A Defense-ible Position

One of the most oft-repeated phrases in all of sports is "Don't beat yourself." In baseball that translates into not giving the opposing team extra outs. Defense, particularly infield defense, becomes important in maintaining a team's consistency when the more fickle of baseball's facets, hitting and fielding, fail to produce at the required level. In an era where the long ball is not only pursued, it is expected, slugging appears to be the golden brick road to October. How frequently do you hear the signings of big bashing sluggers lauded in the bars and the sports pages, while the signings of light-hitting defenders barely raises a whisper. Two of the more interesting signings in the last several days have been Jerry Hairston avoiding arbitration with the Cubs by picking up a one year deal worth a little over 2 million dollars to be the Chicago Cubs' uber-utility man, and Alex Gonzalez (from the Marlins) poised to sign a one year, 3 million dollar deal with the Boston Red Sox. Both of these deals involve players employed more for their glove than their bat, and both seem to be indicating a trending away from purely offensive baseball, to a more balanced form. The Cubs and the Red Sox are teams that have typically built their teams around offense, primarily because of the dimensions of their home ballpark, but the emergence of "balanced" teams over the last several years has somehow penetrated the mindset of front offices in numerous places, leading to some interesting evolutions, in Boston most notably.

The dominant perception in the New England media and amongst the average fans is that the 2006 Red Sox have taken a step backwards. They lost Johnny Damon, failed to fully replace the "best leadoff man in baseball" (not true), inherited an overpaid 3B, and dumped Renteria for a man who has a career OBP under .300. But is the panic perception accurate? I don't believe so. The answer lies in the gloves of Alex Gonzalez, Coco Crisp, and Mark Loretta, and in the importance of defense on the general level.

In 2004, the Red Sox managed to win the World Series with some of the most miserable defense you've ever seen. In the Series itself, Boston set the record for most errors in a World Series game in Game 1, and then matched that record in Game 2. In an infield that featured Kentucky Fried Kevin Millar, Mark Bellhorn, Orlando Cabrera and Bill Mueller, the Sox outslugged a Cardinals team that featured Gold Glovers at 3B and SS, as well as a decent defender in Albert Pujols at 1B. Of course, the Sox won the Series because of two overwhelming factors: their ridiculous offense, and the lights-out pitching of Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling. Having the offense and pitching fire in such a dramatic and synchronous manner is a matter of luck. Even as a a fan who was convinced in midseason it was going to be Boston and St. Louis in the Series, it really was luck.

The Cardinals, however, featured a far more balanced approach to the game. They had their sluggers, and they had their pitching (though without Carpenter it was not as good as it could've been), but the difference maker, in my opinion, was their defense. The Cardinals didn't give away outs. Here's a look at their defensive numbers from 2004:

Catchers Inn GS G PO A E DP FP PB
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---
MMatheny 977 110 122 742 58 1 10 .999 2
YMolina 344 39 51 256 16 2 1 .993 4
CMcKay 132 13 18 75 12 0 1 1.000 3
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---
Team Total 1453 162 162 1073 86 3 12 .997 9
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---

First Base Inn GS G PO A E DP .993 *9.51
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
APujols 1338 150 150 1458 114 10 136 .994 10.57
JMabry 98 11 14 90 16 2 6 .981 9.73
JEdmonds 9 1 1 9 1 0 0 1.000 10.00
MAnderson 4 0 2 3 0 0 0 1.000 6.75
CMcKay 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 1.000 6.00
MMatheny 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1.000 9.00
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1453 162 162 1563 131 12 142 .993 10.49
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

Second Base Inn GS G PO A E DP .982 *5.01
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
TWomack 1113 125 133 225 391 15 81 .976 4.98
MAnderson 224 24 37 55 70 4 20 .969 5.02
HLuna 92 10 19 24 33 0 6 1.000 5.53
BHart 24 3 4 6 9 0 4 1.000 5.62
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1453 162 162 310 503 19 111 .977 5.03
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

Third Base Inn GS G PO A E DP .956 *2.76
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
SRolen 1228 139 141 93 325 10 23 .977 3.06
JMabry 122 14 20 10 27 3 3 .925 2.72
HLuna 87 8 16 4 19 2 3 .920 2.36
CMcKay 15 0 7 1 2 1 0 .750 1.72
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1453 162 162 108 373 16 29 .968 2.98
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

