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. 2023 Defender To Watch: Eduardo Escobar But Howard also could launch a baseball off a bat, leading the American League in home runs twice. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. UZR thinks this years Phillies have been very bad, but not exactly record-level bad. Santanas been a useful first baseman, and Hoskins has been a useful left fielder. In baseball statistics, defensive runs saved (DRS) measures the number of runs a player saved or cost his team on defense relative to an average player. Matt Kemp, CF, 2010 Dodgers (minus-37). The Padres made the playoffs with Gomez playing shortstop in 1996 and 1998, so they apparently didn't think he was awful there. But over the last . There's no doubt that third base is a tough position to play, but former MLB player Butch Hobson made it look like the toughest job in all of professional sports. He batted .284, hit 49 home runs and racked up 281 hits over that same stretch, including his lone All-Star selection in 2009. Rank Team P C 1B 2B 3B SS LF . 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. Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates (200511), Minnesota Twins (201213), Atlanta Braves (2014), Stats: 3,234 chances, 2,907 putouts, 285 assists, 42 errors. Juan Samuel was one of the most aggressive hitters in baseball history the end result was 1,578 hits and 396 stolen bases. 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. 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. As an outfielder, Bobby Bonilla was passable, and his offense generally took precedence for any deficiencies. [fn]John Dewan, The Fielding Bible, Volume II (Skokie, Ill.: ACTA Sports, 2009), 11-4. Historically the Royals system has an uncanny ability to produce terrible shortstops. 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.' When Juan Samuel first debuted for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1983, he quickly became known for a solid bat and tremendous speed, stealing 72 bases and leading the league in triples in his rookie season. Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-64), Washington Senators/Texas Rangers (1965-72), Detroit Tigers (1972-73), Stats: 4,793 chances, 4,412 putouts, 277 assists, 104 errors. Even a few Hall of Famers. Find out more. Answer (1 of 8): Yes. But for now, just focus on the Phillies. 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. Now imagine if Stairs would've been able to field? As a hitter, Babe Herman had an outstanding career, hitting .324 in 13 seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers. That leads us to his next record. Rays. One of the more fascinating parts of Michael Lewis' seminal book on baseball, "MoneyBall", is the breakdown of what Terrence Long cost the Oakland Athletics by putting him in center field instead of Johnny Damon and if it was worth the risk of having him out there. On the flip side, the worst fielders usually finish around -15 or -20 Defensive Runs Saved. Lasorda asked what else he was thinking. The four Golden Gloves he won were a joke his total zone runs allowed were in double digits for two of those seasons. Stuart did rack up 228 home runs during his career, leading the American League in RBI for the 1963 season, but the man who would also be called Stonefingers and The Man with the Iron Glove" made his mark as the poorest defensive fielding first baseman in major league history. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. San Diego Padres (2011), Los Angeles Angels (2013), Stats: 1,816 chances, 1,695 putouts, 87 assists, 34 errors. As part of the trade package in December 2010 that sent Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke to the Milwaukee Brewers, Betancourt was also included in the deal, with the two teams essentially swapping shortstops, the Royals receiving Alcides Escobar. Real or Not? Gary Sheffield, 3B, 1993 Padres/Marlins (minus-31). It may be a bit unfair to include long-time shortstop Bill Dahlen on this list. But the numbers don't lie. What's worse? The official scorer of the game took pity on Jolley, actually only giving him two errors. Knoblauch makes the list for throwing problems that dogged his career starting in 1998, where he inexplicably came down with one of the more famous cases of the "yips" or "Steve Sax Syndrome" in baseball history. Maybe that's worth talking about another day. It's not hard to see why he made all those mistakes. First, Stairs hit more pinch-hit home runs (23) than any player in MLB history. 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. So why did the White Sox not force Thomas into a role as their everyday designated hitter earlier in his career? Dante Bichette, LF, 1999 Rockies (minus-34). If you've ever had the pleasure of watching Edwin Encarnacion play, you know the three-time All-Star will make you hold your breath when he's in the field. Adrin Beltr recorded the most defensive runs saved in Major League Baseball during the 2003-2021 seasons. 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. There are studies to run, to see if maybe the team could improve its positioning. And teams have done a really good job at that. Theres not nearly enough evidence to say the Phillies have absolutely had the worst team defense in a very long time. Props to the six-time All-Star for receiving $1.19 million every July 1 from the New York Mets from 2009 to 2035 as part of a bizarre contract. Of course, the biggest knock on Jeter is his poor defense. And Luzinski's eventual trade to the White Sox. He came up just 11 starts shy of getting 100 career starts at all three spots. Hell, he doesnt even have 2018s worst DRS! These are the worst glovemen of all time at every position. Most notably, the Astros traded Kenny Lofton for Taubensee, straight up, after the 1991 season. Martin had a horrendous -52 total zone runs allowed for his career, with a -39 mark in left field, where he started almost 843 games. Orioles are anywhere near the all-time worst. This was Sheffield's final season as a third baseman and he made 34 errors while fielding .899. Even a few Hall of Famers. During his 12-year career spent with six different teams, outfielder Pete Incaviglia was hit-or-miss as a hitter, leading the American League in strikeouts twice, and hitting over 20 home runs in a season six times. worst defensive runs saved all timefee concession letter due to covid 19. world record of blood donation by single person. I dont remember the exact number but like 4 or 5 of the worst SS seasons ever have come from the Royals in the past 15 years. 