Simon: Highlight reel heroes: the most telegenic defensive players this season
From SABR member Mark Simon at The Athletic on September 20, 2018:
What we’re looking for here are the guys who play their position with pizazz. The ones often described as flashy or showing flair. They’re the players you’ll see on the highlight reel the most because of the way in which they finish plays. They make the game fun.
How do we figure something like that out?
Remember our article from a few months ago about the million different things Baseball Info Solutions tracks? One thing the BIS video scouts chart is how a fielder approaches a ball to get an out. Some sprint, some jog, but others do a little something extra. They might jump, dive or slide to make a play. Those are the plays we’re looking for.
Combining outs recorded by sliding, diving and jumping allows us to form our list of what one colleague called ‘The Highlight Reel Heroes.”
Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/535958/2018/09/20/highlight-reel-heroes-the-most-telegenic-defensive-players-in-baseball-this-season/
Originally published: September 20, 2018. Last Updated: September 20, 2018.