Baseball is riding an incredible wave of young talent these days, which makes it more difficult than ever to try to identify and rank its best players, even in terms of specific skills such as defense. At Baseball Info Solutions, we have these arguments every day, and thanks to our history of research in defensive analytics, we have plenty of ammunition to support our arguments.
As we head into the summer, it seems to be the perfect time to bring those debates to the masses. What follows is my best attempt to distill everything I know and have learned about defense into a ranking of the best 10 defensive infielders in baseball today. I am not following a specific formula to make these rankings, but I am synthesizing player valuation metrics such as defensive runs saved (DRS), skill-specific metrics, research into the relative difficulty of the individual infield positions (which in this case includes first base, second base, third base and shortstop) and my own observations and instincts.
10. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks: I debated whether I wanted to include any first basemen in the top 10. That may sound crazy, but even the best first basemen with the most range, players like Brandon Belt and Wil Myers, have nowhere near the same agility and quickness as other infielders. First base is typically a place where teams prioritize hitting over glove work, and defenders with good defensive numbers at first often have bad defensive numbers when they try other positions. Myers is a perfect demonstration of that -- as an outfielder, he was 16 runs below average in his career. Since moving to first base, he's five runs above average.
In the end, I decided that Goldschmidt deserved the 10th spot. I do not think that his good range numbers mean he could play anywhere else in the infield, but he excels at many of the skills specific to playing first. In particular, he's the best first baseman at handling poor throws from other infielders. His 93.2 percent scoop rate on bad throws is 1.3 percent better than any other active regular, and he's saved nearly five runs since 2015 with that skill alone.
9. Ian Kinsler, 2B, Detroit Tigers: To a lesser extent, second basemen faced a similar uphill climb to make my top 10. Second basemen also face a few challenges distinct to their position, but our research on players who have changed positions suggests that about 10 shortstops could move to second base today and immediately be in the conversation as the best defender at the position.
Even if that happened, one second baseman would remain near the top. Much like Chase Utley did in the 2000s, Kinsler has quietly dominated at second base defensively in the past decade. Most impressive is the fact that Kinsler has done his best work since turning 30. He has finished each of the past three seasons as the top-ranked second baseman in DRS. Albert Pujols (1B, 2005-07) and Andrelton Simmons (SS, 2013-15) are the only other players who have led their position in DRS in three consecutive seasons in the DRS era (2003-present). Kinsler is ranked first in DRS among second basemen in 2017 -- if he can finish the year that way, he would be the first player to accomplish such a feat in four straight seasons.
8. Manny Machado, 3B, Baltimore Orioles: In his first full season in the majors in 2013, Machado appeared to be a generational defensive talent at third base. He saved the Orioles 35 runs defensively that year, which remains the most a third baseman has ever saved his team in one season in the DRS era.
Since then, Machado has settled into the excellent, but not all-time-great range of about 10-15 runs saved per season. As you would expect for a former (and perhaps future) shortstop, Machado saves most of his runs with his range. Machado played some shortstop in 2016 when J.J. Hardy was injured and saved the Orioles three runs in 380 innings, a rate that suggests he would be one of the best defensive shortstops if he moved to that position down the road.
7. Francisco Lindor, SS, Cleveland Indians: Like Machado, Francisco Lindor made it to the majors with a lot of fanfare about his glove work, and he has more than delivered on that promise. In close to two full seasons of innings at shortstop spread over 2015-17, Lindor has saved the Indians 26 runs with his defense. In particular, he has the fourth-best range numbers among shortstops since his call-up -- and, not surprisingly, the three shortstops in front of him are still to come on the list.
However, despite having all of the physical tools, Lindor does make some mistakes. In the majors, Lindor has been four runs below average because of his misplays, most of which are related to poor throws and failed catches and tags.
6. Javier Baez, 2B, Chicago Cubs: If you had to pick one primary position for Baez, you'd pick second base. Baez could make a compelling case to be in the top 10 if he simply played second base every day. Last year, he finished tied for third at the position with 11 runs saved, just one run behind the leaders, Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia, but Baez did that in only 383 innings at the position, just a quarter of the time those other players had to accumulate their numbers.
However, the thing that really separates Baez is his defensive versatility. He doesn't play only second base well - he also plays third and shortstop well, and he even has a handful of productive innings at first base, left and right field. DRS does not give a fielder any extra credit for handling multiple positions, but his flexibility helps the Cubs mix and match players with specific weaknesses like Kyle Schwarber (defensively) and Jason Heyward (offensively).
