We went over both the offensive and pitching MVP's and LVP's over the past few days. Tim Hudson seems to be the near unanimous choice for pitching MVP and rightfully so. Defensively, the Braves struggled for a good part of the year, likely costing them at least a few regular season wins and of course a few post-season games. Does Brooks Conrad's poor defense make him the defensive LVP or does Troy Glaus' immobility at first for a majority of the season take the cake? For the MVP, does it go to the athletic young right-fielder or the utility man that played everywhere around the diamond? Let's take a look.
Defensive MVP
The Braves cycled through a ton of players, which limits the possibilities for defensive MVP. Brian McCann and Jason Heyward were the only regulars at both the beginning and end of the season, and we all know McCann's defense, while improved, is not the best on the team.
Jason Heyward is the defensive MVP, as he was the offensive MVP, due to athleticism and ability to read a baseball. He sprinkled in a few terrific catches with solid throws to third and home, and always seemed to be camping under balls hit into the gap. He had a few gaffes, which will happen as a 20-year-old, but his defense was top notch throughout the year.
For right fielders, Heyward ranked first in Dewan's +/- for a majority of the season, but he ended up finishing second behind Jay Bruce with a +23 mark -- Bruce was +24. In terms of UZR/150, Heyward ranked fourth in the majors behind Bruce, Ichiro, and Justin Upton, making him the third best right fielder in regards to that metric.
Heyward's defense was so good in right field that many called for a move to center -- Wren and Bobby acknowledged it as possible -- near the trade deadline so that the Braves could net a solid corner bat . Instead, the Braves traded for Rick Ankiel and were able to keep Heyward's stellar defense in its appropriate spot. He was not the best right fielder in the game, but he was the best fielder on the Braves, which earned him the right to be the defensive MVP.
Defensive LVP is after the jump...
Defensive LVP
Since the MVP award is voted on before the playoffs begin, it is only right that we follow that process and decide the MVP and LVP the same way, so playoff performances are not included -- Conrad gets a pass.
Troy Glaus finished with a -9 +/- and a -12.3 UZR/150. Obviously, those are terrible numbers. In fact the only National League first basemen with a worse UZR/150 was Ryan Howard, a notably horrific defender. First base defense is more important than many believe. We saw on his poor performances on fielding pick-offs and with his statue-like range for a large part of the season.
Some of Glaus' immobility can be attributed to knee problems, but learning a new position late in a career is likely a reason as well. He had decent hands for the most part, but his poor range is the biggest reason for him earning defensive LVP.
Next year we should see closer to Teixeira-esque defense than what we had this year with Glaus. Freddie Freeman should be an extreme improvement over Troy at first, something the Braves could certainly use given the defensive problems that plagued them throughout the year.
0 recs | 83 comments
Good call on both. Glaus was a butcher over there. It blows my mind that people wanted him at third.
cbwilk - October 15, 2010
Wanted him at 3rd for his bat...
and I guess Melky’s glaring errors would make him my LVP in the field. And I couldn’t put Heyward at defensive MVP either, as he dropped quite a few balls that hit his glove.
Mr. Sanchez - October 15, 2010
But you have to put somebody...
…who is it if not Jason?
cavebird - October 15, 2010
“Shortstop”
justincredubil02 - October 15, 2010
Why?
We had no defensive MVP. It was just ugly all around. Give Freeman the award for his work in AAA and the majors if you want.
king of games - October 15, 2010
Because it meant having Conrad at 2nd.
justincredubil02 - October 15, 2010
Glaus is a no brainer
But I voted for Infante for MVP. Never flashy, but started over ten games at three positions (63 at 2B, 12 at 3B, 18 at SS) and started 13 games in the outfield, and never proved a liability at any of them. Without that flexibility, the Braves likely would’ve had to turn to Diory Hernandez, a replacement level player at best, in the infield.
Though I can’t really argue against Heyward. He’s a stud at just finding a way to track down balls down the right field line, fence be damned.
Torgo's Executive Powder - October 15, 2010
I thought about that too. Heyward wins if you go just by stark numbers, but DeRo’s flexibility was a huge reason the Cubs had such a good run in 08, and Infante did something similar for us this year. Guys with the flexibility to play almost anywhere without being a defensive butcher can really be the difference between sinking or swimming.
