The best defensive player on every MLB team

Defensive stats are not as straightforward as offensive ones and require evaluators to piece all types of metrics together to come up with a quantitative number. The two commonly used today are DRS--defensive runs saved, and UZR--ultimate zone rating. The best way to evaluate catchers is DRS and according to that, there was no backstop in the game even close to the Yankees' Jose Trevino in 2022. Trevino graded out as saving New York 21 runs with his defense a year ago, which combined with his career year with the bat made him an easy selection to his first all-star game. At the end of the season Trevino was not only awarded his first Gold Glove, but he in fact earned the Platinum Glove as the top defensive player in the league regardless of position. 

Versatile Enrique Hernandez played mostly center field for the Red Sox last season, but also started games at both middle infield positions. With Xander Bogaerts now in San Diego and Trevor Story going to miss the early portion of the season due to injury, in 2023 the veteran is expected to serve as Boston's starting shortstop. In '22 Hernandez led the 'Sox with six DRS, which isn't a lofty number but it's still impressive when you consider he was splitting time between the infield and outfield. 

The Rays locked up their uber-talented 22-year-old shortstop Wander Franco with a lucrative eleven-year extension a year and a half ago, fully expecting the switch-hitter to be the face of their franchise for a decade plus. And that very likely will ultimately come to fruition, but when he missed roughly half of 2022 due to injury it opened the door for Florida State product Taylor Walls to get regular playing time at position number six. While the 26-year-old struggled immensely with the bat, slashing just .172/.268/.285, he instantly emerged as the best defensive player on the field for Tampa Bay. In just over 1,100 innings Walls logged 19 DRS, tied for 6th in the Major Leagues. With Franco back in the fold Walls will be a utility infielder for Tampa Bay, and if he can improve offensively, he'll force his way onto the field more consistently. 

Identifying the best defensive player on the Blue Jays heading into 2023 was less straightforward than with other teams and became an exercise in resume over recency bias. Toronto acquired third baseman Matt Chapman in a winter trade with Oakland prior to last season, and while the veteran had a productive offensive season with the Blue Jays, his defense seemed to suffer. With the A's the 29-year-old won three Gold Gloves including two Platinum awards. He had been unanimously considered the best defensive third baseman in baseball not named Nolan Arenado, but his grades with the glove declined heavily north of the border. In 2021 when he won his most recent Gold Glove, Chapman's UZR was 8.8, but in his first season in Toronto, it fell more than half to 4.3. His DRS fell from nine to two. This season he'll have to prove the decline was an aberration and not the beginning of a trend, but for now, I've seen enough from Matt Chapman to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

When the Orioles made Adley Rutschman the first overall pick in the '19 draft they expected the Oregon State product to eventually become the best catcher in baseball. After a stellar rookie campaign, that may ultimately happen even sooner than the O's anticipated. Following his late May debut Rutschman slashed .254/.362/.445 with 49 extra-base hits in only 113 games, but the reason Baltimore loves him so much is that he's far from one-dimensional. Defensively Rutschman finished second to only New York's Jose Trevino in catcher DRS with 18--while playing nearly 60 fewer innings. The sky is truly the limit for Rutschman and it will be exciting to watch him in his first full big league season in '23. 

In a lot of ways, the 2023 season was the coming out party for Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez, who announced himself emphatically to the national audience. The 24-year-old switch-hitter came to Cleveland in the blockbuster Francisco Lindor trade and had gotten big league time with the Mets in '20 and the Guardians in '21. But last year was his first chance to play every day for a full season, and he took full advantage. Known as a defense-first player throughout his professional career, Gimenez dazzled with the glove all season long, finishing with 17 DRS and winning first Gold Glove award. But he really opened eyes offensively, slashing .297/.371/.466 with 17 homers, 26 doubles, and 20 steals. He was selected to his first all-star game and was named to the All-MLB second team, and it looks like Cleveland has a star on its hands. 

