If the Detroit Tigers win the World Series, they'll be the worst fielding time in history to do so. (Warning to you know who: this article contains facts. Tread carefully.)
Does Defense Even Matter Anymore?
By BRIAN COSTA and DANIEL BARBARISI, Wall Street Journal
DETROIT—In their quest to win the World Series, the Detroit Tigers are also conducting something of an experiment. It involves burly sluggers, inert infielders, aging outfielders and dominant pitchers. And it is testing a central question: In an era of soaring strikeout rates, just how bad can a championship defense be?
If the Tigers win it all this year—they're tied 1-1 with the Boston Red Sox heading into Tuesday's Game 3 of the American League Championship Series (Tue. 4 p.m., Fox)—they would be possibly the worst defensive team ever to win the World Series. Or at least in nearly a century.
The Tigers converted just 69.4% of batted balls into outs during the regular season, which ranked just 27th in the majors, according to Stats LLC. Since 1921, the earliest year for which such data is available, no team has ever won the World Series with a defensive efficiency as low as Detroit's.
Yet the Tigers allowed fewer runs this season than all but six teams. They won 93 games, and they need just three more wins to reach the World Series for the second straight year.
That is partly because, in sacrificing fielding for hitting ability, the Tigers wound up with baseball's second-highest scoring offense (after the Red Sox). But it is largely because they have found a simple remedy for a lumbering defense: Just don't let opponents put the ball in play.
The Tigers set a single-season major-league record by striking out 1,428 batters this year. As a result, they saw only 25.05 balls in play against them per game, the eighth-lowest rate in major-league history.
"When you have pitchers like we have, you're not on the field too long," said Tigers infield coach Rafael Belliard. "So it helps a lot with your defense, because when you're in the field too long, that's when you get in trouble."
At times, the biggest challenge for their fielders has been staying awake. During the first two games of the ALCS, the Red Sox struck out 32 times in 59 at-bats.
"Playing behind those guys, it's boring," Tigers right fielder Torii Hunter said. "I don't get any balls—the easy, can-of-corn fly ball, anything like that."
The Tigers' defense is a casualty they accepted while assembling one of baseball's most fearsome lineups. When they signed Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract before last season, they knew they were getting a formidable slugger and below-average first baseman. But as a result of that deal, they also moved Miguel Cabrera—another pre-eminent hitter and sluggish defender—from first base to third.
According to Baseball Info Solutions, Cabrera and Fielder have combined to cost the Tigers 31 runs this year relative to an average fielder. And they aren't the only holes: Even Hunter—a nine-time Gold Glove award winner, albeit one who's 37—cost them 10 runs.
The best the Tigers can say is they cut their number of errors to 76 in 2013 from 99 in 2012. "It's something that we've worked at, the routine plays," Belliard said.
Manager Jim Leyland also has prioritized offense in some of his lineup decisions, like starting Jhonny Peralta at shortstop and in left field in recent games over better defensive options.
"These perfect players that everybody thinks exists, there's not that many of them out there," Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "So you can say, OK, when it comes down to it, do you want more defense at shortstop, do you want more offense or do you want the combination?"
Because their pitchers are so prolific at missing bats, the Tigers are able to choose the second option—more offense—while paying less of a price than would historically be expected.
The high strikeout totals aren't necessarily by design, but rather a byproduct of elite, power pitching. Opposing hitters whiffed at 10.7% of pitches thrown by the Tigers this year, according to the statistical website FanGraphs, the highest rate in the majors.
"We just have a whole team full of guys with great stuff," said Justin Verlander, who will start Game 3. "I think that's why you saw us set the strikeout record. It's not like we're going out there and competing for who strikes out the most guys. It just happens to go like that."
Still, strikeouts aren't just a luxury for the Tigers—they're a necessity. That was evident in the ninth inning of Game 2 on Sunday, when several Tigers defensive gaffes led to a maddening 6-5 series-tying loss.
First, Cabrera—who has been further slowed by injuries—couldn't reach a routine grounder by Jonny Gomes to third. Because of that, shortstop Jose Iglesias—who actually is a fine fielder—fielded the ball behind him and rushed the throw to first. The throw bounced by Fielder and into the stands, putting Gomes on second base.
Still with us? Fielder then failed to catch a foul pop-up near the stands by Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Given a second chance, Saltalamacchia won the game on a ground-ball single—which glanced off Iglesias's glove and into left field.
"We let one get away," Leyland said.
Just as the Tigers' slugging prowess comes at the cost of defense, their strikeout rate comes at the expense of efficiency. Tigers pitchers threw 3.93 pitches per plate appearance this year, the most in the majors. And while the excellence of their starters has made them highly durable in general, Anibal Sanchez lasted just six innings Saturday while striking out 12 batters and not allowing a hit.
Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones said the only alternative would be to try to pitch to contact more. That isn't a sound idea, given their defense. So if the Tigers need to sacrifice efficiency to keep the ball out of play, it is a trade-off they're happy to make.
"As long as we win the game," Jones said, "you're willing to trade off anything."