Defensive versatility is clearly an important skill, but few players can claim to provide it consistently in their careers. In the DRS era, there are only three players with five or more DRS at second base, third base and shortstop.
Baez has not yet joined that list, but he has a real chance to if he continues to roam. Meanwhile, I wouldn't be too surprised to see him land a full-time shortstop position in the future, which his defensive talents likely warrant, either because of a trade or free agency.
5. Brandon Crawford, SS, San Francisco Giants: Crawford is not an elite athlete, unlike most of the other shortstops on this list. In a single season, he has never delivered double digits in plays above average to his right or to his left, something that Lindor accomplished in his first full season.
However, Crawford continues to finish at or near the top of the runs saved leaderboard thanks to a good throwing arm and a variety of other subtle skills that really add up. Many of those subtle skills are tied to turning double plays. He is an excellent receiver of throws around the bag and a quick pivot man, and he consistently makes strong and accurate throws on the turn. In all, Crawford has saved the Giants six runs on double plays since 2014 as well as five more runs by making good fielding plays and avoiding defensive misplays.
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies: There is a clear perception that Machado is a shortstop who plays third base. Arenado does not have that same reputation -- and he has not played shortstop since high school -- but his defensive performance at third suggests he could handle shortstop. Perhaps the Rockies have left Arenado at third because of their run of quality shortstop play from Troy Tulowitzki to Trevor Story. Or perhaps they are happy to let Arenado simply be the best defensive third baseman in baseball.
Whatever the reason, Arenado is exceptional at the hot corner. He is well above average on plays to his left and to his right and in turning double plays, and he is exceptionally sure-handed. So far this season, he leads all third basemen with 11 defensive runs saved, and if he can maintain his lead he will join that exclusive club of players who have finished first in DRS at their position for three straight seasons.
3. Nick Ahmed, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks: Ahmed is the only player on this list whose entire value is tied to his glove. In four seasons in hitter-friendly Chase Field, Ahmed has yet to finish a season with a .300 on-base percentage, and he has just 18 home runs and 12 stolen bases in almost 1,000 career plate appearances. But Ahmed's defensive skills are so good that he continues to earn a substantial role. With limited playing time, Ahmed has saved the Diamondbacks 37 runs at shortstop since 2015, which is fourth-best at the position. Ahmed is most adept at ranging to his left and is sure-handed with great instincts.
2. Addison Russell, SS, Chicago Cubs: Two years ago, I would not have imagined that the choice between first and second on this list would require any thought. That I labored over the decision is a testament to how incredible a defensive player Addison Russell is.
Make no mistake about it, Russell is already a historically excellent defender at short. Since he became the Cubs' full-time shortstop in 2016, he has set the pace for the position with 28 DRS, four more than Crawford in second place and six more than the player I ended up calling the best defensive infielder. I think it's pretty clear that Russell has the best range at the position; he has saved nine more runs than anyone else at shortstop during that same period.
But for all his many strengths, Russell has one weakness. He is prone to making poor throws. Since 2015, he has made 27 bad-throw misplays and errors at shortstop, or 3.4 for every 100 times he fields the ball. That's actually second-worst at the position among regulars.
It is likely that Russell's excellent range is somewhat responsible for his propensity for bad throws because he can get a glove on so many high-difficulty plays. As long as he can convert some of those into outs, he is helping his team more than any extra bad throws can hurt them. But when we are talking about the top spot for the best defensive infielder, that one weakness is enough to cost him the No. 1 slot.
1. Andrelton Simmons, SS, Los Angeles Angels: Since he first reached the majors in 2012, Simmons has redefined expectations for what a defender can do. That season, he was a midseason call-up but still managed to save the Braves 19 runs, second-most at the position, in his 49 games played. The next year, he set the record for the most runs saved by a player in a single season with 41.
He has not made it quite back to that neighborhood since, but he has hardly slowed down. From 2014 to 2017, he has saved his teams 75 runs, which is the most among all infielders and the most among shortstops, 23 runs ahead of Crawford in second place. In that time, Simmons has the best range numbers, the best double-play numbers and the best misplay-avoidance numbers at the position.
Simmons' greatest skill is what separates him from Russell: his throwing arm. He has made just 1.9 throwing misplays and errors per 100 throws, barely over half as many as Russell, and has made more than 20 above-average plays in each of his past four seasons on ground balls hit in the shortstop/third-base hole, where arm strength is most critical.
Scott Spratt is a research analyst for Baseball Info Solutions. You can follow him on Twitter (@Scott_Spratt).