The Detroit Tigers made a lot of noise this winter when they acquired Prince Fielder, but questions arose about the quality of their defense once it was known neither he nor Miguel Cabrera would DH. They were going to hit -- and a lot -- but if the pitching had to do everything on their own on the other side of the ball, then the Tigers might need to hit even more than that.
Defense A Problem, But Not Just For Detroit
Teams have been flashing better defense in recent years, but there are still clubs not aboard the fielding train.
This issue popped up yet again Wednesday night, with Fielder failing to make a good throw to catcher Alex Avila, a throw that could have resulted in an out at the plate rather than a run, and changed the landscape of a game the Tigers ended up losing 4-2. The Tigers are now in third place, under .500 and five games back of those same Indians, and while it's unfair to pin it all on that inaccurate throw, it's an easy target given the makeup of the lineup.
While the defense to start the year has not been good, it also hasn’t been apocalyptic. They rank #26 in the majors in Defensive Efficiency, a stat that measures the percentage of balls in play converted into outs. At 69.1 percent, they aren’t getting things done -- Baseball Prospectus, which hosts Defensive Efficiency, describes 69 percent as “horrendous”. But the real issue is that the Tigers need to always be hitting if they’re going to roster this many problematic defenders, and to this point, they haven’t. Detroit currently sits 14th in the majors and ninth in the American League in True Average, at a below-average .257. That’s park- and league-adjusted, so the fact they play in a pitcher-friendly park in the tougher league is factored in. The Tigers have impersonated a far less ferocious feline at the plate in the first two months of the season. That’s unlikely to go on in the long-term, even if the poor fielding sticks (and it will), meaning that, like in 2011, this early stretch could be forgotten come September.
The Tigers aren't the only contender with problems getting the opposition out. The Red Sox have 13 players on the disabled list, including quality defenders like Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford, and third baseman Kevin Youkilis -- already hampered by years of injuries and a body that would only work in baseball -- played through a back injury for the first month of the year that did his already lacking range no favors at the hot corner. That they've gone so far as to use noted poor defender Scott Podsednik in center field tells you the level of desperation they have for any kind of competence in the outfield. While their disabled list is littered with quality defenders, those on the field have combined for a "poor" 70 percent converted into outs.
The Yankees are ranked even lower than both the Red Sox and Tigers, coming in at 28 and 68.9 percent. Losing defensive stalwart Brett Gardner for most of the season hasn't helped, and, like the Red Sox, there are a few sluggers on this team who aren't exactly Gold Glove material anymore, despite the trophies resting on Derek Jeter's mantle at home.
While poor defense has slowed the Yankees, Red Sox, and Tigers out of the gate, it's absolutely crippled the Rockies. Defensive Efficiency has them ranked dead last in the majors, and unlike the rest of the bottom third, it isn't close. The Red Sox, at #24 and 70 percent, are closer to second-ranked Texas than they are #30 Colorado.
Usually, the Rockies rank higher in park-adjusted Defensive Efficiency (PADE) than in the standard version. Given how expansive Coors Field is, this makes sense. In 2012, though, even adjustments can’t save them. The Tigers have a PADE of -3.71* that’s considered “horrendous”, but the Rockies sit at -6.82. Milwaukee, ranked #29, has a PADE of -4.31, while first-ranked Washington sits at +3.29. That’s a massive gap between best and worst, and one that merits some explanation.
*Read this as percentage: -6.82 means the Rockies have been roughly seven percent worse than the average defense, whereas the most-productive defense in the league is a little above three percent better than average.
Depending on your source for defensive data, either one or zero Rockies with significant playing time has average-or-better defense to this point in 2012. The toss-up is Todd Helton, who, according to Baseball Prospectus's Fielding Runs Above Average, has produced -0.2 runs, and via Baseball-Reference is +2 on the year. As for everyone else:
| Player | DRS | FRAA |
| Carlos Gonzalez | -12 | -4.2 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | -8 | -1.1 |
| Michael Cuddyer | -8 | -2.1 |
| Dexter Fowler | -7 | -2.9 |
| Chris Nelson | -6 | -0.1 |
| Ramon Hernandez | -5 | -0.5 |
| Marco Scutaro | -4 | -0.2 |
The bench players haven't done well either -- Tyler Colvin, Jonathan Herrera, and Jordan Pacheco have all seen over 100 innings afield and have negative defensive values. What's most surprising is that there are quality defenders here. Tulowitzki is generally one of the best at his position, but these two figures (and UZR, who has him at -1.1) all see him playing poorly at short in 2012. Scutaro is normally dependable up the middle, but hasn't played that well despite the shift to the simpler second base. Gonzalez is a former center fielder playing in a corner, and it hasn't been working out for him. Fowler, the glove that pushed Gonzalez away from center, hasn't explained why with his early-season performance.
The defense is largely responsible for the Rockies starting out the year 16-27 with 25 more runs allowed than scored. It’s not solely to blame -- it’s not as if their rotation is loaded these days -- but much of the burden is their doing. Like the Tigers and their bats, the Rockies should see their defense improve with time -- even gloves can slump, and a roster that was very similar in 2011 was markedly better at fielding, both adjusted and not. A return to normalcy will need to occur soon, though, before the Rockies lose too much ground in a division they didn’t stand out in to begin with.
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