Infield Grades: Not Nearly Enough Quality Offense

Hey everyone, it’s been a busy time for me since the end of the baseball season but I know you have been waiting patiently for my annual reports cards. We’ll start with the infield. Lets get to it.

A quick explainer of two key stats:

You know the basic offensive stats below, but the two at the end of the stat line are FRV (fielding run value), and WAR (wins above replacement).

➤ Fielding run value is the most comprehensive metric to measure defensive value because it incorporates range, throwing, and then for catchers specifically it melds together blocking, throwing and framing. I think defensive metrics are very subjective - they aren’t black and white like HRs, RBIs, etc. They use StatCast measuring on every play to determine what should have happened and what ultimately happened so you have to take it with a grain of salt, but it’s about as close as we can get to actually understanding how players are performing on defense.

➤ WAR is a holistic metric that measures a player’s value in all facets of the game by deciphering how many more wins he’s worth than a replacement-level player at his same position such as a minor league replacement or a readily available fill-in free agent. For example, if a shortstop and a first baseman offer the same overall production (on offense, defense and the basepaths), the shortstop will have a better WAR because his position sees a lower level of production from replacement-level players.

WAR estimates the total number of runs a player contributes to their team and converts that into a total number of wins. For example, a player with a WAR of 5.0 is estimated to be worth five more wins than a replacement-level player. For the Yankees, Aaron Judge led all of MLB with a 9.7 WAR, obviously superstar level. Meanwhile, Austin Wells was a 0.0, so he was essentially as average as a player can be.

1B Paul Goldschmidt: B-

Signing Goldschmidt to a one-year deal was a smart play by the Yankees, a formerly great player who could solidify the defense at first base and provide some pop which had been so sorely lacking at the position for several years.

He got off to a great start and was hitting .338 at the end of May, but most of his damage came against left-handed pitching, and by season’s end, Goldschmidt was in steep decline. Providing just 10 homers and 45 RBI, and having a .619 OPS against right-handed pitchers simply wasn’t good enough so the Yankees go into the offseason again trying to figure out the position.

1B-C Ben Rice: B+

Maybe it’s Ben Rice who will take over as the full-time first baseman, but as useful as his bat was, he has a long way to go to be even a decent fielder over there. Unless the Yankees have something up their sleeve in free agency, Rice feels like the best option moving forward so his entire offseason has to be focused on learning how to play the position.

One thing Goldschmidt was great at was scooping low throws and saving the infielders errors. Rice was not good at that. At the plate, Rice’s numbers would have been even better based on his hard-hit rate, but he had some bad luck in that area so the hope is that he’ll earn a course correction in 2026 and some of those line drives will find grass.

2B Jazz Chisholm: A-

There’s no doubt that Jazz can be a little maddening - at the plate, on the bases and in the field. However, the juice he provides is tangible and when you can go 30-30 with an .813 OPS, that’s production that cannot be denied.

I just wish Chisholm was a little more dangerous as a base runner, someone who could put more pressure on the defense. I thought there were times when he was too passive. As a fielder, second base is where he needs to be because he proved he’s not reliable at third.

SS Anthony Volpe: D

Aaron Boone said he didn’t think Volpe’s shoulder issue - which began back in May - affected him. Then Brian Cashman chimed in right after the season. “I personally think now, I’m starting to lean more into that, yes, it was affecting him. He didn’t have the season that we expected, that he expected, that we believe he’s capable of. His performance swings were significant this year, more so (than his first two seasons).”

Maybe it’s going to click in for Volpe when he returns, maybe not until a couple months into the season, but I have my doubts. We’re three years into his career and he is a terrible hitter who also has periods of dreadful fielding. The Yankees need a solution at short to start the season, and then we’ll see where we are when Volpe can play. To me, he’s a utility player.

3B Ryan McMahon: C

McMahon is an elite defender and that was something the Yankees desperately needed at the hot corner, but the guy just didn’t hit. The numbers above are his Yankees numbers and you can see just how lame he was. His fielding run value combined with his time in Colorado was 7 which was third-best among all third basemen.

He’s got a swing that should be tailored for the short porch, yet he hit just two homers that way in the 29 games he played at the stadium. And what’s worrisome is that even playing nine years at hitter-friendly Coors Field, his career average is a paltry .239 and his OPS of .738 is average at best.

UT Jose Caballaro: C+

This was a trade deadline acquisition who worked out well for what he was asked to do. He made some spot starts in place of Volpe and even for McMahon against some lefties, but his value came as a diverse piece off the bench in that utility role.

He led MLB with 49 stolen bases, doing that as a part-time player, so the Yankees need to figure out a way to deploy him more often. He’s a former Ray, so you know he’s sound fundamentally. I’m not sure he’s full-time starter quality in place of Volpe, but he can certainly platoon if they find someone else to share those duties.

C Austin Wells: C

When you have a catcher who provides you exactly 0.0 WAR, that’s a problem. Wells is fine behind the plate; I bristle when the Yankees tell us how great he is, but I’ll agree that he seems to call a good game, the pitchers love him, and he frames pretty well, though with the challenge system coming, that skill will be slightly muted.

The issue with Wells is that he was a black hole at the bottom of the order. And yes, I realize 21 homers and 71 RBI is useful, but how many times did Wells fail in a key spot? The answer is a lot, which is reflected in his .275 on-base and .712 OPS.

Quick thoughts on other players who appeared

• Oswald Peraza: Peraza’s glove is fine, but he was so useless as an offensive player that the Yankees had no choice but to give up on him as a failed one-time highly-regarded prospect.

• Jorbit Vivas: He was given a chance to play when both Chisholm and Oswaldo Cabrera went down with injuries, but like Peraza, he couldn’t hit a lick and his defense wasn’t very good, either.

• Amed Rosario: Acquired via trade, he only got into 16 regular-season games but then started two games in the wildcard series because the Yankees faced two lefties. He was a nice player to have on the bench because he hits lefties so well.

• DJ LeMahieu: It was a sad end to a very good career, first with the Rockies and then his first four seasons with the Yankees, but the last three years saw a steady, injury-plagued decline to the point where the Yankees flat out released him despite still owing nearly $20 million on his contract.

• Pablo Reyes: He made the team thanks to a decent spring training, and then when the games mattered, he was unplayable and was eventually dumped.