On the heels of By the Numbers: Pitching, here is my submission for the defensive angle of the 2015 APBA baseball set.
I’ll take a look at the distribution of the defense ratings in the 2015 APBA baseball season and point out some of the highlights (and maybe some of the lowlights too!).
Note: ratings noted are all positions listed on players not just their primary position.
Let’s get started.
Catcher
There was only one Catcher-5 in the 2015 set. The interesting thing was that it was Colorado’s Wilin Rosario who was a starting catcher only a year ago.
| Rating | Distribution |
| C-5 | 1 |
| C-6 | 4 |
| C-7 | 31 |
| C-8 | 27 |
| C-9 | 4 |
These were the top catchers in the 2015 set with a Catcher-9 rating. All were full-time.
| Catcher | Team | Def at C |
| Russell Martin | TOR | 9 |
| Yadier Molina | STL | 9 |
| Buster Posey | SF | 9 |
| Salvador Perez | KC | 9 |
Just to throw this in here. Here are the best arms in the majors. None of these catchers corresponded with those with C-9 ratings. In fact, most had J-4 ratings.
| Catcher | Team | Cat. Thr. |
| Christian Bethancourt | ATL | 5 |
| Chris Herrmann | MIN | 4 |
| Sandy Leon | BOS | 4 |
| Jesus Sucre | SEA | 4 |
First base
As typical with most years, 1B-2 tends to dominate not only because of second stringers but because designated hitters who tend to get the low fielding rating.
| Rating | Distribution |
| 1B-2 | 72 |
| 1B-3 | 46 |
| 1B-4 | 19 |
| 1B-5 | 8 |
Second base
The second base position sees a more even bell curve with 2B-7 getting a high number of the total secondbaseman.
| Rating | Distribution |
| 2B-5 | 5 |
| 2B-6 | 25 |
| 2B-7 | 58 |
| 2B-8 | 20 |
| 2B-9 | 4 |
The best secondbaseman in the majors…
| Secondbase | Team | Def at 2B |
| Danny Espinosa | WAS | 9 |
| Dee Gordon | MIA | 9 |
| D.J. Lemahieu | COL | 9 |
| Ian Kinsler | DET | 9 |
Shortstop
Again, a more even curve for the shortstops. A total of eleven SS-9 or better in the MLB.
| Rating | Distribution |
| SS-6 | 8 |
| SS-7 | 30 |
| SS-8 | 44 |
| SS-9 | 10 |
| SS-10 | 1 |
Atlanta’s Andrelton Simmons is the lone wolf on the hill with a SS-10 rating. I’m including those with a SS-9 rating so he won’t feel alone.
| Shortstop | Team | Def at SS |
| Andrelton Simmons | ATL | 10 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | TOR | 9 |
| Nick Ahmed | ARI | 9 |
| Addison Russell | CHC | 9 |
| Francisco Lindor | CLE | 9 |
| Alcides Escobar | KC | 9 |
| Adeiny Hechavarria | MIA | 9 |
| Jordy Mercer | PIT | 9 |
| J.J. Hardy | BAL | 9 |
| Zack Cozart | CIN | 9 |
| Brandon Crawford | SF | 9 |
Third base
I left the zero by the 3B-6 there intentionally. There is no top rated third baseman in the 2015 set. There IS a player with the rare 3B-2, however. Cincinnati shortstop Kris Negron has that rating.
Historically, third base has more players rated 3B-3 than any others combined. This year is no exception.
| Rating | Distribution |
| 3B-2 | 1 |
| 3B-3 | 80 |
| 3B-4 | 34 |
| 3B-5 | 10 |
| 3B-6 | 0 |
| Third Base | Team | Def at 3B |
| Kris Negron | CIN | 2 |
Outfield
The outfield position is pretty evenly distributed between OF-1 and OF-2 with slightly less outfielders getting the top OF-3 rating.
| Rating | Distribution |
| OF-1 | 89 |
| OF-2 | 90 |
| OF-3 | 47 |
At 38, LA’s Yasiel Puig has the top Master Game arm among outfielders with seven more tied for second.
| Best OF Arm | Team | Arm |
| Yasiel Puig | LAD | 38 |
| Carlos Gomez | HOU | 37 |
| Jeff Francoeur | PHI | 37 |
| Gregory Polanco | PIT | 37 |
| Josh Reddick | OAK | 37 |
| Kevin Kiermaier | TB | 37 |
| Nick Markakis | ATL | 37 |
| Yoenis Cespedes | NYM | 37 |
Pitching
If anyone cares, here is the distribution of Pitcher-1 to Pitcher-2.
| Rating | Distribution |
| P-1 | 227 |
| P-2 | 246 |
Next up… Hitting!
Thats a lot of 2B7 ! A nice project would be to take your numbers from the last few years into a spreadsheet to look at the year to year differences. Great job!