Groom's fielding percentage hovered around or below .900 for most of his career and finished at an atrocious .940 in 13 seasons. Teams: Philadelphia Phillies (1970-80), Chicago White Sox (1981-84), Stats: 2,282 chances, 2,120 putouts, 105 assists, 57 errors. His fielding percentage, which seems normal, is deceiving because he had such little range. Puckett's defensive metrics don't match up to his reputation -- he won six Gold Gloves -- as Baseball-Reference grades him out as 14 runs below average for his career. worst defensive runs saved all time - aima.org.af Even a few Hall of Famers. Hippo Vaughn only played 13 seasons but led the National League in errors five times. 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. No, we cant measure defense precisely. ), 9. Teams: New York Mets (1999), Oakland Athletics (2000-03), San Diego Padres ( 2004), Kansas City Royals (2005), New York Yankees (2006), Stats: 1,711 chances, 1,646 putouts, 30 assists, 35 errors. His 11 defensive runs saved in the past three seasons are tied with J.T. His fielding got worse as his career progressed, and his caught stealing percentage was usually about 10 points below the league average. 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. My next thought was 'I hope they don't hit it to Sax. and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. Things got really bad in the later years of his career, with -22 total zone runs allowed in 2004. Doesnt mean its a death sentence; sometimes teams happily concede defense for offense. And if his unremarkable hitting wasn't enough, his defensive stats certainly don't suggest that LeMaster was being kept around for his defensive prowess, either. Gleyber will be fine. Officially, the Braves have sewn up the NL East, after having completed a four-game weekend sweep of the Phillies. Undoubtedly, voters remembered the spectacular plays, but there was nothing in the numbers that suggested Kemp had above-average range and he was making a large number of miscues at the same time. 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. He won 12 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1957-68, tying Roberto Clemente for the most by an outfielder. 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. 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. 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. We present them here for purely educational purposes. worst defensive runs saved all time Most notably, the Astros traded Kenny Lofton for Taubensee, straight up, after the 1991 season. Position Player WAR Calculations and Details - Baseball-Reference.com The 1965 American League Rookie of the Year and 1966 World Series champion with the Baltimore Orioles earned the nickname "Clank" from teammate Frank Robinson for his struggles fielding the ball. '", Teams: Cleveland Indians (197481), San Francisco Giants (198285), Stats: 4,542 chances, 2,000 putouts, 2,466 assists, 76 errors. 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. Data Provided By 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. The A's tried to make Picciolo the man at shortstop for his first two seasons, and he coughed up balls at an alarming rate, with 21 errors in 1977, his first season, and 17 errors in 1979, his second season, as a full-time shortstop. There is no question that numbers can at times be deceiving, as evidenced by the fact that New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has won five Gold Glove Awards during his career despite the negative numbers seen above. But they happened. Team Defensive Runs Saved - Fielding Bible During his 12-year career spent with six different teams, outfielder Pete Incaviglia was hit-or-miss as a hitter, leading the American League in strikeouts twice, and hitting over 20 home runs in a season six times. Fielding the ball was not their strength. 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. Make a guess now (Note: Baseball-Reference uses fielding runs below average, which can be drawn from two different sources depending on the year. Even this article gives a huge nod to the great caveat that must be uttered when serious people meet to discuss these advanced metrics. 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. Grieve's -76 total zone runs allowed for his career is truly horrendous. Kirby Puckett, CF, 1993 Twins (minus-29 runs), This one seems a little odd considering Puckett had won a Gold Glove the previous season. Third baseman Bill Madlock was certainly a great hitter during his 15-year career, capturing four National League batting titles and ending with a .305 career average. He's the guy you definitely don't want the ball hit to when your team is pitching. Unfortunately, as a fielder he could boot a ball a country mile as well. Sean Murphy. 