SABR Defensive Index rankings released through June 8, 2025
JUNE 13, 2025 — Tampa Bay shortstop Taylor Walls and Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson lead their respective leagues in the updated SABR Defensive Index™ rankings through Major League Baseball games of Sunday, June 8, 2025.
The SABR Defensive Index is 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 Info Solutions data, and STATS Perform 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.
Walls’s SDI of 7.9 is the highest in the AL among all qualified defenders, ahead of Houston shortstop Jeremy Peña (6.5), Boston center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (6.3), Seattle center fielder Julio Rodríguez (6.1), and Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk (5.8).
Olson’s SDI of 9.6 leads all fielders in the NL, followed by San Diego right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (8.3) and Colorado third baseman Ryan McMahon (7.0). San Francisco catcher Patrick Bailey (6.8) and Pittsburgh third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes (6.3) round out the top five.
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 2025 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; Joe Rosales of Sports Info Solutions; Tom Tango, MLB’s Senior Data Architect; author and defensive metrics expert Chris Dial; and author Michael Humphreys.
Here are the top 25 players in each League, through games of June 8, 2025:
AL leaders
| Player | Team | Position | SDI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Walls | TBR | SS | 7.9 |
| Jeremy Peña | HOU | SS | 6.5 |
| Ceddanne Rafaela | BOS | CF | 6.3 |
| Julio Rodríguez | SEA | CF | 6.1 |
| Alejandro Kirk | TOR | C | 5.8 |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | KCR | SS | 5.6 |
| Dillon Dingler | DET | C | 5.0 |
| Cam Smith | HOU | RF | 4.8 |
| Steven Kwan | CLE | LF | 4.7 |
| Alex Bregman | BOS | 3B | 4.5 |
| Carlos Narváez | BOS | C | 4.5 |
| Wilyer Abreu | BOS | RF | 4.4 |
| Adolis García | TEX | RF | 4.3 |
| Ernie Clement | TOR | 3B | 3.6 |
| Vinnie Pasquantino | KCR | 1B | 3.5 |
| Kameron Misner | TBR | CF | 3.4 |
| Andrés Giménez | TOR | 2B | 3.3 |
| Carlos Santana | CLE | 1B | 3.2 |
| Luis Severino | ATH | P | 3.2 |
| Wyatt Langford | TEX | LF | 3.1 |
| Marcus Semien | TEX | 2B | 2.9 |
| Anthony Volpe | NYY | SS | 2.8 |
| Gabriel Arias | CLE | SS | 2.7 |
| Ben Williamson | SEA | 3B | 2.7 |
| Michael Massey | KCR | 2B | 2.6 |
NL leaders
| Player | Team | Position | SDI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Olson | ATL | 1B | 9.6 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | SDP | RF | 8.3 |
| Ryan McMahon | COL | 3B | 7.0 |
| Patrick Bailey | SFG | C | 6.8 |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes | PIT | 3B | 6.3 |
| Nico Hoerner | CHC | 2B | 6.1 |
| Nick Allen | ATL | SS | 5.3 |
| Pete Crow-Armstrong | CHC | CF | 4.9 |
| Ian Happ | CHC | LF | 3.9 |
| Spencer Steer | CIN | 1B | 3.8 |
| Spencer Schwellenbach | ATL | P | 3.7 |
| Otto Lopez | MIA | 2B | 3.6 |
| Brice Turang | MIL | 2B | 3.6 |
| Mookie Betts | LAD | SS | 3.5 |
| Pedro Pagés | STL | C | 3.5 |
| Gabriel Moreno | ARI | C | 3.4 |
| Tyrone Taylor | NYM | CF | 3.3 |
| Matt Chapman | SFG | 3B | 3.1 |
| Corbin Carroll | ARI | RF | 2.9 |
| Tommy Pham | PIT | LF | 2.9 |
| Luis Torrens | NYM | C | 2.9 |
| Brett Baty | NYM | 3B | 2.7 |
| James Wood | WSN | LF | 2.7 |
| Javier Sanoja | MIA | 2B | 2.6 |
| Michael Harris II | ATL | CF | 2.4 |
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 7,500 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.Rawlings.com.
About Rawlings
Established in 1887, Rawlings is an innovative leading global brand and manufacturer of premium baseball and softball equipment, including gloves, balls, and protective headwear. Rawlings’ unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Baseball, Helmet, Face Guard and Glove of Major League Baseball, the Official Baseball of Minor League Baseball and the Official Baseball and Softball of the NCAA and the NAIA. The company is headquartered in St. Louis. For more information, please visit www.Rawlings.com.
Originally published: June 13, 2025. Last Updated: June 11, 2025.