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Giancarlo Stanton got a lot of attention in 2014 for his record-setting contract, for leading the National League in homers, and for that frightening moment when he was hit in the face by a Mike Fiers fastball. All of that obscured Stanton's improvement as a player defensively, just one more reason why he and teammates Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna make up the No. 1 outfield combination in the majors.
With that, here's Part VI of the team element rankings: The top 10 outfields, based on the thoughts of MLB evaluators:
1. Miami Marlins
The Marlins' trio of Stanton, Yelich and Ozuna is incredibly young, and while colleague Jonah Keri might consider this blasphemous, it's not unreasonable to wonder whether these guys might eventually compare favorably with some of the trios that the Montreal Expos fielded through their extraordinary history of outfielders, such as the trio of Tim Raines, Andre Dawson and Ellis Valentine (or Warren Cromartie), or the Moises Alou/Marquis Grissom/Larry Walker set. Stanton appears destined to be remembered as one of Major League Baseball's great power hitters, Yelich's career is off to an excellent start, and the other day, ESPN Insider Tony Blengino explained why Ozuna looks ready to break out.
Opposing pitchers already worked carefully to Stanton -- especially lefties, given his 1.000-plus OPS against them -- but this probably will be the season he starts to get a steady dose of the Barry Bonds treatment, as Andrew McCutchen and Freddie Freeman did last season. Stanton had 94 walks last season, and a rival scout mentioned the other day that it's a wonder he didn't have a lot more than that.
The Marlins' other two starting outfielders will have a lot to do with whether Miami exploits the chances created by Stanton's dominance at the plate. Yelich will hit in front of Stanton, along with Dee Gordon, and as Pirates manager Clint Hurdle noted last summer, lineup protection really comes from the spots in front of an elite hitter, not behind him, because if the top of the order consistently fills the bases, pitchers are backed into a corner and forced to deal with someone like Stanton. And Ozuna will hit behind Stanton somewhere, although the Marlins aren't sure where yet, and should bat often with Stanton on base.
As with those Montreal outfield combinations, there is excellence on defense as well, with Ozuna and Yelich each ranking among the leaders in defensive runs saved at their respective positions. Mark Simon, the "minister of defense" for ESPN Stats and Information, passed along numbers that show Stanton's improvement: "Stanton had rated well in right field every season but 2013 (minus-7 DRS). He bounced back to 7 DRS in 2014.
"Baseball Info Solutions charts good fielding plays and defensive misplays and errors as a means of doing advanced scorekeeping. Good plays can be things such as catches on tough-to-catch balls and cutting off throws to prevent baserunners from taking extra bases. Defensive misplays would be things like slipping and falling, failing to cut off a ball or failing to handle a carom off the wall cleanly." Here's a look at both categories for Stanton:
Stanton good plays vs. misplays and errors
2010: 25 good, 20 misplays and errors
2011: 25 good, 49 misplays and errors
2012: 24 good, 37 misplays and errors
2013: 18 good, 39 misplays and errors
2014: 28 good, 29 misplays and errors
"So he got his ratio back to 1-to-1, when it was not close to that from 2011 to 2013."
Stanton appears to be locked up through the next Bush or Clinton presidency, and Yelich and Ozuna are under team control for the years ahead. They could accomplish a whole lot together.
With that, here's Part VI of the team element rankings: The top 10 outfields, based on the thoughts of MLB evaluators:
1. Miami Marlins
The Marlins' trio of Stanton, Yelich and Ozuna is incredibly young, and while colleague Jonah Keri might consider this blasphemous, it's not unreasonable to wonder whether these guys might eventually compare favorably with some of the trios that the Montreal Expos fielded through their extraordinary history of outfielders, such as the trio of Tim Raines, Andre Dawson and Ellis Valentine (or Warren Cromartie), or the Moises Alou/Marquis Grissom/Larry Walker set. Stanton appears destined to be remembered as one of Major League Baseball's great power hitters, Yelich's career is off to an excellent start, and the other day, ESPN Insider Tony Blengino explained why Ozuna looks ready to break out.
Opposing pitchers already worked carefully to Stanton -- especially lefties, given his 1.000-plus OPS against them -- but this probably will be the season he starts to get a steady dose of the Barry Bonds treatment, as Andrew McCutchen and Freddie Freeman did last season. Stanton had 94 walks last season, and a rival scout mentioned the other day that it's a wonder he didn't have a lot more than that.
The Marlins' other two starting outfielders will have a lot to do with whether Miami exploits the chances created by Stanton's dominance at the plate. Yelich will hit in front of Stanton, along with Dee Gordon, and as Pirates manager Clint Hurdle noted last summer, lineup protection really comes from the spots in front of an elite hitter, not behind him, because if the top of the order consistently fills the bases, pitchers are backed into a corner and forced to deal with someone like Stanton. And Ozuna will hit behind Stanton somewhere, although the Marlins aren't sure where yet, and should bat often with Stanton on base.
As with those Montreal outfield combinations, there is excellence on defense as well, with Ozuna and Yelich each ranking among the leaders in defensive runs saved at their respective positions. Mark Simon, the "minister of defense" for ESPN Stats and Information, passed along numbers that show Stanton's improvement: "Stanton had rated well in right field every season but 2013 (minus-7 DRS). He bounced back to 7 DRS in 2014.
"Baseball Info Solutions charts good fielding plays and defensive misplays and errors as a means of doing advanced scorekeeping. Good plays can be things such as catches on tough-to-catch balls and cutting off throws to prevent baserunners from taking extra bases. Defensive misplays would be things like slipping and falling, failing to cut off a ball or failing to handle a carom off the wall cleanly." Here's a look at both categories for Stanton:
Stanton good plays vs. misplays and errors
2010: 25 good, 20 misplays and errors
2011: 25 good, 49 misplays and errors
2012: 24 good, 37 misplays and errors
2013: 18 good, 39 misplays and errors
2014: 28 good, 29 misplays and errors
"So he got his ratio back to 1-to-1, when it was not close to that from 2011 to 2013."
Stanton appears to be locked up through the next Bush or Clinton presidency, and Yelich and Ozuna are under team control for the years ahead. They could accomplish a whole lot together.