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. Hawpe managed to survive getting the axe over this stretch by posting his best seasons at the plate. In left field, he made 1.80 plays per game while teammate Josh Willingham -- hardly known as a plus fielder himself -- made 2.17. Its true that this season isnt yet over. Vaughn posted below-.900 fielding percentages in four seasons, highlighted by a career-low .869 in 2014, when he committed a career-high 13 errors. Flynn makes the list not for being stunningly bad but for being stunningly below average at three different infield positions shortstop, second base and third base. Its something for them to figure out moving forward, assuming they dont figure Hoskins range will improve. UZR had Kemp at minus-26 runs that . Only the . Soriano's Rtot in nine years at second base was -78, so his transition to the outfield has actually helped, although you would no doubt find many Chicago Cubs fans who would dispute that notion. Here, then, is a list of 40 of the worst defensive players in MLB history. Bonilla could've been on this list as a third baseman, but that almost seemed too easy. However, during the opportunities when he did play first base, it became clear why Thomas was a DH. Or write about sports? 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). Polanco has been couching up errors at a high rate since becoming the team's full-time shortstop in 2017, and he's cracked double digits in each of those seasons, including a career-high 22 errors in 2019. No amount of money could make Giambi a good defensive player. Become a Stathead today and run queries with our, Most Unique Players by Age by Similarity Scores, Most Games without a World Series Appearance, Most Games without a Postseason Appearance, Highest Career and Single-Season Salaries, Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. Slow of foot, Kingman was simply awful in the outfield, posting a lifetime .957 fielding percentage and -32 Rtot. Braun fielded just .895, making 26 errors in 112 games, and made .57 fewer plays per nine innings than the average third baseman. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Do you have a blog? Be honest, please. The following year, Sax became completely unable to throw the ball accurately to first base, committing 30 errors on the season. Did he deserve those Gold Glove Awards? These are the worst glovemen of all time at every position. Call it noise if you want. That's where we would like for him to play," Showalter said. Truly one of the more despicable people to ever play the game, Kingman could do one thing well hit for power. Plus, don't you want to read about the worst defender ever? Baseball Savant makes it so easy to do. February 1, 2018. ken scott actor after we collided. And not in a good way. Historically the Royals system has an uncanny ability to produce terrible shortstops. Check. Jolley committed 44 errors in just four seasons, and was once credited with three errors on the same play, having the ball actually go through his legs twice on the same batted ball. Gary Sheffield very well could be the most underrated hitter of all time. Such was the case with the "Steve Sax Syndrome" after the Los Angeles Dodgers' second baseman inexplicably couldn't throw to first base properly from 1983 to 1988. Which kind of overshadows the fact that he's been shoehorned into all three outfield spots, first base and third base throughout his career trying to find the right fit to mask his shortcomings fielding the ball. Only 17 errors for his career is pretty respectable, but only 23 assists is the opposite. Individual Player Totals Team Defensive Runs Saved Defensive Runs Saved Leaderboard DRS Components In-Depth Team Fielder Totals Total Runs Old School Data DRS Pre-2020 Historic Win Shares Find our Data. "Please, God, don't hit it to me," said Guerrero, who also played some outfield in his career in addition to first and third. All rights reserved. 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? cafe under the spire newcastle; worst defensive runs saved all time. Teams: Louisville Eclipse/Colonels (1882-89, 1892-93), Cleveland Infants (1890), Pittsburgh Pirates (1891), Cincinnati Reds (1891-1892), St. Louis Browns (1894), Brooklyn Grooms (1894), Stats: 3,439 chances, 2,490 putouts, 535 assists, 414 errors. Ryan was simply abysmal as a fielder, once committing 30 errors in four seasons while with the California Angels. But also consider that he's one of the worst defensive players of all time. We want to give Matt Stairs all the props we can before we run him down, because he owns some pretty amazing major league records. But the two-time American League Most Valuable Player was really bad in the field. Whatever the Phillies have done right, DRS hasnt seen it. 4. A third defensive metric that I'll mention in the piece below is ultimate zone rating, available at FanGraphs. The Phillies knew theyd be sacrificing some defense this season. Rdef. He ended up there because it lined up more with his offensive production than putting him at one of the corner outfield spots or at first base. Sanchez, who relies on unbelievable power at the plate to change games, improved on blocking pitches in 2019. And his career fielding percentage of .964 is atrocious. Its one of the few advanced defensive metrics that exists. On the other hand, the Braves arrived a year or so ahead of time. He still hadn't caught a ball yet, but he was getting a lot closer.". Andujar, not so much. Anyone who uses his noggin to aid in a home run definitely deserves a spot on this list. Shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt certainly presents an interesting case this year. And teams have done a really good job at that. 