J-Freak - October 15, 2010
Shouldn’t Brooks Conrad automatically get defensive LVP? Or are we done with that?
Ivan the Great - October 15, 2010
“Since the MVP award is voted on before the playoffs begin, it is only right that we follow that process and decide the MVP and LVP the same way, so playoff performances are not included — Conrad gets a pass.”
Torgo's Executive Powder - October 15, 2010
Yeah, reading comprehension fail on my part. Skimmed right past it since it was right under jump.
Carry on, everyone.
Ivan the Great - October 15, 2010
If our roster next year shakes out like this:
C: McCann
1B: Freeman
2B: Prado/Infante
SS: Gonzalez
3B: Chipper/Prado
RF: Heyward
CF: Competent to excellent defender*
LF: McLouth
*For example competent like Chris Young or Cody Ross to excellent like Tony Gwynn Jr or Michael Bourn
Then we would have at least a solid defense and maybe a well above average defense.
bbxxj - October 15, 2010
Why no melky on the poll...?
Hektor DiPaula - October 15, 2010
Because the poll is for MOST valuable defensive player not least.
redwards95 - October 15, 2010
Nicely corrected, although emphasis should have been on VALUABLE and not most..
but we all got it- so nicely done
rookiefan - October 15, 2010
conrad did make an error in each of the last 3 games against the phillies to close out the regular season.
also, melky is terrible.
telemakhos - October 15, 2010
I don’t see why the playoffs wouldn’t be factored in. This is a team specific award and the team made the playoffs. Other than that I agree with the choices.
alxn - October 15, 2010
Heyward MVP / Melky LVP
Heyward is the clear choice for MVP considering the amount he played and how well he did it.
I give Glaus a pass for playing out of position and having the bad knees. Melky had no such excuses and Bobby for some reason thought he was good enough to start in CF many games. The Braves ran Melky out there a large number of games this season but they’ll use Adam Dunn’s lack of defense as part of their reason for not pursuing him this offseason.
redwards95 - October 15, 2010
Did Heyward really play that well?...
maybe his multiple dropped fly balls at critical times makes me think he was worse than he really was out there.
Mr. Sanchez - October 15, 2010
The numbers are very much in his favor, even with the rookie miscues. That only makes the future outlook brighter as he grows more comfortable.
Melky, in the other hand, was FAR worse than Glaus. He had a -20.8 UZR/150 in LF and a whopping -30.4 in CF. In other words, he played with all the grace of a brick shithouse. Glausosaur might not have been a gold glover, but he was a hop skip and jump better than Melky.
J-Freak - October 15, 2010
I was not impressed by him defensively – quite a few bad reads, poor throws, dropped balls, etc.
justincredubil02 - October 15, 2010
I was very impressed by him defensively. There were some rookie mistakes but the vast majority of the time he displayed great range and a good arm. I think both defensive metrics and scouts feel the same way.
bbxxj - October 15, 2010
He looked pretty good to me and the stats in the main post show he was too. But if not him, who? Maybe David Ross, Derrek Lee, or Tim Hudson were better defensively but they weren’t options in the poll.
redwards95 - October 16, 2010
Agree 100% on both
the thing about Heyward is that he’s so great defensively and on the base paths that even if he isn’t the .300/.400./.500 guy we expect him to be, he’ll still be a very solid hitter with a great 5-tool approach.
Scott Coleman - October 15, 2010
And of course...
…given what he did at age 20, he probably will be the .300/.400/.500 guy we expect him to be, and also be excellent defensively and smart on the basepaths. The speed, of course, will diminish with age.
cavebird - October 15, 2010
Heyward can keep the speed if he doesn’t bulk up. I’d like Heyward to keep his body as Alfonso Soriano and Chipper Jones have done. Thin and athletic. If he goes the Alex Rodriguez route he’ll lose half his speed.
Heyward almost had a 400 OBP and a 500 SLG as a rookie, so it’s not inconcievable he does it consistently in his career.
