Dewan: Best defensive players of the decade
From SABR member John Dewan at ACTA Sports on February 18, 2013:
In the last Stat of the Week, we kicked off our celebration of 10 years of Defensive Runs Saved analytics with a look back at the best defensive teams of the decade. This week we continue our retrospective with individual defenders, broken down by position. We’ll start with the middle infield: second basemen and shortstops.
First, here are the ten best second basemen of the last 10 years according to Defensive Runs Saved.
Chase Utley has a 25-run lead on the second-place second baseman Mark Ellis. Given the similar number of innings played by Utley, Ellis and Orlando Hudson—the only other players within shouting distance of Utley in Runs Saved—Utley is the definitive champion. His defensive excellence is built predominantly on his range and positioning, and that, remarkably, has not declined substantially despite his degenerative knee condition. Utley has played at least 81 games each season since 2005, and he has never had fewer than eight Plus/Minus Runs Saved in one of those seasons.
Read the full article here: http://www.statoftheweek.com
Originally published: February 19, 2013. Last Updated: February 19, 2013.