Shortstop Inn GS G PO A E DP .973 *4.45
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
ERenteria 1307 148 149 222 419 11 92 .983 4.41
HLuna 144 14 24 33 57 5 12 .947 5.61
BHart 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000 0.00
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1453 162 162 255 476 16 104 .979 4.53
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

Left Field Inn GS G PO A E DP .980 *1.85
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
RLankford 392 43 66 82 1 4 0 .954 1.91
RSanders 297 36 38 66 2 1 1 .986 2.06
JMabry 225 25 39 48 0 1 0 .980 1.92
STaguchi 192 15 53 40 0 2 0 .952 1.88
MAnderson 165 21 28 36 2 1 1 .974 2.07
RCedeno 133 17 23 18 2 0 0 1.000 1.35
HLuna 32 4 8 7 0 0 0 1.000 1.95
CPorter 15 1 6 5 0 0 0 1.000 2.94
JSimontacch 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000 0.00
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1453 162 162 302 7 9 2 .972 1.91
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----


CenterField Inn GS G PO A E DP .987 *2.53
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
JEdmonds 1241 141 146 314 11 4 2 .988 2.36
STaguchi 176 18 31 43 0 0 0 1.000 2.19
RLankford 21 2 4 3 0 0 0 1.000 1.29
HLuna 10 1 2 2 0 0 0 1.000 1.80
CPorter 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 .000 0.00
LWalker 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000 0.00
JMabry 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000 0.00
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1453 162 162 362 11 4 2 .989 2.31
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

Right Field Inn GS G PO A E DP .980 *2.09
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
RSanders 652 76 81 132 4 3 0 .978 1.88
LWalker 337 40 41 58 1 1 0 .983 1.57
RCedeno 202 23 35 29 0 0 0 1.000 1.29
JMabry 114 12 25 21 0 0 0 1.000 1.65
STaguchi 76 3 28 16 1 0 0 1.000 2.01
CPorter 39 4 8 7 0 0 0 1.000 1.62
MAnderson 32 4 11 8 0 2 0 .800 2.20
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1453 162 162 271 6 6 0 .979 1.71
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

Pitchers Inn GS G PO A E DP .965 *1.84
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
MMorris 202 32 32 17 29 1 2 .979 2.05
JMarquis 201 32 32 21 31 3 1 .945 2.32
WWilliams 189 31 31 20 31 3 2 .944 2.42
JSuppan 188 31 31 10 30 1 0 .976 1.91
CCarpenter 182 28 28 12 34 1 4 .979 2.27
JIsringhaus 75 0 74 3 18 0 0 1.000 2.51
CEldred 67 0 52 1 12 0 1 1.000 1.75
JTavarez 64 0 77 7 9 0 0 1.000 2.24
RKing 62 0 86 9 11 1 0 .952 2.90
SKline 50 0 67 4 10 0 0 1.000 2.50
DHaren 46 5 14 2 7 1 1 .900 1.76
KCalero 45 0 41 2 9 0 0 1.000 2.19
MLincoln 17 0 13 1 2 1 0 .750 1.56
JSimontacch 15 0 13 3 3 0 1 1.000 3.53
RFlores 14 1 9 0 0 0 0 .000 0.00
AReyes 12 2 12 3 1 0 0 1.000 3.00
RAnkiel 10 0 5 1 3 0 0 1.000 3.60
CCali 7 0 10 0 0 0 0 .000 0.00
JPearce 2 0 3 0 1 0 0 1.000 3.91
CMcKay 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 1.000 4.50
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1453 162 162 117 241 12 12 .968 2.22
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

In looking at these stats, the only position where the Cardinals were below league average in both fielding percentage and range (the league average is listed in the header of each category except catcher) is right field. At second base and left field, their fielding percentage was slightly below average, but one can conclude that they made up for it with their above average range. Center field was the opppsite, where Jim Edmonds' range was just below average, but the FP was above average. We can rate the 2004 Cardinals as a defensive plus.