Heyward has to correct 2 flaws batting.
- He strikes out looking too many times (7.4% of his PA)
- Put the ball in the air more. He is got elite power, but he puts the ball in the ground more than half of his PA (56.3 GB%).
Alvaro Andres Pizza Varela - October 15, 2010
All of the things he needs to correct...
…are things young players often improve upon as they get older. As for the speed, it should hang around for a while, but the wear and tear on the body will eventually take its toll, but that is probably a decade from now.
And yes, his having almost a .400 OBP and .500 SLG as a 20 yr old means that most of his comparables are Hall of Famers. It is very encouraging.
cavebird - October 15, 2010
Where do those defensive numbers come from?
In Fangraphs DRS +/- shows Heyward was a +10 in RF not +23
Troy Glaus appears in Fangraphs with
8 in +/and -8.3 in UZR. Not -9 and -12.3According to Fangraphs the Braves worst fielders were:
Melky Cabrera: -9 according to DRS. -15.9 UZR in RF, CF and LF combined
Nate Mclouth: -10 DRS, -14.3 UZR (CF and LF combined)
Glaus (numbers above)
Alvaro Andres Pizza Varela - October 15, 2010
DRS and +/- aren’t the same. I got it from billjamesonline. I also used UZR/150 and not just UZR. UZR/150 scales the UZR to 150 games played, to make the comparison between players easier.
BenDuronio - October 15, 2010
Ok, but according to what I understand, Defensive Runs Saved is the stat Baseball Info Solutions uses for the Fielding Bible.
So that +23 Heyward had was for plus plays saved not plus runs saved. I think it’s better to use DRS and not +/-. And still, Melky was the worst defender in the team. His UZR/150 is the worst in the team in two positions (LF and CF) and his actual performance was the worst in the team.
Alvaro Andres Pizza Varela - October 15, 2010
What about
Yunel Escobar? Him playing gold glove defense in Toronto definately hurt the Braves in the field…
HansonManCrush - October 15, 2010
Diaz
For tripping that DBag in Philly!
TCfromDubVee - October 15, 2010
nothing spectacular
I can go to Philly right now, stick my foot out, and probably trip up a DBag
Anthony Pace - October 15, 2010
This is in the running for non-GT comment of the year. Great work.
Scott Coleman - October 16, 2010
Wow
Is there anything Heyward can’t do?
MBL1 - October 15, 2010
Get a hit in the playoffs…
justincredubil02 - October 15, 2010
Yeah he did that twice…
bbxxj - October 15, 2010
Granted, I missed game 4, but he was 0-for in the first 3.
justincredubil02 - October 15, 2010
Throw well
Alvaro Andres Pizza Varela - October 15, 2010
really?
From the games I saw he seemed to be average especially his arm. Seemed like he had more ppl running on him towards the end of the season when they realized his arm wasn’t as accurate as it was hyped up to be.
I would have voted Prado for defensive MVP. The guy made some spectacular plays at 2B and 3rd after Chip went down.
drumzalicious - October 15, 2010 via mobile
Ah yes, never mind the below average defense over this year and his entire career. You’ve got your eyes! This line of thinking is why Nate McLouth won a gold glove.
kbertling353 - October 15, 2010
He was solid @ 2nd. And about the rest of his career, nevermind this was his 1st season starting.
FitzFan - October 15, 2010
dick comment
Taylor Masters - October 17, 2010
I think
the arm decline as the year went on was a product of fatigue
HansonManCrush - October 15, 2010
I thought the arm improved as the year went on
His early throws were less accurate and it seemed like he got more accurate as the year went on. That is just vague recollection on my part, however.
cavebird - October 15, 2010
Heyward’s arm was dissapointing indeed, but he is an above average fielder who could be a great fielder.
Prado is average at best at 2B.
Alvaro Andres Pizza Varela - October 15, 2010
I don’t think Heyward deserves the offensive or defensive MVP award. I think the D MVP should go to “Shortstop”. Whether it was Gonzalez or Yunel, our SS was the best defensive player on the field all season long.