The Tigers best defensive player should, by all accounts, be their shortstop Javy Baez, who has earned a reputation as one of the game's premier glove wizards. So why isn't his name the one listed above? Because in his first season with Detroit Baez had an absolutely forgettable season. In 144 games he slashed just .238/.278/.393 and defensively was uncharacteristically ineffective. Baez UZR was -10.5, down from 10.0 the last full season he played shortstop in 2019 (the 2020 season was shortened by the pandemic and then he played second for the Mets for half of 2021). He also graded out as a -4 according to DRS. After watching him put on a clinic in the WBC this month it's fair to assume he took his offensive struggles with him into the field and playing for a non-competitive team couldn't have helped either. So, by default, I'm giving Detroit's honor to Baez' double-play partner, Jonathan Schoop, who led the Tigers with eight DRS in 2022. 

In most cases, if a pitcher is a team's best defensive player it would seem like an indictment on the rest of the club's prowess (or lack thereof) with the glove, but that is not the case here with the Royals. Zack Greinke has always been one of the best athletes on the field regardless of position, and when his playing career is done, he'll be remembered first and foremost as one of the best starting pitchers of his generation, but also as someone who consistently helped himself with the glove. The 39-year-old has won six Gold Glove awards, and in Kansas City last season accumulated three DRS in 137 innings solely with his defense off the mound. 

Simply put, the Chicago White Sox were not a good defensive team in 2022. Only Pittsburgh had a worse collective fielding percentage as a team, and the White Sox led the American League with 101 errors. Far too many of Chicago's starting players scored in the negatives in DRS, including Andrew Vaughn, Tim Anderson, Elvis Andrus, Yasmani Grandal, and Eloy Jimenez. So, while third baseman Yoan Moncada is no magician with a glove on his hand, he does consistently make the plays he's supposed to--as evidenced by his 1.2 UZR and two DRS in 2022. The bar was not high on the Southside of the Windy City, but these numbers make Moncada the Chi-Sox's best defender. 

The best Minnesota player is their all-world center fielder Byron Buxton who can do absolutely everything on a baseball field--other than consistently stay on it. In eight seasons, Buxton has participated in over 100 games only once, which made it difficult to choose him for this distinction. Instead, the honor goes to fellow outfielder Michael A. Taylor, who the Twins acquired from the Royals in a January trade this winter. With Kansas City last year Taylor accumulated 20 DRS--the 4th highest total in the Major Leagues. Minnesota acquired him to provide center field insurance, and they'll certainly find a way to get him on the field as much as possible in the upcoming campaign. 

While it had to be tough for the Astros to watch Carlos Correa depart as a free agent a year ago, the belief they had that young shortstop Jeremy Pena could blossom into a star made it a less bitter pill to swallow. And did Pena ever reward them for their optimism? As a true rookie the 25-year-old slashed .253/.289/.426 with 22 homers, 20 doubles, and 63 RBI. He won a Gold Glove, and helped the Astros win the World Series, while taking home ALCS and WS MVP honors in the process. Pena paced Houston with 16 DRS in '22 and it's fair to say the Astros replaced one superstar shortstop with another. 

The Oakland Athletics were not good in 2022 and won't be very good in 2023, which is one of the reasons why their talented young shortstop, Nick Allen, doesn't get nearly enough attention. The 24-year-old made his big league debut last April and didn't do much with the bat, slashing just .207/.256/.291. But defensively was a different story. In only 100 games, Allen racked up 10 DRS, making him a bright spot on a club that did not have very many of them. 

Orange, CA native David Fletcher has played five different positions for the Angels during his career, but he's most comfortable in the middle infield, and will probably serve as the Halos starting shortstop in 2023. Wherever Fletcher lines up, however, he's a plus defender, with soft hands and above-average instincts. Last season he was rated to have saved Los Angeles seven runs in 493 defensive innings, a number that would've been significantly higher had injuries not limited him to only 61 games. 

Switch-hitter Cal Raleigh emerged as a difference maker last season for a Seattle team that was ultimately able to end a long playoff drought by snagging a wild card berth last October. In his first extended big league opportunity Raleigh blasted 27 homers in 370 at-bats, while also giving the Mariners well above-average defense behind the plate. In fact, his 14 DRS led Seattle's team, and heading into '23 the M's are excited about his two-way potential moving forward. 