The 2004 Red Sox, on the other hand, headed in a different direction:

Catchers Inn GS G PO A E DP FP PB
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---
JVaritek 1062 121 130 880 49 2 11 .998 5
DMirabelli 375 41 53 285 18 2 2 .993 13
SMartinez 11 0 3 6 0 0 0 1.000 0
ADominique 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 1.000 0
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---
Team Total 1451 162 162 1172 67 4 13 .997 18
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---

First Base Inn GS G PO A E DP .994 *9.31
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
KMillar 512 66 69 466 58 6 45 .989 9.21
DMcCarty 288 25 67 287 30 3 23 .991 9.91
DMientkiewi 272 26 47 263 25 1 14 .997 9.53
DOrtiz 260 31 34 253 21 4 23 .986 9.47
BDaubach 100 13 14 100 10 2 9 .982 9.90
ADominique 19 1 5 25 1 1 2 .963 12.32
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1451 162 162 1394 145 17 116 .989 9.54
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

Second Base Inn GS G PO A E DP .982 *4.95
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
MBellhorn 1044 118 124 189 350 11 61 .980 4.64
PReese 152 18 30 49 63 1 15 .991 6.63
BMueller 120 14 14 22 34 3 6 .949 4.20
RGutierrez 68 5 14 15 24 0 6 1.000 5.16
CCrespo 59 6 11 12 19 0 3 1.000 4.67
DMientkiewi 7 1 1 2 2 0 1 1.000 5.14
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1451 162 162 289 492 15 92 .981 4.84
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

Third Base Inn GS G PO A E DP .951 *2.64
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
BMueller 827 94 96 71 162 14 15 .943 2.53
KYoukilis 506 54 65 47 106 5 7 .968 2.72
MBellhorn 108 13 16 10 31 3 2 .932 3.39
ESnyder 9 1 1 2 3 0 0 1.000 5.00
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1451 162 162 130 302 22 24 .952 2.68
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

Shortstop Inn GS G PO A E DP .972 *4.56
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
PReese 507 56 71 85 189 6 37 .979 4.86
OCabrera 491 57 57 78 147 8 23 .966 4.12
NGarciaparr 311 37 37 52 81 6 17 .957 3.85
CCrespo 96 7 27 20 30 3 8 .943 4.67
RGutierrez 36 3 6 7 9 1 3 .941 4.00
MBellhorn 9 1 1 2 3 0 1 1.000 5.00
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1451 162 162 244 459 24 89 .967 4.36
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

Left Field Inn GS G PO A E DP .983 *2.04
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
MRamirez 1087 132 132 198 4 7 0 .967 1.67
KMillar 116 13 20 25 0 0 0 1.000 1.94
GKapler 64 5 18 13 0 0 0 1.000 1.82
DRoberts 50 2 18 10 0 0 0 1.000 1.80
DMcCarty 47 5 10 6 1 0 1 1.000 1.34
BDaubach 44 5 6 7 1 0 0 1.000 1.64
AHyzdu 27 0 11 6 0 0 0 1.000 2.00
CCrespo 15 0 10 2 0 0 0 1.000 1.18
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1451 162 162 267 6 7 1 .975 1.69
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

CenterField Inn GS G PO A E DP .988 *2.64
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
JDamon 1256 145 148 349 5 5 2 .986 2.54
GKapler 92 9 17 24 1 2 0 .926 2.45
DRoberts 74 6 16 18 0 0 0 1.000 2.19
CCrespo 29 2 7 10 0 0 0 1.000 3.10
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1451 162 162 401 6 7 2 .983 2.52
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

Right Field Inn GS G PO A E DP .983 *2.22
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
GKapler 590 59 101 133 5 2 0 .986 2.10
KMillar 425 53 55 96 1 3 0 .970 2.05
TNixon 306 36 40 63 1 1 0 .985 1.88
DRoberts 86 11 14 25 1 1 1 .963 2.72
DMcCarty 21 1 7 7 0 0 0 1.000 3.00
CCrespo 9 1 2 1 0 0 0 1.000 1.00
BDaubach 8 1 1 1 0 0 0 1.000 1.12
AHyzdu 5 0 4 0 0 0 0 .000 0.00
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1451 162 162 326 8 7 1 .979 2.07
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

