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). Even a few Hall of Famers. Baseball Info Solutions tracked him with 30 good plays and 39 misplays and it's worth noting that ultimate zone rating had him at minus-23 runs and total zone at minus-31 runs. 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. 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. Defensive Runs Saved - Wikipedia Worst MLB Defensive Players of All Time | Stadium Talk [/fn] They're the mirror image of Runs Created, the metric Bill James developed . 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. 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. 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. While the surgery will no doubt help his swing, Hawpe had better hope that he can make the Rangers' 25-man roster with his bat. UZR includes errors as part of its calculation, too. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Gold Glove Awards: 4 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000), Stats: 4,823 chances, 4,710 putouts, 65 assists, 48 errors. It's a darn good thing that outfielder Ruben Sierra could hit a little bit, because he certainly wasn't kept around for his defense. Since 2002, the site uses defensive runs saved; prior to that, it uses total zone. 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. Last season, Mark Reynolds as a third baseman registered the fourth-worst season by Defensive Runs Saved in FanGraphs' entire database at -29. Check. And yet Phillies non-pitchers have a combined wRC+ of just 98, which is two points below average. Teams: Philadelphia Phillies (1983-89), New York Mets (1989), Los Angeles Dodgers (1990-92), Kansas City Royals (1992, 1995), Cincinnati Reds (1993), Detroit Tigers (1994-95), Toronto Blue Jays (1996-98), Stats: 7,048 chances, 3,572 putouts, 3,288 assists, 188 errors. We hate to put Frank Thomas on this list. And then, there were the guys who were born with hands of stone. When second baseman Steve Sax won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1982 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was regarded as a player with a lively bat, great speed and decent enough defensively. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. All rights reserved. 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. It's true that this. 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. But also consider that he's one of the worst defensive players of all time. 41 victor street, boronia heights; what happened to clifford olson son; frank lloyd wright house for sale; most nba draft picks by college in one year; worst defensive runs saved all time Teams: Tampa Bay Rays (2013-14), San Diego Padres (2015-present), Stats: 3,955 chances, 3,695 putouts, 231 assists, 29 errors. Maybe that's worth talking about another day. January 25, 2018. Baseball Info Solutions categorizes plays as good fielding plays and defensive misplays and Castellanos' total of GFP minus DM + errors ranked second worst among third basemen in 2014. And it should be clear that, at the very least, the Phillies defense has been a season-long weakness. 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. His fielding percentage, which seems normal, is deceiving because he had such little range. So all the metrics agreed that he just didn't have much range in this year. Very obviously, when a team collapses, several components have to be involved. For this calculation, we use a replacement level on defense is the league average. Do you have a blog? Escobar, who signed with the Mets with a reputation as a decent defensive third baseman, finished with a career-worst -11 Defensive Runs Saved at third base in 2022. 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. At the time, the Phillies told themselves Santana was too good of a deal to pass up. Hell, he doesnt even have 2018s worst DRS! 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. Nowhere was his awful defense more pronounced than when he played second base, where he started over 1,000 games, and his total zone runs allowed went to -89. Stats: 2,060 chances, 610 putouts, 1,367 assists, 83 errors. worst defensive runs saved all time - aima.org.af Thanks for setting me straight. He was just 37 years old. What's worse about Hill's defensive stats is he was shoved into the designated hitter role whenever teams had an opportunity to use him there to limit his defensive chances. Fielding percentage is the statistic that has traditionally been used to measure defensive ability,[6] but it fails to account for a fielder's defensive range. Gross never quite matched those numbers again throughout his career, but he did crack double-digit errors in four more seasons before his career was over. Yet UZR doesnt have information for pitchers or catchers. The Baby Braves might be ready ahead of schedule, Real or Not? The Phillies team defense has let them down, and as the headline suggests, theyre on the verge of establishing a new record. "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. I thought this article was going to be about Miguel Andujar, Still got a ways to go to enter the stars who really shouldnt be playing that position anymore division. 8. By 1993, Puckett was 33 and had put on some weight; it's perhaps instructive that the Twins moved him from center field to right field after the All-Star break. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. With 13 All-Star selections, 555 home runs and a .312 lifetime batting average, it's easy to see why outfielder Manny Ramirez clearly has numbers that should qualify him for Hall of Fame status. But they happened. 