The following year, Sax became completely unable to throw the ball accurately to first base, committing 30 errors on the season. Sandwiched around this all-time bad season are two Gold Glove honors in 2009 and 2011. . Unfortunately, as a fielder he could boot a ball a country mile as well. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Willie Mays, on the other hand, was arguably the best defensive outfielder ever. Pretty sure theyre mentioned in this article. Smith was often in the right place at the right time. Team Defensive Runs Saved. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 1:04PM. The Padres were third-to-last in the majors in defensive efficiency (percentage of balls in play turned into outs), so a lot of Padres defenders ended up with poor ratings in 1997. Usually, teams realize these defenders are significantly costing the team runs, and the offending player is moved to another position or benched altogether. The Worst A.J. 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. Was Derek Jeter's defense at shortstop as bad as advanced metrics Mike Piazza isn't the only Hall of Famer on this list, and his defensive liabilities only make us wonder how he would've stood up among the all-time greatest players (not just catchers) had he been able to throw out more than 23 percent of baserunners. Teams: Milwaukee Brewers (1988-91), San Diego Padres (1992-93), Florida Marlins (1993-98), Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-2001), Atlanta Braves (2002-03), New York Yankees (2004-06), Detroit Tigers (2007-08), New York Mets (2009), Stats: 4,686 chances, 3,275 putouts, 1,240 assists, 171 errors. It speaks more to the talented teammates he had around him that his total zone runs allowed isn't higher, but his -16.7 defensive wins above replacement seem to tell the real story. But the numbers don't lie. Kids, this is what happens when you don't work on your defense in practice. Details are actually sketchy regarding Browning's defensive prowess, but several accounts claim that Browning played defense standing on one leg to prevent opposing players from running into him. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. worst defensive runs saved all time Spahn still holds the MLB career record for wins for a left-handed pitcher with 363, was a 17-time All-Star and led the National League in wins eight times. I didnt make up those numbers, and they didnt make up those numbers. 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 retrospect, you could say the story of the 2018 Phillies is represented by the acquisition of Carlos Santana. Teams: Cincinnati Reds (2001-08), Arizona Diamondbacks (2008), Washington Nationals (2009-10), Chicago White Sox (2011-14), Oakland Athletics (2014), Stats: 6,453 chances, 6,002 putouts, 331 assists, 120 errors. His career batting average of .236 is barely above the Mendoza Line. 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. . 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. Truly one of the more despicable people to ever play the game, Kingman could do one thing well hit for power. Was he really that bad? By just about every measurement available, either through STATS Inc., Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs or Baseball Reference, there is no documentation anywhere that supports the fact that first baseman Mo Vaughn was anything close to a good fielder. As mentioned before, catcher Mike Piazza might not quite be regarded as the worst defensive catcher in historybut he's pretty darn close. Jeter is the worst defensive player of all time by advanced defensive metrics, with a career Defensive Runs Saved total of -155. Since outfields are historically set up with center field as the best defensive player of the three positions, there aren't a lot of "bad" center fielders to pick from. Boston Herald reporter Sean McAdam once said of Lugo, "The next base hit Lugo takes away will be the first. Of course, the biggest knock on Jeter is his poor defense. Just to give some kind of a clue at just how bad Marv Throneberry was as a fielder, former manager Casey Stengel, who Throneberry played for with the expansion New York Mets, said to Throneberry on his birthday, "We was going to get you a birthday cake, but we figured you'd drop it.". Through the end of the 2021 MLB season, the highest DRS recorded in a single season was by shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who had a DRS of 41 in 2017, while the lowest DRS recorded in a single season was by center fielder Matt Kemp, who had a DRS of -33 in 2010.