A Game of
Skill:
Professional
football coaches, analysts, scouts, and players often use the term "skill
players." Skill positions include the quarterback, running back,
wide receiver, corner back, and safety. Players at these positions are
generally leaner and faster than linemen, and must provide skills such as
throwing and catching that their more bulky teammates need not showcase.
What does the term "skill position" or "skill player"
have to do with America's summer pastime? Baseball, like its cousin football,
can classify certain positions as needing more adroitness than others.
For argument's sake, no doubt every position in baseball needs skills,
talent, and athleticism.Yet, the architects of an MLB roster must place greater
emphasis and analytic energy into filling the positions of catcher, shortstop,
second base, and centerfield. One might place pitcher into a
similar category, but for the sake of brevity let's reserve that for a
separate discussion.
Dr. Egon Spengler |
To quote Dr. Egon
Spengler from the movie Ghostbusters, "What are we talking about
here?" Well, doctor, that's a great question. I, not we, mention
skill positions because I argue that they truly matter when forming a winning
team. I mentioned that baseball's skill positions are those that reside
up-the-middle. If one were to stand at home plate and look directly
toward centerfield the positions in direct view are classified as the
up-the-middle positions.
No one who has
ever played or followed baseball would disagree with the statement "Catchers
are uniquely different from any other player on a baseball field."
Catchers have the onerous duty of protecting the most coveted spot on the
baseball field, home plate. They must know everything the pitcher knows,
be able to throw out runners attempting to steal a base, perform their role as
receiver, and hit at least well enough to remain in the line up on a nightly
basis.
While no position
is as multifaceted or has as much
responsibility as the catcher, shortstops play an important role as well.
Shortstops must simultaneously cover the most ground and deal
with the most plays in the infield. More righties play baseball than
lefties; thus more ground balls are hit to the left side of the field than the
right. In addition, the shortstop must have a stronger and more accurate
arm than the second baseman, while also playing an important role in all
attempts to steal second base. Often overlooked but no less important,
the shortstop also plays a crucial role in directing and executing cut-offs
from the outfield. This list of responsibilities only covers the
defensive tasks required of an MLB shortstop; the offensive duties are vast,
but vary from player to player. Overall, the shortstop is the captain of
the infield, and usually constitutes either the top defensive talent or vocal
leader on the team.
Can You Spot the Up-The-Middle Positions? |
Second
base, while not requiring as many tools as shortstop, has many obligations.
The second baseman combines with the shortstop on double plays, cut-off
throws, covering second on stolen base attempts, and most importantly, patroling
the right side of the infield. This last responsibility can become more
difficult when the first baseman must cover first base in case of a pick-off
attempt. Speed, quickness, and range, constitute only a few of the
necessary tools needed to play second base.
Finally,
let's talk center field. Defensively, the center fielder covers the most
ground in the outfield, and must have a good arm in order to throw out runners
attempting to reach second or third base. Communication becomes paramount
when playing centerfield as the centerfielder must range towards his
counterparts in right and left field often, doing so while hoping to avoid a
collision. Some of the most athletic and talented players ever have
roamed centerfield including Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Joe DiMaggio,
Mickey Mantle, and Ty Cobb.
As in the
construction of a skyscraper, a solid foundation is vital. While every
position makes up 1/9 of the starting line up for an MLB team, these 4 position
players are less replaceable than the other 4 (recall we have exempted the
pitcher). We speak often of wins above replacement or the value of a
replacement player, but rarely, amidst all of this talk of replacement, do we
remark that certain positions are not as replaceable as others. Skill
positions require specifically skilled or multi-skilled athletes that are not
often found in left field, right field, third base, and first base.
Often times, when
I analyze a team the first thing I look at is the play and statistics of the
skill position players. Think about the best teams in baseball right now.
The Rangers, Angels, Yankees, and Braves all have very good up-the-middle
combinations. (For a list of every team's fWAR up-the-middle positions click HERE) The Rangers have the highest combined fWAR of any catcher,
shortstop, second base, center field composite in baseball at 11.1 fWAR. Josh Hamilton, Elvis Andrus, and Ian Kinsler are all
indevidually having solid seasons. The amalgam of Kinsler and Andrus
provide above average to stellar defense up the middle for the Rangers.
Last season Kinsler and Andrus each had a UZR (a
defensive metric incorporating a player’s range ) above 7.0, and this season both have
been adequate up-the-middle. While catcher Mike Napoli is
experiencing a dip in every offensive category this season, Josh Hamilton's
scorching start to the year has statistically made up for the regression of the
Texas catcher.