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. The glove would last him a minimum of six years because it rarely made contact with the ball. Which isn't totally fair because he was a decent hitter most of the time and had a .253 batting average. Find out more. "We think Mark is a lot better than he's shown statistically. I didnt make up those numbers, and they didnt make up those numbers. Nobody talks about errors. Next years going to come with greater expectations. Gimme some glove! Forecasting MLB's best, worst fielders 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). 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. Errors just are not a complete measure. In 2010, Dunn committed 13 errors at first base, second worst in the NL behind Ryan Howard. He might be standing out there, sweating a little more than everyone else, not as locked in as you want, overthinking it. During the eight-year career of utility-man Curt Blefary, he was given the nickname "Clank" by former teammate Frank Robinson, who claimed that the nickname represented the imaginary sound that the ball made when it banged against Blefarys glove. 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. Even this article gives a huge nod to the great caveat that must be uttered when serious people meet to discuss these advanced metrics. Hawpe was consistently ranked as one of the poorest outfielders in baseball in his prior eight seasons, according to just about every defensive metric available. During his time with the Texas Rangers, Incaviglia's nickname was "Oops," primarily because of the way he patrolled the outfield. UZR thinks this years Phillies have been very bad, but not exactly record-level bad. The DH is a wonderful thing, isn't it? On the flip side, the worst fielders usually finish around -15 or -20 Defensive Runs Saved. 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. 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. Defensive runs saved, a measurement developed by Baseball Info Solutions, paints an even harsher picture. His 11 defensive runs saved in the past three seasons are tied with J.T. However, defensively he never seemed to really be in the right place. Adam Dunn, 1B/LF/RF, 2009 Nationals (minus-43). All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. by Retrosheet. And even just at FanGraphs, theres also UZR. 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. ", Liebman quoted another source as saying Herman actually did get a bit better later in his career. In my terms, it basically means a whole bunch of guys who couldn't field if their life depended on it. 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. But when the ball did come his way it was hold-your-breath time. 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. So why did the White Sox not force Thomas into a role as their everyday designated hitter earlier in his career? Anyone who can bounce a ball off their glove 20 feet into the stands for a home run deserves a spot on this list. 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. 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. For example, if a ball hit to the center fielder is expected to be caught 30 percent of the time, the fielder will lose .3 points if he does not catch it, or will gain .7 points if he does catch it. Hill's play in the field inspired jokes among his teammates and coaches, including being compared to a fish trying to survive on dry land. Teams: Detroit Tigers (197476), Seattle Mariners (197781), Oakland Athletics (198285), Stats: 5,259 chances, 4,562 putouts, 608 assists, 89 errors. Matt Kemp, CF, 2010 Dodgers (minus-37). Just like Jason Giambi, the question needs to be asked if Canseco's admitted, consistent steroid use throughout his career contributed to his fielding woes, with the added bulk hurting his range. Officially, the Braves have sewn up the NL East, after having completed a four-game weekend sweep of the Phillies. Answer (1 of 8): Yes. There is DRS. 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. Kids, this is what happens when you don't work on your defense in practice. Polanco was the American League starter at shortstop in the 2019 All-Star Game just one year after a lengthy suspension for performance-enhancing drugs and his fielding statistics should be alarming for Twins fans. Doug Flynn's 1980 Gold Glove is one of those times. No list regarding defense in baseball, especially bad defense, would be complete without the name of Dick Stuart, aka Dr. Strangeglove. 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. He also was one of the worst fielders ever to be jammed onto a lineup card. Which is bad. He played 15 seasons for seven different teams that tried to make him an everyday player at six different positions. So let's take a look at his undoing. Manny's "amazing" catch of a Johnny Damon relay is absolutely priceless. 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.". The Worst A.J. They also rank 19th in actual wOBA on contact, with the second-greatest difference between the numbers in the league. In both 2013 and 2015, Burnett had -5 defensive runs saved, but ironically, those were arguably his best. Overall, things have worked out okay, but they havent worked out well enough to win, and win consistently. Most notably, the Astros traded Kenny Lofton for Taubensee, straight up, after the 1991 season. To say that outfielder Jose Canseco was defensively challenged is a bit like saying that Babe Ruth was just a better than average slugger. Teams: Oakland Athletics (197683), Baltimore Orioles (198485), Oakland Athletics (1986), Stats: 3,182 chances, 1,549 putouts, 1,490 assists, 143 errors. 32 friggin upvotes. The 43 errors he committed that season for the Red Sox were the most since 1949 and hasn't been matched since, and his fielding percentage of .866 is the lowest in the modern era of baseball. But for now, just focus on the Phillies. Yet theres a chance that doesnt happen, and, even if it does, there are defensive improvements worth thinking about. Updated: Friday, March 3, 2023 11:11 PM ET, Park Factors There are just zeroes. Its true that this season isnt yet over. Jeter is the worst defensive player of all time by advanced defensive metrics, with a career Defensive Runs Saved total of -155. Damon was able to read fly balls easily off the bat while Long, for the entirety of his career, would freeze or move in the wrong direction. In this day and age, theres no reason not to explore further. 