defense last year, employing shifts, benefiting from the steady play of Peralta, seeing improvement in the play of their center fielders, and now they've added Jason Heyward, who is arguably MLB's premier shutdown right fielder. Defensive metrics can be murky, with the numbers not necessarily matching the eye tests, but in Heyward's case, there can be no doubt: He is extraordinary in turning hits into outs. He led all right fielders in Defensive Runs Saved last season by a Wayne Gretzky-like margin:
Defensive Runs Saved leaders, RF
1. Jason Heyward 32
2. Giancarlo Stanton 7
6. Oakland Athletics
The A's have been among the more aggressive teams in focusing on run prevention, especially with their outfield play, and Ben Zobrist, an efficient defender whether he plays at second base, shortstop or right field, will help with that. Brett Lawrie could be one of the best third basemen in baseball with his extraordinary range, and Marcus Semien should be an upgrade at shortstop. Overall, the infield should be improved. To date, the Athletics have not been seen as strong subscribers in catching defense, but there is turnover at the position for this year, with Stephen Vogt and Josh Phegley currently at the top of the depth chart.
7. Tampa Bay Rays
Club evaluators have helped with these rankings this week, and I also solicited the help of Mark Simon, Justin Havens and John Fisher of ESPN Stats & Info, and they all pushed for a high ranking of the Rays, partly because of the ascension of Kevin Kiermaier, who seems destined to be an everyday player now that Wil Myers has been traded. He is an impact defender, and the Rays are already good at third base, with Evan Longoria, and in a couple of other spots.
The greatest concern I've heard from rival evaluators about the Rays' defense is the likely use of Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop, because other teams have determined for themselves that he cannot be effective playing regularly in that role. We'll see how that goes.
8. Pittsburgh Pirates
Some quarterbacks are referred to as "system quarterbacks," those who are installed to manage the scheme chosen by the organization rather than be a creator of offense, and in some respects, this is a good way to describe the Pittsburgh infield. The Pirates don't necessarily have players seen as classic Gold Glove-style defenders, but Pittsburgh is viewed by rival evaluators as having an excellent system of shifts and positioning, and this has helped augment the play of shortstop of Jordy Mercer and of second baseman Neil Walker. The Pirates have strong outfield play with Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte, and Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart are good catchers.
9. Colorado Rockies
Third baseman Nolan Arenado is arguably one of the three best defensive infielders in baseball, making plays like this, and this one (he shows off his cannon), and also this. Troy Tulowitzki is among the best at his position, DJ LeMahieu just won a Gold Glove, and Justin Morneau is adept at first base. The Rockies seem intent on improving their defense at catcher, signing Nick Hundley to a multi-year deal.
10. New York Yankees
Pitchers will probably see a major difference this year. They'll have Chase Headley for a full season at third base in 2015, and Didi Gregorius will represent a significant upgrade at shortstop. Stephen Drew played effectively at second, which figures to be his primary spot this summer, and if the Yankees have a lead, they'll probably finish games with an outfield of Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and Chris Young, which is pretty good. Catcher Brian McCann is underrated in his defensive play.
Honorable mention: The Toronto Blue Jays. Catcher Russell Martin and third baseman Josh Donaldson are two of the best defenders at their respective positions. … The Boston Red Sox. They have a lot of question marks, from right fielder Shane Victorino, who, when he plays, is an impact defender, to shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Nobody knows how Hanley Ramirez will adjust to left field. But Dustin Pedroia is exceptional at second base, first baseman Mike Napoli and third baseman Pablo Sandoval are better than advertised, and catcher Christian Vazquez is going to be one of the dominant players at his position. … The Atlanta Braves. They have major questions at other positions, but shortstop Andrelton Simmons is a one-man defensive wrecking ball. … The Arizona Diamondbacks. Ender Inciarte had a strong year on defense in 2014, and Paul Goldschmidt is underrated in his glove work.
