The first position fairly evenly distributed between the two leagues, we also have the largest discrepancies so far–there is some excellence here along with some truly miserable performances.
Los Angeles is the only team not represented (Bobby Grich is listed with the 2B, nobody else played enough at SS for the Angels).
#S Tier
| Lg | Tm | Name | Age | Slash | Other | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL | HOD | Ernie Banks | 25 | 290/314/653 | 59 HR 126 RBI | -10.9 ZR .930 dEff |
WAR would put Carlos Correa and Arky Vaughan here, perhaps even above Ernie Banks. But WAR ain’t everything, and getting the kind of power Banks provides from a SS is very special, even if his defense is not. For me, it’s Banks, and then a cluster of quality in the A Tier.
#A Tier
| Lg | Tm | Name | Age | Slash | Other | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL | HOU | Carlos Correa | 23 | 318/399/556 | 25 HR | 4.18 RF |
| AL | BAL | Cal Ripken, Jr | 23 | 279/326/584 | 32 HR | 4.80 RF |
| AL | CLE | Arky Vaughan | 27 | 294/380/493 | 31 SB | 13.4 ZR 1.091 dEff |
These are all surprises: Carlos Correa to be here at all (and only a late season slump kept him from giving Banks a run for his money), Cal Ripken, Jr to be here this quickly, and Arky Vaughan to have blossomed both with the glove and the bat.
Of the three, I would expect Ripken to have the best shot at moving up.
#B Tier
| Lg | Tm | Name | Age | Slash | Other | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | SFS | Dick Lundy | 22 | 291/338/450 | 57 SB | .987 fPct |
| NL | OTT | Álex Rodríguez | 22 | 252/314/559 | 46 HR 32 SB | |
| AL | MCG | Robin Yount | 26 | 266/303/505 | 28 HR 32 SB |
This gets a little more complicated. Does Álex Rodríguez‘ offense warrant a nudge up? How about Dick Lundy‘s combination of speed and defense? In the end, they stay here with Robin Yount, who is just as solid as they come across the board. All three of these could move up merely by adding 25 walks a season, but they’re all pretty free swingers.
#C Tier
| Lg | Tm | Name | Age | Slash | Other | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | POR/ PHI | Jim Fregosi | 25 | 265/344/446 | 21 SB | 4.12 RF -12.3 ZR |
| NL | HOM | Judy Johnson | 18 | 271/408/454 | 1.078 dEff | |
| AL | MEM | Dobie Moore | 20 | 291/352/427 | 26 SB | |
| AL | BAL/ DET | Bobby Wallace | 34 | 282/410/377 | .986 fPct 4.73 RF |
There is an argument that Dobie Moore and/or Judy Johnson should move up a level, given their offensive output and their age. At the same time, neither played a full season, so it seems prudent to leave them here.
Had Bobby Wallace been healthy all season, he certainly would have warranted a spot in the B Tier for his mix of OBP and defense, while Jim Fregosi seems to barely warrant a slot here, especially considering his shaky defense. But these are all legit starting SS’s in the league, so the C Tier seems about right (although Homestead’s decision about how to structure their infield may move Johnson away from SS).
#D Tier
| Lg | Tm | Name | Age | Slash | Other | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL | IND | Barry Larkin | 23 | 230/308/404 | 27 SB | 1.074 dEff |
| NL | BBB | Herman Long | 27 | 243/271/445 | 24 SB | .962 fPct |
| NL | KCM | Ozzie Smith | 30 | 235/317/343 | 64 SB | .992 fPct 12.2 ZR |
| — | MEM/ BRK | Vern Stephens | 29 | 210/259/414 | ||
| NL | HOM | Honus Wagner | 25 | 230/285/415 | 37 SB | .957 fPct .906 dEff |
Speaking of Homestead, Honus Wagner may in fact deserve to be knocked down. But he has power, a fair bit of speed, and just so much athleticism. But whether he ends up at 2B, SS, or 3B is yet to be seen.
Ozzie Smith is a hard one to evaluate, as it’s not clear if his defense and speed should move him here, or all the way up to C Tier. In the end, we decided to be conservative in our evaluation of defensive contributions.
#F Tier
| Lg | Tm | Name | Age | Slash | Other | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL | NYG | Brandon Crawford | 30 | 221/268/381 | .966 fPct | |
| AL | NYY | Derek Jeter | 33 | 248/305/439 | 4.10 RF -19.8 ZR .917 dEff | |
| AL | CAG | Freddy Parent | 29 | 229/270/292 | 5.01 RF 13.6 ZR |
Derek Jeter‘s offense is probably D Tier, but those defensive numbers are quite bad, nudging him down a category. Brandon Crawford may be done entirely, and Freddy Parent, even considering his glovework, is just a massive bust since being obtained by Chicago.
#Rookies
Cal Ripken, Jr. (A Tier), Judy Johnson (C Tier), and Dobie Moore (C Tier).
#Fielding Notes
We have our standard defensive stats here, with the leaders in bold and the worst performers in italics. Range Factor (RF) measures the number of plays made per game–the higher the better. Zone Rating (ZR) attempts to credit players for plays other fielders missed and ding them for plays other fielders made–the higher the better, and it has the benefit of being comparative across the position. Defensive Efficiency (dEff) measures the rate at which an individual fielder contributes to outs being made on balls put into play, with any score over 1.000 being a net positive impact. Finally, Fielding Percentage (fPct) reflects the percentage of times a chance was handled without a mistake–if someone made no errors, their fPct would be 1.000.
Of these, Range Factor is the most susceptible to the impact of the pitching staff and the ballpark, although none of these defensive ratings are perfect.