Weak link at positions in NL, AL
Some Major League Baseball teams have positions that have been under performing for a long time.
David Schoenfield of ESPN. com compiled a list of the top 10 teams that have have had a position that has been a weak link over the past decade using the saber metric statistic WAA — wins above average. The statistic is computed at the team/position level by prorating teams season totals by the time played at the position so they may not represent exactly what the player did at that position, but it assumes they were equally valued at each position.
On the list, there are some interesting choices.
Kansas City Royals shortstops rank 10th with a minus-13.0 WAA. Strange, given that Alcides Escobar has been the Royals’ starting shortstop for the past six seasons and in 2015, made the AllStar Game, earned a Gold Glove and was MVP of the American League Championship Series that same year.
Wrote Schoenfield: “This one stands out because it has been relatively stable. [Tony] Pena and [Yuniesky] Betancourt were awful, but the surprise is the low rating with Escobar. But his career on-base percentage with the Royals is .297, with just 26 home runs over six seasons, so he’s pretty much an offensive zero, and the defensive metrics rate him as only average.”
Texas Rangers first baseman are fifth with a minus-15.1 WAA. Some big names have started at first base, including Mark Teixeira, Chris Davis, Mitch Moreland and Prince Fielder, but most of them had the best success elsewhere.
Wrote Schoenfield. “This mostly is about the long leash the Rangers kept extending on Moreland. His career OPS-plus is 100, which is league average, but a league-average hitter at first base isn’t a good thing. Davis had a terrible season in 2009, and 2014 was a merry-go-round of 11 different starters after Fielder was injured.”
The worst position by a team over the past decade?
Miami Marlins first baseman with a minus-22.5 WAA. The list includes Mike Jacobs, Jorge Cantu, Gaby Sanchez, Carlos Lee, Logan Morrison, Garrett Jones and Justin Bour. Wrote Schoenfield: “Well, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at those names and see that this ranking isn’t a surprise. It does show how teams can be fooled by first-base production. Marlins first basemen have averaged 21 home runs and 86 RBI, but with a lowly .738 onbase percentage plus slugging percentage. The MLB averages for first basemen since 2007 are 25 and 91, but with a .797 OPS. Basically, Marlins first basemen have hit like second basemen and fielded like DHs.”
Two teams had multiple positions on the list. The Chicago White Sox second baseman were ranked sixth with a minus-14.7 and their left fielders were ninth at minus-13.2. The Seattle Mariners’ first baseman were second at minus-19.2 and catchers were third at minus-17.0
This helps explain why some teams consistently miss the playoffs.