Dewan: Who was May’s top defensive player?

From SABR member John Dewan at ACTA Sports on June 1, 2018:

When the Brewers signed center fielder Lorenzo Cain to a five-year, $80 million contract in January, they were hoping they’d get the best version of him. That would be the one who saved an average of 18.5 runs defensively from 2013 to 2016 and had more Range and Positioning Runs Saved than any center fielder in that span.

They got that and then some in May. Cain is the Sports Info Solutions Defensive Player of the Month. The award is voted on by Sports Info Solutions staff and baseball media.

Cain is currently tied with Lewis Brinson of the Marlins for the MLB lead in Defensive Runs Saved among CF with 8. Cain saved 6 of those runs this month.

What makes Cain great is the combination of his ability to turn batted balls into outs and throwing out baserunners trying to advance. His former manager, Ned Yost, once said you might “need binoculars” to see Cain’s ceiling, because it was so high. He’s trying to live up to it now.

Read the full article here: https://www.statoftheweek.com



Originally published: June 1, 2018. Last Updated: June 1, 2018.