And as far as offensive MVP goes, it’s really hard to ignore Prado or Chipper.
justincredubil02 - October 15, 2010
Chipper?
really? I mean, I love the guy, and he did finally start to pick things up in the second half (after a year and half of no Chipper to be seen), and we definitely missed his presence in the lineup down the stretch, but you’d really consider a guy who had all of one really good month this season for offensive MVP?
knarf - October 15, 2010
He had one good month – for his lofty standards.
He had a career year last season for the majority of MLB players, and it was his worst ever.
This year, he had a rough start, not unlike most of our offense, but he got it going – and he proved to be teh one guy that this team could not win without.
justincredubil02 - October 15, 2010
Chipper?
Our MVP was a guy who played 3 months and didn’t start hitting until the final month before his injury? That makes sense.
Scott Coleman - October 15, 2010
MVP – Most Valuable Player.
Who on this team was the one guy that our offense could not function without?
It was Chipper.
justincredubil02 - October 15, 2010
Indeed
we did not play well without him. Plus his OBP is a presence in the lineup any team would love to have.
MBL1 - October 15, 2010 via mobile
Yeah and losing Heyward or McCann wouldn’t affect the team one bit…
Scott Coleman - October 15, 2010 via mobile
we lost Heyward
for a while and were still winning . . . and in 1st place . . .
drumzalicious - October 15, 2010
Right. Because missing 3 weeks is equal to
missing nearly 3 months.
Scott Coleman - October 15, 2010 via mobile
We did lose Heyward and still won.
If we lost McCann, we have Ross.
When we lost Chipper, we got Conrad…
justincredubil02 - October 16, 2010
Wrong. We got Prado and Infante.
What happened when we lost Prado? We got Conrad.
Just stop. Chipper wasn’t close to being our MVP.
Scott Coleman - October 16, 2010 via mobile
Yes. Yes he was. With Chipper, the Prado loss is sustainable with Infante playing 2B.
With Prado, the Chipper loss is not sustainable by playing Infante.
Chipper was definitely our most valuable player – not in that he had the highest batting average, OBP, most HRs or RBI – but in the fact that he was the one player on our roster that was not replaceable.
Just look at what happened to our team when he went down.
justincredubil02 - October 16, 2010
It was Prado
FitzFan - October 15, 2010
Yes. There’s no debate.
Scott Coleman - October 15, 2010 via mobile
Gonzalez D was at best average with the Braves. Yunel was the best defensively but he didn’t play the entire season with the team.
Chipper? He was good, McCann and Heyward were better.
Alvaro Andres Pizza Varela - October 15, 2010
Gonzalez D was not “average” with the Braves. He was still the best defensive player on the team.
justincredubil02 - October 16, 2010
I can see the argument for SS collectively as defensive MVP...
…but if you can make that collective, they also have to get the offensive LVP. That was just brutal at the plate.
cavebird - October 15, 2010
CF
was awfuller.
-C
cthabeerman - October 16, 2010
voted McCann
I know teams ran on him rather easily but he’s one of the best backstops getting in front of balls in the dirt and knocking them down.
adc62 - October 15, 2010
voted Matty
I think he’s awesome. For some reason my favorite Braves have been journeyman players. Jeff Blauser and Greg Olson come to mind.
musicman - October 15, 2010
Speaking of Brooks Conrad, as if all the errors weren’t enough, I was just reminded of the game where he lost a ball inside his jersey. As much as I’ve tried to defend him, I think it’s safe to say that Brooksy is just a complete disaster defensively.
Aaron Meier - October 15, 2010 via mobile
ok
the ball going in his Jersey was not his fault. It took a weird hop on him and went in his jersey. Everyone was caught off guard by that
drumzalicious - October 15, 2010
I’m not saying that it was his fault, only that it serves to almost comically reinforce his defensive ineptitude.
Aaron Meier - October 17, 2010 via mobile
I thought that was one of his better catches.
adc62 - October 15, 2010
Sorry, but I’m voting Melky for LVP.
His routes were probably the worst I’ve ever seen. Ever.
ryantex - October 16, 2010
And let’s not forget the amazing left center field to right center field throw…one of the ugliest plays I’ve ever seen in the outfield.
