Quote:
Originally Posted by Vladimir_Kyrilytch
Another thing about BWJ's defense: the defensive shift is now banned. There will be a renewed emphasis on athletic ability, arm strength, range, and just raw defensive skill compared to the past decade or more. Bobby Witt Jr. is the type of player that checks those boxes (not many with a bat do), so therefore, his defensive potential value only increases with the new rules.
I've never seen it so much as suggested anywhere but this here thread that they won't give him every opportunity at shortstop. Moving him off short would be like taking the top starting pitching prospect in baseball and making him the set-up guy.
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https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savan...-r-hitting-mlb
If I am reading these stats right on baseball savant apparently Bobby has terrible range. We all know he's great at running in a straight line but perhaps it has to do with his reflexes, agility and well - concentration. He is the worst possible grade for an infielder on "Outs Above Average". 1 (poorest) to 99 (greatest), and he is a 1. Outs Above Avg which states:
Outs Above Average (OAA) is a
range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a player has saved. Prior to 2020, OAA was an outfield-only metric. But it has been expanded to include infielders. OAA is calculated differently for outfielders and infielders (details below).
Outs Above Average for infielders takes the following factors into account.
• How far the fielder has to go to reach the ball ("the intercept point").
• How much time he has to get there.
• How far he then is from the base the runner is heading to.
• On force plays, how fast the batter is, on average. (A runner's average Sprint Speed is used in the calculation, rather than his Sprint Speed on that particular play. For new players with no data, a league-average -- 27 ft/sec -- score is used; once the player qualifies for the leaderboard, all of his previous plays are re-run.)
I am rooting for the kid but all the metrics seem to indicate he is completely out of his element at SS. Scouts think he COULD be good. I don't place alot of emphasis in scouts once a guy has shown some results at the major league level. I'm not saying he can't be a league avg or slightly above average SS - but it seems it is highly unlikely. Due to his straight line amazing speed and arm and the cavernous Kaufmann Stadium I'll admit I'm very intrigued on how he could perform as an outfielder.