AP fileDerek Jeter is the worst fielder in baseball, according to a panel of statisticians that includes "Baseball Abstract" author Bill James, the New York Post reports.
The 10 panelists who reviewed every ball hit in the majors this season ranked Jeter 22nd among shortstops. One called him "the least effective defensive player in the major leagues, at any position." Ranking 22nd wouldn't place Jeter as last, but James said of panel member Baseball Info Solutions, "They had analyzed the outcomes to determine who was best at turning hit balls into outs. One of their conclusions was that Jeter was probably the least effective defensive player in the major leagues, at any position."
James gave this assessment of the process behind the balloting for the 2008 Fielding Bible Awards: "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]."
World Series champion Jimmy Rollins topped the list as the best-fielding shortstop, followed by J.J. Hardy (Brewers), Yunel Escobar (Braves), Erick Aybar (Angels), Jack Wilson (Pirates), Orlando Cabrera (White Sox), Cesar Iztruis (Cardinals), Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies), the Omar Vizquel (Giants) and Jose Reyes (Mets).
HBT: Controversial umpire Angel Hernandez blew another call that nearly cost the White Sox a win on Friday, earning the ire of manager Robin Ventura.
Add another near miss in this 2013 baseball season - this time it was Detroit's Anibal Sanchez falling just short of a no-hitter.
The nation grieved for those hurt, killed and affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. After one of the suspects was caught on Friday — following a day-long lockdown and manhunt — sports returned to Boston over the weekend.
HardballTalk headlines |
Slideshow |
more photos |