The Rangers best defensive player could have been a couple of different guys, but ultimately, I landed on one of their most important players, second baseman Marcus Semien. In his first season with Texas in '22, Semien got off to a slow start but came on late, finishing with a respectable .248/.304/.429 slash line to go along with 26 long balls and 31 doubles. Defensively he scored a 4.1 UZR which was admittedly down from the 7.3 mark he put up in Toronto the prior season, but he also led the Rangers in DRS with 10. Honorable mentions go to both catcher Jonah Heim and utility man Josh H. Smith who were both under serious consideration. 

The Mets have steady defenders all over the diamond, and this could have gone a lot of different directions. But to me, the best defensive player on their team in 2022 was quietly Tomas Nido, who began the season splitting time behind the plate with James McCann before ultimately become New York's starter down the stretch. In a career-high 98 games Nido delivered eight DRS, a direct result of gunning down 13 of 26 would-be base-stealers and picking off three runners from behind the plate. 

Checking in as the second pitcher on this list is Philadelphia's Ranger Suarez, who emerged as the Phillies #3 starter behind Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola last summer. In 29 starts the southpaw delivered a 3.65 ERA in 155.1 innings and was even better in the playoffs during the Phillies run to the NL pennant. But what lands Suarez on this list is his defensive ability, as in those 155.1 innings he was able to finish with an absurd nine DRS. Only his battery mate J.T. Realmuto with 11 had more for the Phillies and those came in over seven times as many innings. 

When young center fielder Michael Harris II made his Major League debut around Memorial Day last season, I'm not sure even the Braves could have anticipated the difference he would make for them in 2022. In 114 games the 22-year-old slashed .297/.339/.514 with 49 extra-base hits, 64 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. He easily won NL Rookie of the Year and was one of the primary reasons Atlanta was able to surge back and win the NL East. Defensively, at a premium position Harris II was seemingly good for a highlight reel catch every night, and ended up leading the Braves with eight DRS in '22. 

Veteran Joey Wendle played all over the infield for the Marlins last season, but his best position is almost certainly second base, which does not make him unique in Miami. The Marlins interestingly have seemingly stockpiled a team full of second basemen and are trying to get creative deploying them all in the everyday line-up. Newcomer Jean Segura is moving to third, Wendle is expected to play shortstop, trade acquisition Luis Arraez will start at second, while incumbent second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. shifts to center field. Got all that? In Wendle's case he's historically been a reliable defender throughout his career and led the Marlins with 12 DRS in 2022. But he's also graded out weaker when he's played shortstop, which will be an interesting storyline to follow in the upcoming campaign. 

Victor Robles looked like a budding star for the Nationals when he hit .255 with 17 homers, 33 doubles, and 28 steals as a rookie in 2019, but unfortunately for him and the team he hasn't come close to replicating that type of offensive production since. The defensive side of the ball is a much different story, however. At a premium defensive position Robles is among the elite center fielders in the game and led the Nationals with an impressive 12 DRS in 2022. Even if his bat is never able to produce the way it did as a rookie, whether it's in Washington or somewhere else Robles will always be able to find a role because elite defense in center field is getting harder and harder to come by. 

Nolan Arenado has been the best defensive third baseman in baseball from the moment he stepped on the field as a rookie for Colorado back in 2013. The 31-year-old has won the Gold Glove award in all 10 of his Major League seasons, and for the past six has been named the Platinum Glove winner in the National League. Last season Arenado finished 6th in the Majors with 19 DRS, and when you consider that he's a seven-time all-star and six-time Silver Slugger award winner it's easy to see why the veteran is one of the sport's elite players. 

The Cubs were obvious sellers in 2022 and surprised many across the game by not trading either Willson Contreras or Ian Happ at the deadline. Not recouping prospect capital for Contreras has to hurt immensely now, after watching the veteran sign a free-agent contract with the Cubs archrivals in St. Louis. If they fall out of contention this summer, they can't let a similar situation unfold with the popular Happ, whose contract expires at the end of the season. Last season the switch-hitter was excellent, slashing .271/.342/.440 with 17 home runs, 72 RBI and 42 doubles en route to his first all-star game selection. But noteworthy for this piece, he also won his first Gold Glove award, and paced the Cubs with a strong 14 DRS. 