Aaron Meier - October 17, 2010 via mobile
and then he was laughing about it
Taylor Masters - October 17, 2010
Because of his combo of offense and defense, Heyward was AMAZINGLY a 5.0 WAR player
Five. Point. Zero. The guy was 20 years old most of the season. That is insane.
This season, Heyward had a higher WAR than Hanley Ramirez, Ichiro Suzuki, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, David Wright, Adam Dunn, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Justin Upton.
Just imagine what his progression might be. 6 WAR next year? 7 WAR in year 3? 9-10 WAR in his prime?
His ceiling is off the charts.
ATLandUNC - October 16, 2010
Is Glaus a free agent?
KSJ49 - October 16, 2010
Yes.
justincredubil02 - October 16, 2010
Is there no way to make Melky the Defensive LVP?
Can’t we add a fudge factor to a few of his stats and make him the Defensive LVP? That infamous “throw” sideways that I’ve seen immortalized on YouTube kind of makes me wish there was a way to give it to him.
Zontar - October 16, 2010
How many games out of contention would the Braves have been without Glaus, or Nate, or Brooks, or Derek, etc?
Only eight teams made it into the post season. The fans of the other 23 teams not only didn’t get even the taste of fall excitement that Braves fans enjoyed, but most of them had to resign themselves to a disappointing season by July.
The Braves made it into the post season by a one game margin, virtually every player on the team made contributions: our season would have been over two weeks ago were it not for Nate’s walk-off, or Brooks’, or Troy’s May, or Derek’s September —even the much maligned Melky had at least a couple of game-winners. This was a true team-effort and, from the standpoint of leading an overachieving group of players into the play offs, was perhaps as good a way to send Bobby out as one could hope for.
Even when they weren’t contributing they tried to do what they could for the team: Nate agreed to a prolonged stint in the minors and threw himself into rehabilitating his swing, then returned to make good contact with the ball and score at least one or two game winners (not even counting the grandslam he was robbed of in Florida).
Troy Glaus, a man whose legs barely got him around the basepaths for most of the summer, had the courage to volunteer to go down to triple-A and work out at third base, putting his body and prestige on the line (risking the kind of embarrassment and abuse that Brooks suffered these last two weeks) so that he would be in a position to turn a play that would have curtailed our post season if he had failed.
Then there’s Lowe, who struggled much of the year, but redoubled his already considerable efforts to fix himself and became the best pitcher in baseball in September.
Even though the owners put the team on a comparative subsistence budget, forcing Bobby and Frank to bet the farm on role players, rehab projects, and rookies, the team still managed to capture our imagination, buoy our spirits, and succeed beyond any reasonable expectation.
That this team made it as far as they did, even after losing a hall of famer, a 6 and 2 pitcher, and one of the season’s most dangerous hitters is something to be appreciative of and grateful for.
It’s a free country, you’re welcome to nitpick if you want, but to me it seems childish and ungrateful. It also cheats you out of some of the wonder that is baseball and that was this season.
Feel free to ban this ID and my other one, Joe C from Austin.
John Drake number 6 - October 16, 2010
Umm...wha?
I don’t see how pointing out some of the short-comings of this team is showing that we aren’t appreciative of them. Evaluting a team doesn’t mean ignoring all of the negatives.
What the hell does this even mean?
Tonley - October 16, 2010
I can read it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
John Drake number 6 - October 16, 2010
Obviously, it was nice making it to the playoffs, and I agree, we made it there on the backs of a lot of different guys making valiant efforts. But that is all over, and now it is time to look toward next year, and how we fix the holes that kept us from advancing past the first round. This team had a very, very big reason for playing with the kind of heart they did, and that reason left at the end of the last game against the Giants. So I don’t think we cN just sit back and assume that we will see the same kind of magic next season. So the logical approach, if we want to actually have a chance at finally unseating the Phills, is to shore up this team with proven talent. That’s not taking away anything from what these guys accomplished, it’s just being realistic.
Aaron Meier - October 17, 2010 via mobile
Great post, but not exactly relevant lol
Taylor Masters - October 17, 2010
Derek Lee
nuff said
bravesguy311 - October 18, 2010
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