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. First baseman/outfielder Brad Hawpe went down last year in June and required Tommy John surgery. It may be no wonder why Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland has a conundrum concerning where to play Ryan Raburnhe simply doesn't play well defensively anywhere. Look at the total zone runs allowed. Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers (1981-88), New York Yankees (1989-91), Chicago White Sox (1992-93), Oakland Athletics (1994), Stats: 8,624 chances, 3,617 putouts, 4,817 assists, 190 errors. Jose Lima was one of the more entertaining players in the major leagues throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. 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. However, defensively, Bichette was easily one of the most challenged of players. Just for fun, lets run through the Phillies various positional ranks. So why did the White Sox not force Thomas into a role as their everyday designated hitter earlier in his career? Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Frequently Asked Questions about Plus/Minus and Runs Saved", "Ryan wins Fielding Bible Award at short", "Position Player WAR Calculations and Details", "What is a Fielding Percentage (FPCT)? Teams: Tampa Bay Rays (2013-14), San Diego Padres (2015-present), Stats: 3,955 chances, 3,695 putouts, 231 assists, 29 errors. Jeter has the worst Total Zone Runs allowed of any MLB player, ever, with a staggering -186 runs allowed. Jeff made Lookout Landing a thing, but he does not still write there about the Mariners. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. San Diego Padres (2011), Los Angeles Angels (2013), Stats: 1,816 chances, 1,695 putouts, 87 assists, 34 errors. Farewell to a Mariners legend. and his 32% strikeout rate last season was among the worst in MLB. Freddy Peralta thrills family with dazzling debut, Real or Not? He didn't get much practice. Fielding Runs Fielding measures obviously have a lot of controversy surrounding them. Previously, Baseball-Reference used Sean Smith's Total Zone Rating for all seasons. By most defensive metrics used, McLouth was regarded as one of the worst defensive center fielders that year, which proves our point once again that voters are completely out of touch as to the significance of a Gold Glove Award. As part of the trade package in December 2010 that sent Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke to the Milwaukee Brewers, Betancourt was also included in the deal, with the two teams essentially swapping shortstops, the Royals receiving Alcides Escobar. Let's first give Buddy Groom credit for being really, really determined. More importantly, Vzquez has the trust of his pitchers. But over the last . There is DRS. But Howard also could launch a baseball off a bat, leading the American League in home runs twice. But for now, just focus on the Phillies. Meanwhile I NEVER hear ANY ringing endorsements for DRS or UZR. 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. He also was among the league leaders in passed balls and errors committed by a catcher on a regular basis. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 1:04PM. But watching Bernie Williams play center field for the Yankees for almost two decades was a study in perseverance. | Glossary", "What is a Defensive Runs Saved (DRS)? However, Madlock's prowess at the plate did not transfer to the field very well at all. What's strange is the lowest of his per position totals was at third base, where it was -12. Answer (1 of 8): Yes. Smith was often in the right place at the right time. Edwin Encarnacion 1 of 40 Career Fielding Percentage: .934 League Average 3B: .956 Career dWAR: -6.3 Career Rtot: -61. The numbers bear this out, and his best seasons hitting were some of his worst seasons fielding. Howard's rookie year of 1960 was the only year in which he posted a positive dWAR, and his range throughout his career was absolutely abysmal. In one sense, the offseason might be easy. It's also interesting that all 10 seasons here occurred since 1990, which is a reflection of more data available to grade defense. During his time with the Texas Rangers, Incaviglia's nickname was "Oops," primarily because of the way he patrolled the outfield. The table shows that only two players appear on both lists (Simmons and Hardy), exemplifying that there is a difference in what the two statistics measure. Worst MLB Defensive Players of All Time | Stadium Talk Outs above average also had Devers as a . 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. Sandwiched around this all-time bad season are two Gold Glove honors in 2009 and 2011. However, only 7-time All-Star Salvador Prez and first-time All-Star Omar Narvez are in the Top 6 in Total Runs for catchers. Join our linker program. Hes always been about average. Lasorda asked what else he was thinking. Adam Dunn, 1B/LF/RF, 2009 Nationals (minus-43). He tried first base, third base, outfield and even catcher. I didnt make up those numbers, and they didnt make up those numbers. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. The Tragedy of Derek Jeter's Defense - Grantland Outs Above Average (OAA) is the cumulative effect of all individual plays a fielder has been credited or debited with, making it a range-based metric of fielding skill that accounts for the number of plays made and the difficulty of them. In 2006, Dunn led the NL in errors as well, that time as an outfielder. His longevity definitely wasn't tied to his ability to field the ball. Errors have been moved to the same dustbin as pitcher wins, batting average, and rbi. If you've ever had the pleasure of watching Edwin Encarnacion play, you know the three-time All-Star will make you hold your breath when he's in the field. In other words, theyve been even worse than just Outs Above Average would indicate. Very obviously, when a team collapses, several components have to be involved. That's because the 6-foot-1, 255-pound left fielder's struggles in the field overshadowed his work at the plate. Jason Giambi was the 2000 American League Most Valuable Player while with the Oakland Athletics, then cashed in with a seven-year, $120 million contract with the Yankees in 2001. 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. He came up just 11 starts shy of getting 100 career starts at all three spots. 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. 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). DEVERS has 23 errors to Andujars 15 in 200 fewer innings. 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. ), 10. In 2009, he did make a high number of good fielding plays (48), according to Baseball Info Solutions, although that was countered by 33 misplays. So the two kind of balance each other out. But I probably won't miss his defense. Doug Mead is a Featured Columnist with Bleacher Report. There's no doubt that third base is a tough position to play, but former MLB player Butch Hobson made it look like the toughest job in all of professional sports. It doesnt cover everything, but for what it does cover, the Phillies dont look good. 32 friggin upvotes. The Padres made the playoffs with Gomez playing shortstop in 1996 and 1998, so they apparently didn't think he was awful there. Top 100 Players All-Time Top 100 Players . 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. Just take a look at the photodoes that look like a man who's confident he can field that grounder? As for his range, BIS graded him particularly weak going to his right. However, defensively he never seemed to really be in the right place. In 2009 while playing for an awful Nationals team that lost 103 games, Dunn started 83 games in the outfield and 66 at first base. It was a league custom. Usually, teams realize these defenders are significantly costing the team runs, and the offending player is moved to another position or benched altogether. It's one reason why Long had a .978 career fielding percentage playing center field with 21 errors. There are just zeroes. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. 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]. Youre completely missing the point, which may or not be intentional on your part. I didnt say Andujar was better, I was just establishing 1) they are comparable yet seymour singled out Andujar, 2) thats intellectually dishonest. Jose Offerman secured his place on this list with an atrocious run through the early 1990s, when he led the National League in errors three times in four years from 1992 to 1995. Manager Buck Showalter told Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com that they had every intention of sticking with Reynolds at third. worst defensive runs saved all timefee concession letter due to covid 19. world record of blood donation by single person. Theres broad consensus that errors are not a reasonable method of measuring a players complete defensive contribution and DRS and UZR (for any of their failings) are superior methods of measuring overall defensive contribution, particularly when reviewed together. It wasn't his worst, either. Look at the defensive wins against replacement. 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). In 2010, Dunn committed 13 errors at first base, second worst in the NL behind Ryan Howard. Check. 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. My word, honesty is in short frickin supply around here. His defensive WAR is one of the highest you'll find in this lineup. 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. They also rank 19th in actual wOBA on contact, with the second-greatest difference between the numbers in the league. In a career that spanned 17 seasons from 1978-94 with the Phillies, Cardinals, Royals, Braves, Pirates and Orioles, outfielder Lonnie Smith is the only player in baseball history to play in the World Series with four different organizations (the '80 and '81 Phillies, '82 Cardinals, '85 Royals, and '91 and '92 Braves) and to win a World Series Championship with three different teams in the same decade (the '80 Phillies, '82 Cardinals and '85 Royals). Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates (2005-09, 2012), Atlanta Braves (2009-11), Baltimore Orioles (2012-13), Washington Nationals (2014), Stats: 1,820 chances, 1,780 putouts, 23 assists, 17 errors. Maybe that's worth talking about another day. Except, of course, when you're only hitting .159. We hate to put Frank Thomas on this list. And Luzinski's eventual trade to the White Sox. Could Mike Trout outproduce a tanking team's entire lineup? 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. 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. Was Derek Jeter's defense at shortstop as bad as advanced metrics Updated: Friday, March 3, 2023 11:11 PM ET, Park Factors
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