SABR Defensive Index rankings released through August 22, 2021
AUGUST 27, 2021 — Texas shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Pittsburgh catcher Jacob Stallings have taken over the top spots in their respective leagues in the most recent SABR Defensive Index™ rankings for the 2021 Major League Baseball season.
Click here to view full SDI rankings by position through games of Sunday, August 22, 2021.
For the ninth consecutive season, the SABR Defensive Index will be used to help select the winners of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award® and Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™, presented by SABR.
The SDI draws on and aggregates two types of existing defensive metrics: those derived from batted ball location-based data and those collected from play-by-play accounts. SDI utilizes MLBAM’s Statcast, Sports Information Solutions data, and STATS, LLC data as well as traditional statistics with advanced analysis.
The SABR Defensive Index accounts for approximately 25 percent of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process that will be added to the votes from the managers and coaches.
Kiner-Falefa’s SDI of 10.6 is the highest in the AL among all qualified defenders, ahead of Houston shortstop Carlos Correa (9.7) and Kansas City center fielder Michael A. Taylor (9.5). New York right fielder Joey Gallo (8.6) and Chicago pitcher Dallas Keuchel (7.5) round out the top five.
Stallings’s SDI of 7.7 leads all fielders in the NL, followed by St. Louis shortstop Paul DeJong (7.0), San Francisco shortstop Brandon Crawford (6.6), Colorado third baseman Ryan McMahon (6.5), and Philadelphia second baseman Jean Segura (6.2).
The updated SDI results were released today by the Society for American Baseball Research.
The final SDI results will be released following the conclusion of the 2021 season at SABR.org. The SDI is compiled by the SABR Defensive Committee, which includes former SABR Board President Vince Gennaro; Sean Forman of Baseball-Reference.com; Ben Jedlovec, MLB’s Director of Engineering, Data Quality; SABR Director F.X. Flinn; author and defensive metrics expert Chris Dial; and author Michael Humphreys.
Here are the top 25 players in each League, through games of August 22, 2021:
AL leaders
| Player | Team | Position | SDI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isiah Kiner-Falefa | TEX | SS | 10.6 |
| Carlos Correa | HOU | SS | 9.7 |
| Michael A. Taylor | KCR | CF | 9.5 |
| Joey Gallo | TEX/NYY | RF | 8.6 |
| Dallas Keuchel | CHW | P | 7.5 |
| Marcus Semien | TOR | 2B | 7.4 |
| Myles Straw | CLE/HOU | CF | 7.1 |
| Whit Merrifield | KCR | 2B | 6.8 |
| Andrelton Simmons | MIN | SS | 6.4 |
| Sean Murphy | OAK | C | 6.2 |
| Matt Chapman | OAK | 3B | 6.0 |
| Kevin Kiermaier | TBR | CF | 5.3 |
| Jose Trevino | TEX | C | 5.3 |
| José Ramírez | CLE | 3B | 5.2 |
| Adolis García | TEX | CF | 5.0 |
| Kyle Tucker | HOU | RF | 4.6 |
| Austin Hedges | CLE | C | 4.6 |
| Zack Greinke | HOU | P | 3.8 |
| José Berríos | MIN/TOR | P | 3.7 |
| Joey Wendle | TBR | 3B | 3.5 |
| Manuel Margot | TBR | RF | 3.5 |
| Yuli Gurriel | HOU | 1B | 3.4 |
| Chris Flexen | SEA | P | 3.3 |
| Jorge Polanco | MIN | 2B | 3.3 |
| Enrique Hernández | BOS | CF | 3.3 |
NL leaders
| Player | Team | Position | SDI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Stallings | PIT | C | 7.7 |
| Paul DeJong | STL | SS | 7.0 |
| Brandon Crawford | SFG | SS | 6.6 |
| Ryan McMahon | COL | 3B | 6.5 |
| Jean Segura | PHI | 2B | 6.2 |
| Tommy Edman | STL | 2B | 6.1 |
| Francisco Lindor | NYM | SS | 5.8 |
| Adam Duvall | ATL/MIA | RF | 5.4 |
| Willson Contreras | CHC | C | 5.4 |
| Juan Soto | WSN | RF | 5.3 |
| Miguel Rojas | MIA | SS | 5.0 |
| Jason Heyward | CHC | RF | 4.8 |
| Javier Báez | CHC/NYM | SS | 4.5 |
| Elias Díaz | COL | C | 4.3 |
| Max Muncy | LAD | 1B | 4.3 |
| Jake Cronenworth | SDP | 2B | 4.2 |
| Manny Machado | SDP | 3B | 4.2 |
| Jackie Bradley Jr. | MIL | CF | 4.1 |
| Kevin Newman | PIT | SS | 3.9 |
| Nolan Arenado | STL | 3B | 3.8 |
| Tyler O’Neill | STL | LF | 3.7 |
| Starling Marte | MIA | CF | 3.6 |
| Kolten Wong | MIL | 2B | 3.6 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | STL | 1B | 3.5 |
| Zach Davies | CHC | P | 3.3 |
About SABR
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering research and disseminating the history and record of baseball. Founded in 1971, SABR has more than 6,000 members worldwide and has established itself as a vibrant baseball community and a premier distributor of ground-breaking baseball information. SABR features more than 80 regional chapters and more than 30 research committees, and produces three annual publications — two editions of The Baseball Research Journal and The National Pastime — in addition to other print and e-books. SABR also hosts two annual events: the National Convention each summer and the SABR Analytics Conference in March in Phoenix. For more information about SABR, visit SABR.org.
About the Rawlings Gold Glove Award®
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award® is a registered trademark owned by Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. The award is correctly identified as the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The name should not be shortened, abbreviated or otherwise misused. Proper identification of this service mark using the registration symbol and the Rawlings name is important to protect the integrity of the program and perpetuate this worthy tradition. For more information, please visit www.rawlingsgoldglove.com.
About Rawlings
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes from the sandlot to the pros. Rawlings’ unparalleled quality and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more athletes choose Rawlings, and why Rawlings is the Official Batting Helmet and Ball Supplier of Major League Baseball®, the official baseball of Minor League Baseball™ and the NCAA®, and the approved baseball, basketball, football and softball of the National High School Federation®. For more information, please visit www.rawlings.com or by call (314) 819-2800.
Originally published: August 27, 2021. Last Updated: August 27, 2021.