2023 Defense Thread

[RZNJ]

4 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Game 16, 8-4 win over the White Sox

I didn’t see the whole game, but for me the two most notable plays were consecutive balls hit to Gunnar in the 4th inning. 

On the first play, Seby Zavala hit a sharp grounder in the hole.  Gunnar made a great diving grab but mishandled the ball on the transfer and airmailed the throw well over Mountcastle’s head.  Fortunately, the play was backed up well and the runner didn’t advance.  Rightly scored as a single. 

The next play, Lenyn Sosa hit a grounder near the line.  Gunnar charged and grabbed it off the dirt backhand, and from a tough angle, whirled in the air and fired a strike to 2B to nail Zavala.  

I didn’t see any other plays of note, but I didn’t see the first three innings.  


 

Grayson made a horrible play in the 2nd inning.   Slow grounder towards second.   Mountcastle goes for the ball.   Grayson can either make the play or go to the bag.   He goes for the ball and it seems like he could have made a play on it but then changes his mind and lets the ball go, but by this time it's too late for him to beat the runner to the bag.   To my eye he could have made the play and kept on running towards 1B and made the unassisted out but instead he pulled his glove back, hesitated, and all was lost.

[SilverRocket]

1 hour ago, RZNJ said:

Grayson made a horrible play in the 2nd inning.   Slow grounder towards second.   Mountcastle goes for the ball.   Grayson can either make the play or go to the bag.   He goes for the ball and it seems like he could have made a play on it but then changes his mind and lets the ball go, but by this time it's too late for him to beat the runner to the bag.   To my eye he could have made the play and kept on running towards 1B and made the unassisted out but instead he pulled his glove back, hesitated, and all was lost.

I think he didn't realize Mountcastle was going for the ball until he was about to make that decision, and when he realized nobody was covering 1st, he tried to rush there but was too slow. I'm not sure he could've made the play unassisted, it would've been close, but it looked like he assumed he could throw to first if he fielded that himself until he realized he couldn't.

[RZNJ]

1 hour ago, SilverRocket said:

I think he didn't realize Mountcastle was going for the ball until he was about to make that decision, and when he realized nobody was covering 1st, he tried to rush there but was too slow. I'm not sure he could've made the play unassisted, it would've been close, but it looked like he assumed he could throw to first if he fielded that himself until he realized he couldn't.

I watched it again.  Maybe he couldn’t have fielded it but as soon as it gets past him it should be automatic that he gets to 1B for the throw.  He looked back at Mountcastle and brain locked for a full second before he realizes he has to cover.  That hesitation cost them the out.  It’s a mental error.

[seak05]

On 4/16/2023 at 3:22 PM, Fiver6565 said:

there was zero chance for Hays on that tenth inning play, it doesn’t really belong on this list. Just a lucky bloop. It damn near hit the foul line and Hays would have been playing towards LC with the lefty Grandal up. 

The xBA on that double was .190. At the very least it should not have been a double

[Fiver6565]

1 hour ago, seak05 said:

The xBA on that double was .190. At the very least it should not have been a double

I would have to imagine that had a lot more to do with how it was hit vs. where it was hit. But I don’t fully understand the stat so maybe it accounts for both.  
 

Regardless, as the only developed it never appeared he had any chance at it. 

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, seak05 said:

The xBA on that double was .190. At the very least it should not have been a double

You should understand that xBA is based solely on exit velocity and launch angle.   A ball that hits the LF chalk line will have the same xBA as a ball hit directly at the fielder, if the exit velocity and launch angle are the same.  So xBA doesn’t tell you what the fielder’s chance of catching the ball were.  It tells you that the ball was not well hit.  

[seak05]

3 hours ago, Frobby said:

You should understand that xBA is based solely on exit velocity and launch angle.   A ball that hits the LF chalk line will have the same xBA as a ball hit directly at the fielder, if the exit velocity and launch angle are the same.  So xBA doesn’t tell you what the fielder’s chance of catching the ball were.  It tells you that the ball was not well hit.  