[10]. Stuart also had another great nickname "Moby Dick" when he finished the last few years of his career in Japan. But over the last . Aside from his horrible play on the basepaths, where he stole just 52 bases in 123 attempts, or at the plate, where he hit just one home run in 3,754 at-bats, Kuiper was also bad in the field. Fielding the ball was not their strength. Let's first give Buddy Groom credit for being really, really determined. The last third baseman to put up equally putrid numbers was Ryan Braun in 2007 (-32 in comparable innings). Manager Buck Showalter told Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com that they had every intention of sticking with Reynolds at third. While we're comparing the two players, we'll also watch out for any reasons to doubt the data we're using. Red Sox bullpen's tightrope act will wear thin, Real or not? Check. Do you have a blog? Yet UZR doesnt have information for pitchers or catchers. Over the whole season, the Phillies pitching staff ranks third in expected wOBA on contact. Jose Lima was one of the more entertaining players in the major leagues throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Their frustration was understandable since 1979 was the first year in LeMaster's career that he had at least 20 errors and started a stretch where he had at least 20 errors in six of the next seven seasons. The numbers bear this out, and his best seasons hitting were some of his worst seasons fielding. Just for fun, lets run through the Phillies various positional ranks. He didn't get much practice. Join our linker program. "You are going to see Mark start out at third base in the spring. In The Fielding Bible, Volume II, John Dewan takes the defensive metrics in the first volume and translates them into runsinto runs saved, that is, or Defensive Runs Saved. He was an All-American forward at Ohio State selected by the Philadelphia Warriors in the fifth round of the 1958 NBA draft. [3] The statistic was developed by Baseball Info Solutions and the data used in calculating it first became available for Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2003.[4][5]. Throughout major league history, some players have built their entire careers on hitting, despite some, ahem, major defensive deficiencies. But over the years, despite Jeter's success he had widely been deemed as one of the sport's most overrated players ever. For many years with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Senators, Frank Howard was one of the premier power hitters in the game, leading the league twice in home runs and swatting 382 during his 16-year career. Entering Memorial Day in Cincinnati, they had the fewest defensive runs saved in the majors (minus-26), according to Sports Info Solutions, and were tied with the Reds for last in Statcast's outs above average (minus-17). Martin, who was once investigated for bigamy in Nevada because he was married to two women at once, also had more errors (58) than assists (56) for his career. Teams: Colorado Rockies (2004-10), Tampa Bay Rays (2010). Is Derek Jeter the worst shortstop of all time? And teams have done a really good job at that. Except, of course, when you're only hitting .159. Teams: Chicago White Sox (1986), Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-91), New York Mets (1992-95, 1999), Baltimore Orioles (1995-96), Florida Marlins (1997-98), Los Angeles Dodgers (1998), Atlanta Braves (2000), St. Louis Cardinals (2001), Stats: 5,144 chances, 3.045 putouts, 1,869 assists, 330 errors. It's a good thing they don't look at defense. He was just really bad whenever he got a chance to be an everyday player. Honestly, in looking at the career of shortstop Johnnie LeMaster, it's hard to believe that he actually enjoyed a 12-year career. Range is the most important component, absolutely, but arms matter, too, and the Phillies outfield arms, collectively, rank in the bottom five by both DRS and UZR. Teams: Detroit Tigers (199295), Florida Marlins (1995), Oakland Athletics (199699), Baltimore Orioles (200004), New York Yankees (2005), Arizona Diamondbacks (2005), Stats: 117 chances, 25 putouts, 85 assists, 5 errors. It would be interesting to see how many of New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter's Total Zone Runs allowed occurred while playing next to Alfonso Soriano, a terrible defensive second baseman for the ages. install package source. Only the . 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. However, as a third baseman, Bonilla's deficiencies were in plain sight. Other accounts suggest that Browning's raging alcoholism also contributed to his faulty fielding as well. Fielding Bible 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. "Please, God, don't hit it to me," said Guerrero, who also played some outfield in his career in addition to first and third. As an outfielder, Bobby Bonilla was passable, and his offense generally took precedence for any deficiencies. 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. Fans who sat behind the first base area at Dodger Stadium were known to wear helmets, not knowing where Sax's throws would land. So the numbers certainly indicate that Dahlen was not necessarily bad in any way, but he does have the dubious record nonetheless. Statistic Description: Defensive Wins Above Replacement for position players A defensive measure of wins above replacement, but given only the defensive stats of the player and his position adjustment. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. "Herman improved greatly in his ninth season. We hate to put Frank Thomas on this list. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted
Outs above average also had Devers as a . His mobility declined rapidly, and he was in the negative for defensive wins above replacement for 14 straight seasons, bouncing between left field, right field and first base. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Pedro Guerrero might be one of the most underrated hitters of all time a five-time All-Star and World Series Most Valuable Player with a .300 career batting average. When Juan Samuel first debuted for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1983, he quickly became known for a solid bat and tremendous speed, stealing 72 bases and leading the league in triples in his rookie season. MLB - 2022. And his TZR allowed were among some of the highest in his career after the move, although he did finish his career with 412 home runs. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? Kansas City lacks an above-average position anywhere on the infield . Ranking MLB Catchers by Total Runs - Bill James Online Athletics. (My recollection of Kirby, as well: He played a deep center field, which allowed him to make those famous leaping catches at the wall; he also may have played deeper as a way to play the high bounces off the Metrodome turf. 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. By any reliable metric, to say nothing of the old-fashioned eye test, the Phillies have the majors' worst defense. Hobson's 1978 season was a legendary blunder. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. His defensive WAR (-17.0) and total zone runs allowed (-67) are among the worst in MLB history. Things got really bad in the later years of his career, with -22 total zone runs allowed in 2004. Let's get "Bobby Bonilla Day" out of the way at the jump. Nobody talks about errors. Nimble is one thing; actually being able to field is another matter entirely. Hippo Vaughn only played 13 seasons but led the National League in errors five times. And yet, Phillies pitchers have ranked 26th in baseball in actual wOBA allowed, while Braves pitchers have ranked third. by Retrosheet. In one sense, the offseason might be easy. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. worst defensive runs saved all time 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. But for now, just focus on the Phillies. Moving elsewhere, heres the big-league landscape in terms of Outs Above Average, which is a metric for outfielders: The Phillies dont look good, again, and this particular metric doesnt consider outfield arms. But here's the thing you need to remember: .312 lifetime batting average, 555 home runs, 2,574 hits and 1,831 RBI. He played for 13 teams (12 franchises), more than any position player in MLB history, even winning a World Series with the Phillies in 2008. Statcast Outs Above Average Leaderboard | baseballsavant.com But when the ball did come his way it was hold-your-breath time. Props to the six-time All-Star for receiving $1.19 million every July 1 from the New York Mets from 2009 to 2035 as part of a bizarre contract. 40 Worst Fielders in Baseball History - Bleacher Report It certainly didn't help that he couldn't bash a ball like Piazza, either. And yet Phillies non-pitchers have a combined wRC+ of just 98, which is two points below average. 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. 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. It's also interesting that all 10 seasons here occurred since 1990, which is a reflection of more data available to grade defense. That honor belongs to Eddie Taubensee. 7. 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. The phenomena became known as the "Steve Sax Syndrome." Teams: New York Highlanders (1908, 1910-12), Washington Senators (1912), Chicago Cubs (1913-21), Stats: 906 chances, 92 putouts, 740 assists, 74 errors, Caught stealing percentage: .519 (incomplete). Had it not been for two truly awful seasons in 2008 and 2009, Brad Hawpe probably would've been able to avoid this lineup. Teams: San Francisco Giants (1975-85), Cleveland Indians (1985), Pittsburgh Pirates (1985), Oakland Athletics (1987), Stats: 4,535 chances, 1,545 putouts, 2,811 assists, 179 errors. It wasn't his worst, either. Many thanks to him. Picciolo, who was the Angels' bench coach for four seasons, died in 2018 at 64 years old. It's safe to say that Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Edwin Encarnacion is not a reincarnation, so to speak, of Brooks Robinson. Johnnie LeMaster seemed to sum up Giants fans' feelings toward him and his fielding when he took the field at Candlestick Park during a July game in 1979 with "BOO" on the back of his jersey instead of his name. As an outfielder, Incaviglia's play could certainly be described as hit-or-miss as well. In all fairness, Adam Dunn could've made this list at several different positions, we just picked left field because that's where he had the most starts. Seldom has an infielder thrown himself on the ground more and come up with fewer plays.". Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. In today's statistical world, every single player in baseball is measured in terms of different metrics. The four Golden Gloves he won were a joke his total zone runs allowed were in double digits for two of those seasons. And his career fielding percentage of .964 is atrocious. Probably not. The Phillies havent done enough hitting, and so theyll go into the offseason looking to make a major splash. Many regard defense to be the most important attribute for the catcher position, and that certainly can't be argued. When Alfonso Soriano first debuted with the New York Yankees in 1999, he was a second baseman who hit the ball a country mile. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only.