Fielding Player Won-Lost Records
Fielding, including pitcher fielding, accounted for
18.8% of all Player decisions across all seasons for which I calculate
Player won-lost records. An increase in the numbers of strikeouts and home runs in recent seasons has made fielding slightly less important; since 2000, fielding has accounted for only
17.6% of all Player decisions.
Fielding decisions are accumulated in seven
Components:
Component 1: Stolen Bases
Component 2: Wild Pitches and Passed Balls
Component 5: Hits vs. Outs
Component 6: Singles v. Doubles v. Triples
Component 7: Double Plays
Component 8: Baserunner Outs
Component 9: Baserunner Advancement
The table below shows how fielding decisions break down by Component and by Position over the full Retrosheet Era.
Breakdown of Fielding Decisions by Component by Position
| Position |
Component 1 |
Component 2 |
Component 5 |
Component 6 |
Component 7 |
Component 8 |
Component 9 |
Total All Position
| (excl. P, C)
|
| Pitcher |
|
|
3.6% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 1.1% | 5.0% |
|
| Catcher |
2.9% | 0.9% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 4.8% |
|
| First Base |
|
|
4.5% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.9% | 6.0% | 6.6% |
| Second Base |
|
|
9.7% | 0.0% | 2.3% | 0.4% | 1.2% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Third Base |
|
|
9.7% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 1.3% | 11.4% | 12.7% |
| Shortstop |
|
|
11.4% | 0.0% | 2.0% | 0.3% | 1.5% | 15.2% | 16.9% |
| Left Field |
|
|
7.8% | 2.8% | | 1.6% | 3.2% | 15.3% | 17.0% |
| Center Field |
|
|
7.6% | 1.6% | | 1.4% | 3.4% | 13.9% | 15.5% |
| Right Field |
|
|
7.7% | 2.2% | | 1.7% | 3.3% | 14.8% | 16.4% |
| Total by Component |
2.9% | 0.9% | 62.5% | 6.8% | 4.8% | 6.1% | 15.9% |
|
|
The numbers in the bottom row show the percentage of total fielding decisions accumulated by
Component. The numbers in the two right-most columns show the distribution of total fielding decisions accumulated by position (the latter column excluding Pitchers and Catchers).
Component 5, which measures whether a ball is a hit or an out, given where and how it is hit, accounts for just over 60% of all Fielding decisions. Most defensive metrics based on play-by-play data – e.g.,
UZR,
PMR,
+/-,
TotalZone – match up with this measure, that is, they only look at whether balls-in-play become hits or outs. Of course, by my estimate, this means that such measures miss nearly 40% of all defensive value.
The allocation of fielding decisions across the defensive positions is discussed a bit more by me in my discussion of the general
allocation by component of Player decisions. Relative fielding across positions is discussed later in this article, as is the relative fielding of center fielders vs. corner outfielders.
For most of the
Components for which Fielding Player decisions are awarded, fielders
share these decisions with their
pitchers. The exact extent to which fielders and pitchers share these decisions varies by fielding position, by
component, and by
season. The average percentage of defensive Player decisions assigned to fielders by position and component over the Retrosheet Era are shown in the next table.
Percentage of Total Defensive Decisions assigned to Fielders
| Position |
Component 1 |
Component 2 |
Component 5 |
Component 6 |
Component 7 |
Component 8 |
Component 9 |
| Catcher |
49.2% | 26.8% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 20.6% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
| First Base |
|
|
64.9% | 8.2% | 33.3% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
| Second Base |
|
|
68.8% | 43.6% | 94.6% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
| Third Base |
|
|
72.8% | 47.6% | 46.1% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
| Shortstop |
|
|
75.7% | 21.8% | 93.6% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
| Left Field |
|
|
63.0% | 89.5% |
|
100.0% |
100.0% |
| Center Field |
|
|
67.5% | 71.9% |
|
100.0% |
100.0% |
| Right Field |
|
|
64.5% | 70.0% |
|
100.0% |
100.0% |
Combining the results from the above two tables, fielders' overall share of responsibility on Components 1-2 and 5-9 is as follows.