I do, but I also know that hang time gives players more time to get into the area of the ball. 
 

one area I think baseball savant could improve oaa is making the defensive plays searchable by game.

[seak05]

Not specific to that play, but using oaa hays seems to especially struggle when coming in and to his right, both last year and this year 

[Frobby]

Game 17, 1-0 win over the Nats

- In the second inning, Anthony Santander made a nice diving catch of a Luis Garcia line drive.  .690 xBA on the batted ball.

- In the bottom of the third, runner on 1st and nobody out, Robles hit a grounder down the 3B line.  Gunnar fielded it and made a throw that bounced about halfway to 1B and bounced at least one more time, that got under O’Hearn’s glove   The error was charged to Henderson, but it was about the easiest pick to make that you will ever see.  Not a great throw but for me O’Hearn deserves more blame than Henderson.  The play ended with runners on second and third and nobody out, but Kremer bailed out the defense by striking out the side.

- In the 8th, Adam Frazier showed good range catching a Victor Robles line drive into short RF.   Not amazing but a very quick reaction by Frazier.  .880 xBA on the batted ball.

 

[Frobby]

Game 18, 4-0 win against the Nats

I didn’t see all of this game.  Reading elsewhere, there may have been a play Urias could have made but didn’t, that I didn’t see.   Feel free to elaborate on that or anything else.  Otherwise:

- In the fourth inning, Keibert Ruiz hit a line drive in the RCF gap.   Santander got a good jump and did a nice job of cutting the ball off before it could roll to the wall, holding Ruiz to a single.

- In the fifth inning, SS Gunnar Henderson grabbed a ball to his backhand side and threw across his body to 1B.   The ball reached Mountcastle just before it would have hit the ground, but went on his glove and got behind him, allowing the runner to get to 2B.  It was rightly scored as an error on Mountcastle, who’s had a bad few days defensively.

- In the 9th, Hays made an attempt at a diving catch of a ball hit in front of him, but the ball hit the ground about a foot in front of his glove.  The ball caromed off Hays’ chest but he kept it in front of him, holding the hitter to a single.  

[webbrick2010]

16 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Game 18, 4-0 win against the Nats

I didn’t see all of this game.  Reading elsewhere, there may have been a play Urias could have made but didn’t, that I didn’t see.   Feel free to elaborate on that or anything else.  Otherwise:

- In the fourth inning, Keibert Ruiz hit a line drive in the RCF gap.   Santander got a good jump and did a nice job of cutting the ball off before it could roll to the wall, holding Ruiz to a single.

- In the fifth inning, SS Gunnar Henderson grabbed a ball to his backhand side and threw across his body to 1B.   The ball reached Mountcastle just before it would have hit the ground, but went on his glove and got behind him, allowing the runner to get to 2B.  It was rightly scored as an error on Mountcastle, who’s had a bad few days defensively.

- In the 9th, Hays made an attempt at a diving catch of a ball hit in front of him, but the ball hit the ground about a foot in front of his glove.  The ball caromed off Hays’ chest but he kept it in front of him, holding the hitter to a single.  

We need one of out stud prospects to develop as a 1B, Mountcastle does not appear to be the answer, offensively or defensively

[Sports Guy]

Mounty graded out well at first last year iirc.

Defense is no different than offense. It can slump too.

He will be fine over there. 

[Frobby]

3 minutes ago, webbrick2010 said:

We need one of out stud prospects to develop as a 1B, Mountcastle does not appear to be the answer, offensively or defensively

I thought he played decent defense last year, but he’s been very disappointing so far this year IMO.  Offensively, he’s a mixed bag and we’ll see how his season goes.  

[Mooreisbetter27]

The play yesterday with Mounty almost seemed like laziness.  He didn't really try very hard to catch it, taking for granted that he would catch it.  At least that's how it appeared.  Or lack of focus. 

[now]

Okay, time for a rant about Gunnar's arm. They say it's a 70, but how come the majority of his throws are off line or in the dirt? It's happened at short and at third, basically every game. What's the deal with his defense--rookie jitters? Too much hype?