Fielding Bible

Welcome to The Fielding Bible website!

Home of the most in-depth defensive analytics in baseball

UPDATES TO DEFENSIVE RUNS SAVED!

We are excited to announce that we have updated our flagship stat, Defensive Runs Saved, to account for where an infielder was positioned. This is our biggest enhancement to DRS since The Fielding Bible IV in 2015. This update has been applied to DRS numbers going back to 2013.

Introducing the new PART system, which separates positioning (P) from an infielder’s ability to field balls hit in the air (A), his range (R) and his throwing success (T).

We are transitioning from evaluating “how often did a player make that play?” to “how often did a player make that play given where he was positioned?” We are interested in evaluating an infielder’s range skill from his starting point. Thus, the Positioning component is not included in the player’s Defensive Runs Saved total.

Additionally, this system evaluates all infield plays, not just ones involving an unshifted defense. These changes gain significance given the dramatic changes in player positioning in the last few years (with significant increases in defensive shifting).

The new PART system will allow for a more accurate representation of an infielder’s defensive performance.

Components of Defensive Runs Saved

ART – measures infielders’ performance on balls hit in the air, range, and throwing success *NEW*
Range and Positioning System – measures range and positioning for outfielders
OF Arm Runs Saved – measures outfielder arms
GDP Runs Saved – measures double play ability
Bunt Runs Saved – measures ability to field bunts
Good Play/Misplay Runs Saved – measures the run impact of good plays and misplays that are not accounted for in other components of Runs Saved
Catcher Stolen Base Runs Saved – measures the catcher’s ability to control the running game
Pitcher Stolen Base Runs Saved – measures the pitcher’s ability to control the running game
Adjusted Earned Runs Saved – measures the catcher’s handling of pitchers
Strike Zone Runs Saved – measures the number of extra strikes drawn by a catcher because of his framing ability
Shift Runs Saved – Measures team’s ability to defend when using a defensive shift

Click here if you are interested in learning more about our update to DRS

Here’s a grid showing which methodologies are used for which positions:

Want to know the leaders in Defensive Runs Saved for every year going back to 2003? Simply Click Here or on the image below:

Quick Links:

In-Depth Player Pages:

Curious how good Matt Chapman is at fielding balls hit down the line? Check the numbers out here.

How about Mookie Betts’ year-by-year Defensive Runs Saved total? You can find that here.

"John Dewan's Plus/Minus System is the best statistical system I've ever seen for evaluating the defensive abilities of MLB players."

-- Hal Richman, Strat-O-Matic Game Company