2023 – A new beginning for the Royals. Matt Quatraro era begins. A year to see which of our young players will make up the core going forward. Can Bobby Witt Jr become a superstar SS or will go to the hot corner? Will Brady Singer take the next step forward? Will Salvy be Salvy? Will Big Vin or Pratto take first base? Will they find a position for MJ? Who else emerges from the youth movement? Not to mention the development of the new downtown stadium.
Free Agents/Trades Acquisitions
Jordan Lyles, RHP
Ryan Yarbrough, LHP
Josh Taylor, LHP
Aroldis Chapman, LHP
Top 10 Prospects from Baseball America
1. Gavin Cross, OF
2. Cayden Wallace, 3B
3. Drew Waters, OF
4. Ben Kudrna, RHP
5. Frank Mozzicato, LHP
6. Maikel Garcia, SS
7. Tyler Gentry, OF
8. Nick Loftin, OF/3B
9. Angel Zerpa, LHP
10. Carter Jensen, C [Reply]
Originally Posted by dlphg9:
Isn't he -1 in defensive runs saved and -0.3 in UZR.
Yeah.
But those aren't the only measures that go into his total defensive rating.
His RAA (Runs Above Average), Avg Def, and Avg Def/1000 innings are all positive numbers. DRS and UZR are components of the defensive package.
The picture that's shaping up on Witt is a guy that's really good going back on pop-ups/flyballs, that's really rangy going to his left, who doesn't have great range to his right.
It looks like he can play an average-ish SS. I think he would translate to GG-caliber defense at 3B or CF. [Reply]
Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry: https://www.royalsreview.com/2023/5/...for-the-royals
Bobby Witt’s fielding did a 180
One of the most alarming outcomes from 2022 was Bobby Witt Jr.’s fielding ability, or should we say, lack of fielding ability. Witt was the worst defensive shortstop in Major League Baseball last year, and he was better at third base but only somewhat.
To be sure, Witt’s problems at the plate are a bigger deal, as Witt has doubled and tripled down on his “be Salvador Perez but without Salvy’s bat control and hit tool” approach, which. Not good! But his defense was still important. Put it this way: Witt has regressed at the plate but is pacing to be more valuable than last year. That’s because he has been just a way better defender.
If you’ve been here for a while, you know I like to average out multiple defensive stats and prorate them per 1000 innings (a full defensive season at one position). Using Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating, and Runs Above Average—together or individually—the improvement Witt has shown is astounding.
Bobby Witt’s Fielding Improvements at SS
Stat 2022 2023 Improvement
DRS -18 -1 17
UZR -6.5 -0.3 6.2
RAA -7 4 11
AVGDef -10.5 0.9 11.4
AVGDef/1000 -12.7 2.7 15.4
That last stat is the big one—Witt has improved by 15.4 defensive runs per 1000 innings so far this year. That is...a lot. For context, that is roughly on average what UZR and DRS said Lorenzo Cain was worth defensively in the 2013-2015 years. This is why Witt is pacing for a 3.5 WAR season even though his offense has regressed: the difference between “good shortstop” and “awful, unplayably bad shortstop” is immense. And if he’s this good defensively moving forward, that puts the offensive bar for him to be an All-Star much lower (while also raising his ceiling that much more).
meaningless sample size in both scenarios used for comparison. Defensive stats are tough to measure. [Reply]
But those aren't the only measures that go into his total defensive rating.
His RAA (Runs Above Average), Avg Def, and Avg Def/1000 innings are all positive numbers. DRS and UZR are components of the defensive package.
The picture that's shaping up on Witt is a guy that's really good going back on pop-ups/flyballs, that's really rangy going to his left, who doesn't have great range to his right.
It looks like he can play an average-ish SS. I think he would translate to GG-caliber defense at 3B or CF.
The way the article was written was just annoying. The stupid thing he says about Witts increase being the same as LoCain's actual numbers. Like saying well he went from being atrocious to right around average, so that's like him being a GG just like LoCain. [Reply]
AA
30 year old Jorge Bonifacio raking!!! 950 ops and 8 homers
John Rave, 4 homers, 896 ops
Jeison Guzman, 875 ops
A
Cayden Wallace doesn't completely suck! 825 ops, 3 homers
Some guy named Javier Vaz?? No idea. Well he's leading ops on team at 874. 8 SB, no CS
Fun fact...the QUAD city bandits have a player literally named RIVER TOWN. The downside is - well he sucks.
Everyone else has sucked ballsack. Including Pratto & Garcia who are at least doing okay so far at the MLB level. [Reply]
AA
30 year old Jorge Bonifacio raking!!! 950 ops and 8 homers
John Rave, 4 homers, 896 ops
Jeison Guzman, 875 ops
A
Cayden Wallace doesn't completely suck! 825 ops, 3 homers
Some guy named Javier Vaz?? No idea. Well he's leading ops on team at 874. 8 SB, no CS
Fun fact...the QUAD city bandits have a player literally named RIVER TOWN. The downside is - well he sucks.
Everyone else has sucked ballsack. Including Pratto & Garcia who are at least doing okay so far at the MLB level.
I had no idea Jorge Bonifacio was still a thing. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Why Not?:
I had no idea Jorge Bonifacio was still a thing.
He bounced around with Det and Philly before resigning here. Hard to believe he's relatively young (at 30) and may be having his best year in the minors. [Reply]
Scott Boras is a HOF'r. He got Hosmer $180M over 12 years (including the money due thru 2025). In exchange, Hosmer produced 9 WAR. Meaning he was barely worth replacement his entire career. Astounding.