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. Statcast Outs Above Average Leaderboard | baseballsavant.com Santanas been a useful first baseman, and Hoskins has been a useful left fielder. 2011 Best: 4.7 runs by Johnny Damon, 2011 Worst: -4.8 runs by Albert Pujols. 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. Call it noise if you want. Still, even then the tools are there. They did, however, cost him being a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Where Meyer was truly terrible was in the field. While the numbers above don't appear to be horrible, noted baseball statistician Bill James once said that Smith should teach a course in "defensive recovery and cost containment" since he spent so much of his time working on it. 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. Well, he hadn't played the position much before that and isn't exactly quick to begin with, so it's easy to assume he combined a lack of range with a lack of experience. We present them here for purely educational purposes. 5. Mookies BA will not be considered in his MVP, assuming he beats JDM. Why is Eduardo Escobar a defender to watch in 2023? In order to be a truly terrible defensive catcher and still stay on the roster, you have to be a heck of a hitter. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda tried to get into Guerrero's head to uncover his fielding struggles and asked what he was thinking playing third base in the ninth inning of a tie game. For once (anyone who mjakes a comment like that has a problem with it). Fielders who can cover a large area on defense are able to make plays that most players would not have the chance to make. 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. Guerrero's 165 career errors make a lot more sense now. I don't think anyone is going to defend Dunn's defense. 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. Outs above average also had Devers as a . Jedlovec included Ryan's best and worst plays from 2011-12, too. It is no surprise that this Top 10 list consists of many AL and NL All-Stars. Sean Murphy. These are the worst glovemen of all time at every position. Diamondbacks primed to bury Dodgers, Losing Corey Seager leaves Dodgers' season on the brink. The chances of the Phillies making up that ground are exceptionally slim. Thats worth something, too. The ability to handle a pitching staff, call a game, throw out baserunners and be a good receiver certainly can never be underscored. His total zone runs allowed over those two years was a staggering -68, including 14 errors and a .956 fielding percentage in 2008. | Glossary", "What is a Defensive Runs Saved (DRS)? In retrospect, you could say the story of the 2018 Phillies is represented by the acquisition of Carlos Santana. The tradeoff? With a defense so bad, you need to be able to hit. 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. The official scorer of the game took pity on Jolley, actually only giving him two errors. During his time in the National League, Dunn played left field, right field and first base, and none of them with any degree of skill. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted 7. 4. In fact, Lugo in many ways represented the anti-Ozzie in terms of defense. Whatever the Phillies have done right, DRS hasnt seen it. 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. Kiermaier set the record for most defensive runs saved (DRS) in a season -- which BIS has calculated going back to 2003 -- when he saved the Rays 42 . These are the worst glovemen of all time at every position. Im certain thats a part of it. He was a huge dude and while his outfield defense wasn't terrible in his first few years, he soon became huge and slow. 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. Here, then, is a list of 40 of the worst defensive players in MLB history. 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. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Many thanks to him. Derek Jeter is Statistically the Worst Fielder in Baseball History 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. Bogaerts rates six runs worse than average, 23rd among 24 qualified shortstops. He was marginally better at second, and even a little better at first, but his original time at shortstop was certainly memorable for all the wrong reasons. 1. His overall defense has suffered as well. Even a few Hall of Famers. usa cycling masters road national championships 2021 lore olympus is bad declaration of voluntary surrender of driving licence Good plays and misplays runs saved: runs saved by heads-up-plays. 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. 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. On the flip side, Madlock won four National League batting titles and was a three-time All-Star. [11] Note that the totals for both Beltr and Jeter only reflect 2003 onward, even though both players began their MLB careers earlier. But while he looks bad Devers is definitely the better fielder, and it isnt even close. Youll recall they were the team that, in spring training, experimented with swapping left and right fielders based on the handedness of the hitter. Teammate Pedro Guerrero was an emergency third baseman who famously summed up Sax's struggles when he said, "My main thought was 'I hope they don't hit it to me.' 2. As you can see, the Royals are, quite literally, at the bottom of this list. Sheesh! But Santana hasnt quite been that effective at the plate, while Hoskins, in the field, has been a massive liability. 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. 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.