Pitchers Inn GS G PO A E DP .948 *1.66
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
CSchilling 226 32 32 16 14 0 2 1.000 1.19
PMartinez 217 33 33 16 16 1 0 .970 1.33
TWakefield 188 30 32 12 26 4 1 .905 1.82
DLowe 182 33 33 22 39 3 1 .953 3.00
BArroyo 178 29 32 24 16 2 2 .952 2.01
KFoulke 83 0 72 5 11 0 1 1.000 1.73
MTimlin 76 0 76 9 6 0 0 1.000 1.77
AEmbree 52 0 71 5 7 0 0 1.000 2.07
RMendoza 30 0 27 4 5 0 0 1.000 2.64
SWilliamson 28 0 28 3 2 0 0 1.000 1.57
CLeskanic 27 0 32 0 2 0 0 1.000 0.65
LDiNardo 27 0 22 4 3 2 0 .778 2.27
TAdams 27 0 19 3 1 1 0 .800 1.33
MMalaska 20 0 19 1 6 1 0 .875 3.15
BKim 17 3 7 3 3 1 0 .857 3.12
MMyers 15 0 25 0 5 0 0 1.000 3.00
AMartinez 10 0 11 1 0 0 0 1.000 0.84
PAstacio 8 1 5 1 0 0 0 1.000 1.03
JBrown 7 0 4 0 0 0 0 .000 0.00
JAnderson 6 0 5 1 0 0 0 1.000 1.50
AAlvarez 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 1.000 1.80
DMcCarty 3 0 3 0 1 0 0 1.000 2.43
PSeibel 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 1.000 2.43
BJones 3 0 3 0 1 0 0 1.000 2.73
JNelson 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 .000 0.00
FCastillo 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 .000 0.00
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----
Team Total 1451 162 162 131 165 15 7 .952 1.84
-----------+----+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----+-----

The Sox only had true pluses at 3B and P, while 1B was surprisingly above average in range, but below average in FPct. It's well-documented that the Red Sox played .500 baseball for much of the 2004 season, and it wasn't until the trade of Nomar Garciaparra for Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz that the infield defense picked up, and the Sox began to seriously for the postseason. They were a clear minus, defensively, and it is only thanks to the timeliness of their hitting and pitching that they were able to survive the postseason.

In 2005, the Red Sox were posted a team FPct of .982 (against an American League average of .983) and only 2 clubs in all of MLB turned fewer double plays. The 2005 Red Sox no longer boasted Mientkiewicz at 1B, leaving only Kevin Millar to man the right corner until the team acquired John Olerud midway through the season. Second base was held mainly by Mark Bellhorn who, while not terrible defensively, is not exactly a boon to defensive statistics. Edgar Renteria, who was picked up to provide Gold Gove defense in the shortstop position, posted FPct and range numbers below league average, all while committing a league-leading 30 errors. Inconsistent defense, partnered with inconsistent starting pitching and consistently terrible relief pitching put the burden on the shoulders of the offense. If not for the Damon-Ortiz-Ramirez machine, chances are the Sox would not have regained their spot in the playoffs.

The 2005 WS Champion Chicago White Sox demonstrated a successful mix of pitching, defense, and offense. When their pitching and offense was not overwhelming, .985 FPct and 166 double plays turned helped keep the ship steady. They posted above average fielding numbers at C, 1B, 3B, SS, and P, though below average at 2B and RF, with CF right about average. Their pitching was dominant, their offense was at times overwhelming, but when those two things failed to come through, a plus defensive team helped negate the downside and overcome the difficulty. They didn't give away outs.

It is no secret that the Red Sox have lost some of the offensive luster they possessed in 2004 and 2005, but all is not lost. What they will miss in the bat they will make up with the glove. In my opinion, just the fact that they won't have Kevin Millar (whom I love as a clubhouse presence but hate as a regular position player) at 1B means they're a significantly improved defensive club.

Johnny Damon was very good CF defensively, and Coco Crisp, while not still as good, is very much a solid defender. His range is not quite as good, but his hands are steady. Alex Gonzalez and Edgar Renteria, Bill Mueller and Mike Lowell all seemingly cancel out, as Renteria's one bad year is really not enough to tank his career fielding numbers. Youkilis and Millar more or less cancel out, but if an edge were to be given it would be to Youk, as a nod to his age and ability to learn from someone like J.T. Snow, with whom he will be platooning.

The big difference comes in 2B. While Tony Graffanino was consistent for the second half of the season, he is statistically a below average defender. Mark Loretta, who came over from the Padres in the trade for Doug Mirabelli, is significantly above average with the glove, and just that one upgrade in the middle of the infield could very well make the Red Sox a better team in 2006 than in 2005. They may not hit the ball as hard in all spot of the lineup, but the balls they take out of the air will help make up for that, and past successful teams illustrate that point.