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. Hobson went on to manage the Red Sox from 1992 to 1994. The chances of the Phillies making up that ground are exceptionally slim. Jason Giambi was the 2000 American League Most Valuable Player while with the Oakland Athletics, then cashed in with a seven-year, $120 million contract with the Yankees in 2001. Yet they have just seven games left, and theyre already nine runs worse than the 2005 Yankees. Dunn recently confirmed his retirement and I'll miss a guy who had a unique career in major league history. Willie Mays, on the other hand, was arguably the best defensive outfielder ever. Throughout his career, Encarnacion has managed to make the most basic of fielding plays turn into an adventure, leaving fans breathlessly anticipating what will happen when the ball is hit his way. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Fielding Bible Eventually, he was moved to second base, and the results weren't much better. 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. Anyway, Young had come up as a second baseman and moved to shortstop in 2004 and in 2005 he made 4.41 plays per nine innings versus the MLB average of 4.60 (his fielding percentage was about league average). Awards are voted on by the same knuckle dragging journalists. In the November 1992 issue of the Baseball Digest, writer Glenn Liebman quoted a teammate of Herman, who said of him, "Babe wore a glove for only one reason. I don't think anyone is going to defend Dunn's defense. On the flip side, Madlock won four National League batting titles and was a three-time All-Star. Where Meyer was truly terrible was in the field. 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. However, Howard's defense was anything but power. His fielding percentage, which seems normal, is deceiving because he had such little range. 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. Still, even then the tools are there. 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. He didn't make his major league debut until he was 26 years old and ended up pitching in the majors until he was 40 years old. But over the years, despite Jeter's success he had widely been deemed as one of the sport's most overrated players ever. He won four World Series titles, was a four-time All-Star, American League Rookie of the Year and even won a Gold Glove award in 1997. Fielding Bible ), 9. 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. However, the Phillies also quickly found out that Samuel couldn't field worth a lick as well. Teams: Toronto Blue Jays (198991), Cleveland Indians (199193), Chicago Cubs (199394, 1998-2000), San Francisco Giants (199597), Seattle Mariners (1998), New York Yankees (2000), Anaheim Angels (2001), Stats: 1,586 chances, 1,488 putouts, 41 assists, 57 errors. Part of Manny Ramirez's appeal was somehow his struggles in the field. Ben Grieve won American League Rookie of the Year in 1998 and had three solid seasons to start out his career, but his numbers at the plate dropped off the map after that. Im certain thats a part of it. Butch Hobson was a former quarterback for the University of Alabama and legendary coach Bear Bryant, but Hobson had some legendary struggles fielding a baseball. and his 32% strikeout rate last season was among the worst in MLB. 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. And this is a plot of the 2018 Phillies playoff odds: As recently as August 7, the Phillies were in first place and 15 games over .500. More dishonesty parading as insight. The AL East is setting up as a race for the ages, Albert Pujols' push for 3,000 powered by dominant decade, 'Ich-i-ro! While his fielding improved over the course of his career, you can point directly to his early struggles in the outfield as one of the reasons the Oakland A's traded him after three seasons and an average of approximately -20 total zone runs allowed in that span. In today's statistical world, every single player in baseball is measured in terms of different metrics. This Orioles Defense May Be the Worst We've Ever Seen 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. [11] Note that the totals for both Beltr and Jeter only reflect 2003 onward, even though both players began their MLB careers earlier. Look at the defensive wins against replacement. Ryan Braun, 3B, 2007 Brewers (minus-32). The A's managed to figure Long into the equation by moving him to left field, and it ended up being more about the naked eye than sabermetrics. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. In 2009 while playing for an awful Nationals team that lost 103 games, Dunn started 83 games in the outfield and 66 at first base. 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.". So the numbers certainly indicate that Dahlen was not necessarily bad in any way, but he does have the dubious record nonetheless. Thomas was primarily a designated hitter during his career. The phenomena became known as the "Steve Sax Syndrome." Groom's fielding percentage hovered around or below .900 for most of his career and finished at an atrocious .940 in 13 seasons. Santana looked to be a fine hitter, and so the Phillies made room by bumping Rhys Hoskins to the corner outfield.