Just how good is the Rockies’ defense? Good enough to be the least of fans’ worries this year.
Through 62 games, Colorado is tied with Arizona for the fewest errors (20) and highest fielding percentage (.991) in the National League, marks that rank second in all of baseball only to the Astros.
And a dive into the sabermetics reveals further statistical strengths of the club’s gloves.
Colorado ranks sixth in the N.L. in which “puts a run value to defense, attempting to quantify how many runs a player saved or gave up through their fielding prowess (or lack thereof).”
Clearly, five-time Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado — despite his four errors — continues to make plays we’ll tell our grandchildren about, and his 2.9 individual UZR ranks first among all Colorado players and 13th in the N.L.
Next to Arenado, Colorado has as Trevor Story’s foot speed on the bases (an average of 29.7 miles per hour, according to Statcast) has underscored his increased range and play-making ability in the field, as noted by his teammates.
And while veteranGerardo Parra continues to hose runners — he’s tied for third in the N.L. with five outfield assists — the catching position has been a rock, too. Together, Chris Iannetta (37 starts) and Tony Wolters (28 starts) have allowed a the third-lowest mark in the N.L.
More specifically, Wolters is pacing the team in defensive WAR at 0.5 along with Gold Glove second baseman DJ LeMahieu (0.6).
Wolters’ ability to steal strikes this season has been well documented. Per Baseball Prospectus, he ranks as well as first in , a formula which incorporates framing, blocking and throwing skills. Ipso facto, Colorado has one of the best defensive catchers in all of baseball in the 25-year-old.
But despite those highlights, there’s still room for improvement for the unit — a good sign for Colorado considering how solid it’s been defensively up to this point.
- Rockies catchers rank in the bottom half in the N.L. in caught stealing percentage at25.64(10-for-39), and Iannetta’s pop time of 2.07 is slower than the major league average of2.01.
- As a whole, the Rockies’ outfield ranks in the bottom third of the N.L. in which is “a range-based metric of fielding skill that accounts for the number of plays made and the difficulty of them.” No one but Carlos Gonzalez has made a five-star catch this year, with the team being2-for-41 in that category.
- Center fielder Charlie Blackmon and alsois the lowest on the team in defensive WAR at -1.8. He’s making very few plays that are out of the ordinary —he’s 0-for-15 on five-star catches, 0-5 on four-star, and 1-for-6 on three-star.
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Whatap on tap?
- Arizona Diamondbacks, 6:40 p.m. Friday, ATTRM
- Arizona Diamondbacks, 5:15 p.m. Saturday, KDVR-31
- Arizona Diamondbacks, 1:10 p.m. Sunday, ATTRM
- At Philadelphia Phillies, 5 p.m. Tuesday, ATTRM
- At Philadelphia Phillies, 5 p.m. Wednesday, ATTRM
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Scores, Stats and Standings
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+Rockies Record Tracker:See how Colorado has fared against each opponentthis season.
+Want to chat about the Rockies?
By The Numbers
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Parting Shot
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