Study: MLB's worst fielder is Derek Jeter

[Trevytrev11]

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/76351

Quote:

A group that tracks every ball hit in the majors says Derek Jeter is the worst fielder in baseball. Stats guru Bill James, author of the "Baseball Abstract," and a panel of nine other voters, ranked Jeter 22nd among all major-league shortstops, with one calling Jeter "the least effective defensive player in the major leagues, at any position." Jeter received one 10th-place vote in balloting for the 2008 Fielding Bible Awards, announced yesterday. One panel member comes from Baseball Info Solutions (BIS), a group that ... well, just say they do their research. "They watched film of every major-league game, and had recorded every ball off the bat by the direction in which it was hit [the vector], the type of hit [groundball, flyball, line-drive, popup, etc.] and by how hard the ball was hit [softly hit, medium, hard hit]," according to James. New York Post

I wonder who was ranked the best.

[Dislimb]

I have always felt that he was vastly overrated, at least defensively speaking. He also had the worst offensive year of his career this past season with a very poor .771 OPS. Derek Jeter is a very good baseball player, but certainly not the Superman that the New York media makes him out to be.

[YankeePride]

Well, this is old news. The sad thing is, people out there (especially Yankees fans) still want to ignore the statistical proof.

They'll come barging in saying things like, "I watch him play all the time. They don't know how good he is!"

Then they'll go into how great a leader he is, or how he's The Captain, or the flip, though none of that has anything to do with actual ability to field.

No one wanted to listen when smart fans suggested that Rodriguez should go to short and Jeter should have been moved to 3B (if not 2B).

This is why the Yankees can't get a guy like Lowe. Do you see the way Wang suffers despite being a hardcore groundball pitcher? There's no way that a guy who is Brandon Webb 1A can have an ERA of 4 unless his middle infield blows.

The Yankees have the worst fielding unit up the middle in Posada, Jeter, Cano, and whoever wants to man center. That wasn't the case back when they had guys like Girardi, Fernandez, Duncan, and Williams. It wasn't that much better, but it was better.

[dkgojackets]

BUT DID YOU SEE THAT PLAY WHERE HE GOT THE POP UP AND THEN RAN LIKE FIFTEEN FEET AND DOVE INTO THE STANDS?????????

[Vince]

Quote: Originally Posted by dkgojackets

BUT DID YOU SEE THAT PLAY WHERE HE GOT THE POP UP AND THEN RAN LIKE FIFTEEN FEET AND DOVE INTO THE STANDS?????????

LOL.

Gotta respect Jeter for that 2001 play vs the A's.

One of the best plays ever.

[Sandman42]

Eh, he's always been a bad fielder, but from looking at a couple of the different fielding metrics it looks like he has been around average this season.

Going by RZR, he was the 7th best SS in the league.

Going by total runs he was 3 runs better than average.

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/200...tstops-of-2008

Not saying he's great, but he probably had his best fielding year ever this season. Worst fielder in the league would have to go to Bobby Abreu though, he is horrendous in RF.

[P2K]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sandman42

Worst fielder in the league would have to go to Bobby Abreu though, he is horrendous in RF.

Ugh. I had full view of that with his time in Philly.

[SPTO]

Jeter is the worst fielder? Well the proof is in the stats I guess but I don't see him as the worst. I think he's very average but has the knack of making big plays when his team needs it.

[dkgojackets]

Quote: Originally Posted by SPTO

I think he's very average but has the knack of making big plays when his team needs it.

ESPN can do that to people.

[Trevytrev11]

Quote: Originally Posted by SPTO

Jeter is the worst fielder? Well the proof is in the stats I guess but I don't see him as the worst. I think he's very average but has the knack of making big plays when his team needs it.

My perception has always been that he just has a lack of range. I think his hands are average, but he doesn't get to a lot of balls that others get to and has to make acrobatic plays on balls that others would get to routinely. I don't know if it's bad instincts or bad reads, slow feet or a slow first step or what, but often times I see a ball hit and think that he's going to get it and he's not close.

It's basically the Sportscenter effect. People see him make all of these jumping throws or diving stops and think that makes him good, but in reality, on those same hit balls, the great fielders are a step ahead and don't have to make that extra effort.