Mean
|
1.62
|
1.37
|
1.37
|
2.10
|
6.51
|
Median
|
1.4
|
1.4
|
1.4
|
1.9
|
6.55
|
Max
|
5.2
|
3.6
|
4.6
|
6.2
|
11.1
|
Min
|
-0.6
|
-0.7
|
-2.1
|
0.1
|
1.9
|
Standard Deviation
|
1.39
|
1.01
|
1.51
|
1.66
|
2.36
|
Turning the Double Play |
Using UZR as our
defensive metric of choice, the best defensive shortstop in MLB is Brendan Ryan
of the Seattle Mariners, and the best second baseman is Robinson Cano of the
Yankees. You may have never heard of Ryan but Cano is a household name.
He will compete for American League MVP this year. Ryan adds little
offensively, but due to his defense, he has saved about 14 runs from scoring
this year. That's about twice as many as the second best defensive
shortstop in the majors, Starlin Castro of the Chicago Cubs. Ryan's value
comes almost completely from his defense. Despite being far and away the
best defensive shortstop, Ryan has only a 1.7 fWAR which is just above average
for all MLB shortstops.
Center fielders
have it all. They can run, jump, hit for average, hit for power, and play
a highly valued skill position. The best players in MLB in 2012 thus far
have been center fielders. Four out of the top 10 players according to
fWAR this year play centerfield. They are Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates, the Braves Michael Bourn, the Tigers’ Austin Jackson, and Angels rookie sensation Mike Trout. Ever heard of these guys? If you
haven't, I would advise learning about them, because all 4 are now and will be
the best overall players in Major League Baseball for years to come.
Eight years, $160
million dollars. That is the contract recently signed by Dodgers center
fielder Matt Kemp. Orioles center fielder Adam Jones recently signed a 6-year
$85.5 million contract and others like B.J. Upton (Rays) and Michael Bourn
(Braves) will soon be far wealthier men. Why will these players be paid so much
money? Production. Center fielders not only hit for average and power,
but they also play great defense, and steal bases. These deliverables, performed
at a high level, usually lead to large contracts and, occasionally, world
domination.
Two of the best
defensive catchers in the majors are Yadier Molina and Carlos Ruiz.
Include Joe Mauer and Buster Posey, and you have just identified a pair
of players who have already signed huge contracts, Mauer and Molina, and a pair
who will soon demand large sums of money, Ruiz and Posey. Oftentimes,
teams care less about offensive production from their catchers because of the
value placed on a catcher's defense. The four aforementioned
catchers all hit well in addition to playing above average defense, and thus,
like the center fielders mentioned above, represent some of the most complete
players in all of Major League Baseball.
Making the Big Money |
What can we
conclude from all of these data? Up-the-middle positions represent the keystone
of a baseball team. The 2012 Arizona
Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins, and St. Louis Cardinals
all have up-the-middle combined fWARs of 8.2 or above -- at least one standard
deviation above the mean -- which proves that these squads will most likely
remain competitive this season and have strong foundations on which to build
for years to come.
While
up-the-middle position players represent the most complete athletes in
baseball, corner outfielders, third baseman, and 1st basemen get much of the
publicity and money. The top 15 largest contracts ever
signed in baseball history have been as follows:
1
|
Alex Rodriguez
|
3B
|
2
|
Alex Rodriguez
|
3B (Contract #2)
|
3
|
Albert Pujols
|
1B
|
4
|
Joey Votto
|
1B
|
5
|
Prince Fielder
|
1B
|
6
|
Derek Jeter
|
SS
|
7
|
Joe Mauer
|
C
|
8
|
Mark Texiara
|
1B
|
9
|
C.C. Sabathia
|
LHP
|
10
|
Manny Ramirez
|
LF
|
11
|
Matt Kemp
|
CF
|
12
|
Troy Tulowitzki
|
SS
|
13
|
Adrian Gonzalez
|
1B
|
14
|
Miguel Cabrera
|
1B/3B
|
15
|
Carl Crawford
|
LF
|
Nine of the 14 non-pitchers on the list play a corner outfield,
1st or 3rd base. Interestingly enough,
the positions getting the largest contracts are not the same as those with the
highest valued players.
In the End:
Whether you are at the ballpark, watching on television, listening
on the radio, or checking the scores on the internet, next time you want to
evaluate a team about which you know very little, check the players at catcher,
2nd base, shortstop, and centerfield. If those players are solid, the
team may be more formidable on a game-to-game basis than perceived by the
general public.
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