Fielding Is Debatable: What A Shock!

So America's go-to sports page for your Greenland soccer reports ran a piece today reporting that it's hard to say if the Yankees' fielding this year has been better or worse than it was last year.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/sports/baseball/yankees-defense.html

Here are the key lines, before the reams of statistical mush that follow:

one aspect of the Yankees’ play this season has been trickier to evaluate: their defense. Depending on which metrics you choose out of the ever-expanding world of advanced analytics, Yankees fielders have been better than last year, or maybe worse, but probably close to average in the majors this year...

Of course, it comes down largely to which tools are used for evaluation. If you look at outs above average, the 2019 Yankees have improved over last year’s squad. But other metrics, such as defensive runs saved (D.R.S.), show a downgrade for this season’s team — but only a bit below average. 

And then there are the opinions from the players actually doing the defending. 

“We’re above-average defensively,” said the Yankees’ D.J. LeMahieu, an All-Star multipurpose infielder. “I feel like we make all the plays we should make. And our outfield is really good.”

Well, what a shock.  Different metrics produce different results.  And how dare they ask the players!  Who ya gonna believe?  Them?  Your cheatin' eyes?  Or statistics that don't actually measure anything, just what SHOULD be going on?

I think pretty much all of us who have watched many of the games this year would agree that the Yankees' fielding has been considerably better than last year.  The infield has been better—in part, because of Gio replacing El Matador—the catching has been better—with Sanchez both improved on passed balls and often absent—and even the outfield play has been better.

So what's not to like?  Well, among other things, the article makes out that The Gleyber is a below-average second baseman (nonsense), Didi has lost some range (maybe, but hard to say since he makes so many brilliant plays), and Gio is below average.

Right.

You can't really blame the NY Times for this one.  Even baseball reference's defensive WAR has Gio at -0.1, which means he has been slightly worse than anyone you can bring up from the minors.

Which is everything that's wrong with WAR and fielding stats in general.  Those of us who have watched Gio knows that he has been absolutely brilliant in the field.  He also has a surprisingly high number of errors, with 13.  And not a one of them have really cost us something of worth.

The advanced fielding stats say that, regardless of what actually occurs, x-number of balls should or could be fielded, and the failure to do so makes one a worse fielder.  The actuality of where the balls are (also the title of the under-appreciated sequel to "Where the Boys Are"), doesn't matter.

The fact that, just maybe, your crack shortstop or centerfielder isn't diving for everything in, say, the 8th or 9th of a game like last night's blowout against the Rangers—which they aren't, and which you don't want them to be doing—counts for nothing.

So I would say this:

The Yankees' fielding is considerably better than last year's.

Fielding metrics don't necessarily prove this.

Advanced fielding stats are generally all wet.