Here are some of the top 2009 picks who were above the 800 BIP threshold in each of the last two college seasons: The +/- column gives plays above or below average for the combination of the last two seasons per 2400 balls in play (approximately 100 games). Right field, because young players dont hit the ball very far in the air, and because 80% of athletes are right handed, fewer hard-hit fly balls will go to the opposite field (right field for a right-handed hitter). Alexei Ramirez can be considered a veteran at this point, but he's still pretty spry. on base hits. A batting average may be sacrificed for a great leader in the field. Its both important to be well-rounded AND strong at 1-2 positions, but here are some common mistakes made by softball families. Sullivan of MLB.com, Texas manager Ron Washington had this to say about Andrus: He has been outstanding. Gary Sheffield, 3B, 1993 Padres/Marlins (minus-31). Sometimes its simply because the coach is more familiar with the player abilities and skills etc but sometimes unfortunately its seems to be pure favoritism. Division 1 Pitch velocity: 84 MPH consistently; up to 95+ MPH Command of at least 3 pitches ERA: below 2.00 At least 1 K per inning pitched Walk less than 1 batter per 2 innings pitched Division 2 Pitch velocity: 82 MPH - 90+ MPH Your email address will not be published. A Division I middle infield recruit will generally run between a 6.5 and a 6.8 60 yard dash. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. My son will be playing in Left Fielder for the first time, but to play I want him to be able to understand all the other positions. Volpe has proven himself to be a big-league defender and a legitimate threat on the base paths. Andrus' Range Factor is surprising and unfortunate, seeing as the rest of his numbers are quite impressive. The 25-year-old has a RF of 4.66 which has him sitting in fifth place, while his DPR of -0.1 (16th) is below-average to middling. All orgs will receive a full list. copyright=new Date(); Sandwiched around this all-time bad season are two Gold Glove honors in 2009 and 2011. The longest games in Major League history (both leagues) with no chances offered to a . When Andruw Jones first came to the big leagues (with the Atlanta Braves), he'd make plays in the outfield, and we'd go: "Oh, man, did you see that?" Skip ahead anywhere in this article on softball positioning this applies both to fastpitch and slowpitch, though slowpitch is NOT the focus of this article. Oakland promoted him to Kane County thanks to a solid offensive performance last season, but in 79 games this year, hes played 61 at third base and zero at shortstop. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. And check out my [Shes Got a Cannon] Softball Overhand Throwing Courses. Height and Weight for MIFs are really not as important as the key measurables and obviously the technical offensive and defensive ability. I cried all the way home." With that in mind, lets turn our attention to shortstop defense. A good shortstop is always in need for a college coach and for programs at this level its no different. 1 because not only does he lead UZR, dWAR and DRS, but he leads them by an enormous margin. Fielding percentage: .977 (four-way tie for 11th). The statistic is premised on the notion that the total number of outs in which a player participates is more relevant in evaluating that player's defensive play than the percentage of . 60 Yard Dash: 7.0 or below Velocity from the INF: 78+ MPH from SS Stats: OB%: .400 Slugging: .500 Coach Keys: Athleticism, knowledge of the game, and leadership skills are necessary for shortstops at this level. Top middle infielders are evaluated first from a defensive standpoint, and then from an hitting standpoint. The 2008-09 correlation was a bit. FPCT: Fielding Percentage; RF: Range Factor; That can be attributed to a good amount of added strength, using his body more efficiently in the box and employing a more direct bat path consistently. Many thanks to him. Ramirez's recent onslaught of errors is cause for concern, but the rest of his numbers still put him among the premier shortstops in the game. Cabrera's RF of 4.65 is a laudable sixth place in the majors whereas his 0.9 DPR puts him in a tie for fifth. The formula is simple: the total number of putouts and assists by a defender, divided by the total number of chances (putouts, assists and errors). 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. 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. Last year, he was actually recognized by American League managers as the best defensive shortstop in the AL, and in an interview with T.R. Top middle infielders will also be able to hit at a high level. As seen in the accompanying video, Florimon has quick hands and is generally speedy. In fact, only sixteen (14.3%) played 50 or more games at shortstop as 28-year-olds-a combination of injury attrition, moving to other positions, or manning a backup/utility role that didn't. Do you have a sports website? Although the remaining candidates hold the top two RFs, Tulo's range is arguably more impressive given that his genetic makeup is atypical for a shortstop. He was last year's Gold Glove winner as well as Wilson's Orioles' Defensive Player of the Year. The corner outfielders, shortstop and second baseman are typically the fastest players on a competitive fastpitch softball team. Of course, theres more to college fielding stats than a talked-up third baseman. And we'd talk about it for days. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. Bumped to second base for the 2009 season. Shortstops at this level will be missing a few elements of the top shortstop, but they still make plays and contribute in the line-up. They dont have to be big and hit for power, so they are often smaller players. 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. Probably not. What is a decent fielding percentage for a shortstop? Speed is still a quality that coaches will look for. Why should I tweet when a college checks me out on Go Big? Sunday Notes: Bill Haselman Recalls the Brawl That Almost Broke Cal's Streak, Effectively Wild Episode 2000: We Thought of More Things We Like About Baseball, The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 1169 Sunday FAAB ft. Michael Govier, Starting Pitchers Arent Leaning On Their Best Pitches, I looked at some notable defensive performances among college third basemen. Which is the hardest position? Cabrera just narrowly missed the cut here. I dont think scouts generally talk about Beckham as a liability in the fieldjust a guy who cant stick at shortstop. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 4. Join our linker program. Find out more. Am I good enough to play softball in college? The hope for the Tigers is that Castellanos is young enough to improve, but he needs a lot of improvement just to become league average. . In the article, I didnt try to resolve the sort-of-contradiction between Beckhams excellent stats and the conventional wisdom that he cant stick at shortstop. It can certainly contribute to the discussion, but until a few more years go by and we can combine the data with professional records for these college players, we dont know just how worthwhile it is. I appreciate your content. Some players have the mindset of I only play third base! Please post more of this stuff because now I know that for example 3rd is not a fit at all unlike left field. In general, positions are more likely to be filled with people with more experience than others. Is it true that the coachs daughter is normally a pitcher? You must be signed in to continue. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Buster Olney ranked his top 10 team defenses in his blog post Thursday, which got me thinking about bad defense. The quickness of the exchange on his relays and DP turns are as good as I have ever seen, and have been instrumental in saving a number of games. For shortstops who were in the field for 800 or more balls in play (roughly 33 games) in both 2007 and 2008, the year-to-year correlation was approximately 0.29. Great infielders at the highest level of baseball have a fielding percentage of . Twelve innings: Irv Ray of Boston on August 15, 1888, John Gochnaur of Cleveland on July 14, 1903, Billy Rogell of Detroit on June 16, 1937, Andre Rogers of San Francisco on July 9, 1960, Ernie Riles of Milwaukee on August 3, 1986 and Khalil Greene of San Diego on August 1, 2004. * Imminent Big Leaguers article. In May, Mike Bauman of MLB.com predicted that Escobar would eventually win a Gold Glove. However, some positions (especially first baseman) may have substantially more putouts because of a superior infield around them that commits fewer errors and turns many double plays, allowing them to receive credit for more putouts. Tulo's UZR, range and fielding percentage could have him vying for runner-up on this list, but unlike Hardy, his durability is a blaring issue. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Troy Tulowitzki is not your typical shortstop. Drew's numbers aren't outstanding, but they do speak to his point, as does the video above. You have to be honest with yourself about the demands of the position and whether or not its a good fit. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. About Sharing Tools. Fielding percentage is a very simple measurement. 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. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. Much like Derek Jeter, there has been a lot of divisiveness over the years about Kemp's defense. Rickie Weeks, 2B, 2012 Brewers (minus-30). Later, the shortstop was moved but the number six stuck. Current Greats: Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Jacob deGrom, Miguel Cabrera, Zack Greinke, Jose Altuve, . I'd say the Hardy play shown above falls under "things that other people can't do." near the top. Braun fielded just .895, making 26 errors in 112 games, and made .57 fewer plays per nine innings than the average third baseman. 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. Just wait, he's salvageable. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The Designated Hitter is a player who only hits, and hits in place of the pitcher. The numbers are regressed based on the playing time of each shortstop. 5. Join our linker program. J.J. Hardy is quintessential durability. Defensive metrics aren't as foolproof as some other numbers, so let's dig deeper into what may have caused these poor ratings. Still, that's nearly one fewer play every two games. His DPR of one impressively has Ryan in a tie for third. Catchers have an extremely demanding role on the team both physically and mentally. In that same Abraham article, Boston Red Sox manager John Farell praised Drew for what he's brought to the team: Hes in many ways a very dependable defender. It's a combination of control, cat-like reflexes and pure athleticism. Every time I take ground balls when working out, Im always in a game mode. Yet, playing lots of positions with average skill isnt better than playing a few really well. Component metrics are significantly more specific, and so are less telling of a shortstop's overall ability, but they did factor into my decisions somewhat. Join our linker program. Pro/Con of going online for senior yr and not playing hs ball. Center field requires lots of speed and great fly ball reading ability. Hardy makes it into the top four due to the current number of weighty third-place standings he holds. In Girls HS softball, can a team play 3 infielders and 4 outfielders (rover)? Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. Do you have a blog? All rights reserved. What is considered a good fielding percentage often varies based on the position, but a good fielding percentage in high school baseball is about .940 and above. Required fields are marked *. Simmons is No. Michael Young, SS, 2005 Rangers (minus-32). Its important to understand the positional numbers so that a proper scorebook can be kept and players understand the lineup and dugout card. This should be the best athlete on the field, but these shortstops aren't playing at higher levels because of a lack of speed and lateral quickness. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. [1] This, in combination with his impressive UZR, gives Drew a leg up on Ramirez, who seems on the precipice of falling apart despite great numbers. 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. It's hard to top this list's No. I dont know if flashy is the word, but he can do things that other people cant do. and play-by-play data provided by Sports Info Solutions. Thanks for reading I hope this overview of positions was helpful! Here's how Ramirez measures up: Ramirez has a UZR of 4.0, which slots him ninth among qualifying shortstops, and his dWAR of 1.1 (tied for fourth place) does him one better. Double-play turns for lefty middle infielders are nearly impossible. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Sign up for my email list youll get my free throwing ebook and updates on new videos and articles like this one. For batting rate stats, generally a minimum of 3.1 Plate Appearances/G, 1.0 IP/G, 0.67 Gm and Chances/Team Game (fielding), 0.2 SB att/Team Game (catchers), and 0.1 SB att/Team Game (baserunners only since 1951), and 0.1 decision/G for single-season leaderboards generally needed for rate statistics. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Fielding Percentage M. Olson 1B ATL Matt Olson 1B ATL 24 : 24 : 195 . Fielding Percentage (FPCT) = (put outs + assists) (put outs + assists + errors). Sometimes, it seems like Elvis Andrus has been a longtime Texas Ranger, but he's only 24. Before we get going, check out this video about throwing speed by age for fastpitch players. He's still a fairly young 26, so it's definitely plausible that his other stats could improve as he moves into his prime. Rankings of Negro League players should consider that Negro League data is not complete. 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. 0. In an interview with Bauman, Kansa City Royals manager Ned Yost sung Escobar's praises after a game in which the shortstop made a game-saving, slick play: He's as good as anybody. In other words, when aluminum is involved, hard hit balls turn every infielder into a third baseman. anything but a shortstop!) As seen in the accompanying video, he's got great instincts and can think well on his feet. In left field, he made 1.80 plays per game while teammate Josh Willingham -- hardly known as a plus fielder himself -- made 2.17. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 5. Coach Dan Blewett, Pingback: Softball Batting Power: 5 Ways to Increase It, Pingback: Two Pitch-Calling Mistakes that Cause High Pitch Counts - Elite Baseball Performance, Pingback: How to Create High-Velocity Softball Throwing Mechanics, Pingback: 5 Easy Ways Softball Players Can Throw Harder - Coach Dan Blewett. The composite metrics are the most comprehensive (and wildly complicated) statistics, so I weighed them more than the rest when making my choices.
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