If you were asked to come up with the 2022 Major League leader in DRS how quickly would you have come up with the name Ke'Bryan Hayes? Pittsburgh's third baseman broke into the big leagues in 2020 with immense offensive expectations, and while he's had a modest beginning to his career swinging the bat, Hayes is otherworldly defensively. As mentioned a few slides ago, Nolan Arenado is the gold standard for defense at the hot corner, but if there is anyone in the NL capable of ultimately supplanting him as the annual Gold Glove winner on the senior circuit it will be Hayes, whose 6.3 UZR served as further evidence of his defensive prowess. 

Milwaukee acquired shortstop Willy Adames from Tampa Bay in May of 2021 with an eye on the 27-year-old becoming one of the faces of their franchise, and in his year and half plus in Wisconsin, he's been everything the team could have hoped for. Last season Adames launched 31 homers and drove in 98 runs in the middle of the Brewers' line-up and was named Milwaukee's MVP for the second consecutive season. Defensively he was a rock at shortstop, contributing a team-high nine DRS in just under 1200 innings, and the Brew Crew will look for more of the same moving forward. 

Veteran Wil Myers joined the Reds as a free agent just before Christmas, and he arrives as the team's top defensive player before ever playing a regular season game. That's an indictment on the incumbent Cincinnati defense as much as anything else, though Myers is undeniably solid with a glove on his hand. Splitting time between the outfield and first base in San Diego last season the Thomasville, NC native was credited with six DRS in just over 600 defensive innings. 

The Dodgers shortstop situation has been in somewhat of a state of turmoil the last few months, as first they lost all-star Trea Turner to the Phillies in free agency, and then watched Gavin Lux horrifically tear his ACL during spring training. Naturally, with the Dodgers being the Dodgers, they are better equipped to handle this type of adversity than anyone else. Los Angeles acquired Miguel Rojas from the Marlins in January, and the veteran now finds himself as the starting shortstop on a team with World Series aspirations. The Venezuela native is a gritty player and a natural leader who can also field his position as well as anyone, as evidenced by the stellar 17 DRS he put up in 2022. 

The San Francisco Giants were not a strong defensive team in 2022, as in the National League, only the Pirates, Marlins, and Diamondbacks had a lower collective fielding percentage. Their entry on this list could have gone a multitude of different directions, but I ultimately settled on their center fielder, Mike Yastrzemski. The grandson of Hall-of-Famer Carl Yastrzemski tied for the club lead in DRS in '22--albeit with only three, but his 5.9 UZR is pretty strong, particularly in a ballpark that is very difficult on the outfielders. 

Ha-Seong Kim was not really supposed to become the everyday shortstop in San Diego, but thanks to some questionable at best decision making by Fernando Tatis Jr. he received an opportunity that he took full advantage of. In 150 games Kim slashed .251/.325/.383 with 43 extra-base hits and 12 steals. Defensively he was phenomenal all year for the Padres, leading the team with 12 DRS and grading out at 8.7 UZR. Kim impressed San Diego brass so much with his up-the-middle defense that when Tatis reported to spring training he was strictly playing the outfield, while Kim and free-agent addition Xander Bogaerts serve as a talented double-play duo. 

Powerful Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker crushed 36 home runs last season while earning a reputation as one of the most dangerous right-handed sluggers in the National League. And while his offense, particularly his power, gets a lot of attention, Walker is quietly also one of the better defensive first basemen in the game. The 31-year-old's soft hands and sneaky good range helped him deliver a 5.2 UZR in '22 while leading all big league first basemen with 17 DRS. 

Rockies' second baseman Brendan Rodgers' name was on top prospect lists seemingly since the day Colorado drafted him 3rd overall in 2015, and while it took some time, the 26-year-old has finally blossomed into the dynamic two-way player Colorado thought they were getting. Last season Rodgers slashed .266/.325/.408 with 13 homers and set new career highs with 63 RBI and 30 doubles. The defensive side of the ball is where he really shines, however, as Rodgers 22 DRS were second to only Ke'Bryan Hayes in all of baseball. In a home ballpark that consistently produces more runs than anywhere else above average defense, particularly up the middle, is imperative, and the Rockies are ecstatic to have Rodgers on their side.