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MLB’s ‘Iron Mitt Squad’: The worst defenders in baseball

By Ryan Sanders |
TORONTO, ON - MAY 23: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays throws from the seat of his pants to get the baserunner at first base as he falls after fielding a grounder in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre on May 23, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MAY 23: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays throws from the seat of his pants to get the baserunner at first base as he falls after fielding a grounder in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre on May 23, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

Statcast recently released its new defensive stat called ‘Outs Above Average.’ Let’s take a look at the worst defenders in MLB according to the new metric.

Statcast recently released a new statistic, Outs Above Average (OAA), that measures the contributions of infielders. Now, we have data that tells us who the best and worst MLB players with the glove are.

We already looked at the best players with the leather, now we’re going to check in on the other side of the metric.

So who are the worst defensive players in baseball and what would happen if we put the worst defensive players in one lineup?  Let’s find out!

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The Infield

  • SS, Jorge Polanco, Minnesota Twins, -16 OAA
  • 3B, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays, -16 OAA
  • 2B, Johnathan Villar, Miami Marlins, -12 OAA
  • 1B, Pete Alonso, New York Mets, -7 OAA

The left side of the infield isn’t going to cover much ground, especially on balls in.  Guerrero Jr. and Polanco are worth a combined -19 on balls in.  They also lack the range going in either direction with a combined -8 runs going to their backsides and -5 to the glove side.

Villar is a negative in every direction at the keystone but really struggles on balls in, -4 OAA, and to his backhand side, -5 OAA.  Alonso is the “best” group of the bunch, ranking average in almost every direction.  Where Alonso runs into trouble is going right where he is -6 OAA.

The Outfield

  • CF, Tommy Pham, San Diego Padres, -11 OAA
  • LF, Eddie Rosario, Minnesota Twins, -17 OAA
  • RF, Domingo Santana, Seattle Mariners, -13 OAA

Outside of the routine plays, the “Iron Mitt” squad better hope it has a lot of ground ball pitchers.  Rosario grades the worst at -17 OAA and Domingo Santana isn’t far behind at -13.  Pham gets the benefit of being able to fake it CF but will probably be best suited in a corner OF spot moving forward.

Catcher

  • C, James McCann, Chicago White Sox, -16 Framing Runs

McCann ran away with the dishonor of worst catcher in MLB, totaling -16 framing runs in 2019.  The next worst catcher was Robinson Chirinos at -9.  McCann struggled framing all around the zone but if there is upside, he was at his best on the corners of the plate in zone 14 and 16.  McCann also brings a well below average pop time.  As you can see, McCann’s saving grace was a 109 wRC+ that allowed him to generate enough offensive value for pitchers to tolerate his defense.

So our lineup for the iron mitt squad ends up looking like this:

  • SS, Jorge Polanco
  • CF, Tommy Pham
  • 3B, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
  • 1B, Pete Alonso
  • LF, Eddie Rosario
  • RF, Domingo Santana
  • C, James McCann
  • 2B, Johnathan Villar

There is some real talent in this lineup even if it’s only on the offensive side.  Unsurprisingly, every hitter in this line up has an above-average batting line with the worst being Rosario’s 103 wRC+ and the best being Mets’ rookie sensation Pete Alonso at 143 wRC+.

If you add up the 2019 fWAR totals for these MLB teams, it’s a surprisingly competent collection of offense.  The “Iron Mitts” add up to 20 wins even and the only players near replacement level are Guerrero Jr. and Domingo Santana.

That would place this imaginary team at 16th in baseball between the Angels and Indians.

This group of players seems like every Pitcher’s worst nightmare come true, but what they lack with the glove they would make up in offense.  This team would be the extreme version of the hot starting Mariners who mashed their way to 13-2.

Next. Texas Rangers find their third baseman for now. dark

If you gave this team’s pitching is league-average or even slightly below average, they could probably compete for a Wild Card spot.  No GM would intentionally build a team like this, but they would be must-watch every night.

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