Carleton: Reimagining the defensive spectrum
From Russell Carleton at Baseball Prospectus on August 10, 2018:
Last week in this space, we talked about the emergency catcher. Most teams carry two real catchers on their roster, but every once in a while, like with position players pitching, we see a guy with little-to-no previous catching experience strapping on the shin guards and heading behind the plate. It turns out that when we look at the record of these pretend catchers, as a whole, they are worse than the worst defensive catchers in the game.
It got me wondering about the rest of the diamond. Sure, fake pitchers and catchers are the most fun (i.e., cringe-worthy) to watch, but what happens when someone gets the call to play second base or right field for the very first time? Ever. What happens then?
Read the full article here: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/41948/baseball-therapy-reimagining-the-defensive-spectrum/
Originally published: August 10, 2018. Last Updated: August 10, 2018.