Three tricky things he had to do there: (1) correctly read that he had just enough time to get to the ball and make the tag before the runner passed him, (2) pick it cleanly off the dirt, and (3) hang onto the ball as the runner banged into his glove. Any one of those things could have gone wrong, and then it's a bad play. He could have played it safe and hoped it rolled foul; nobody would have second-guessed him. But he saw the chance, took it, and executed. Magnificent clutch defense.
Fantastic play by Leon with the bases loaded to save a run.
He better.
This has to be the year that Jackie finally wins a Gold Glove, right?
Not with his OPS. (And yes, I know that a Gold Glove is a “fielding” award.)
This has to be the year that Jackie finally wins a Gold Glove, right?
JBJ .698Not with his OPS. (And yes, I know that a Gold Glove is a “fielding” award.)
It seems like the legit candidates are JBJ, Hicks, and Leonys Martin (who should probably be the frontrunner going by advanced metrics). Hicks is obviously having a much better offensive year, and a very solid defensive year, so it's certainly possible it goes that way, but I don't get the sense that Hicks has the kind of star perception that makes this anywhere near a lock. (Maybe this is parochial Boston thinking.)Not with his OPS. (And yes, I know that a Gold Glove is a “fielding” award.)
Agree it's his best chance so far. And Kiermaier is inhuman.Kiermaier is racking up crazy DRS and UZR numbers as always, but given that he's missed so much time and has been hitting terribly, I doubt he'll get serious consideration. I don't think there are any other likely candidates.
I think there's a solid chance that JBJ finally gets it this time.
His setup is astounding. We’ve all seen hundreds and thousands of plays where an OF sets up to make a throw on a tag on a fly ball. JBJ did it on a carom. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before. And as noted, the fact that he corrals it on a hop step puts just tremendous momentum in the right direction with no wasted time. Astonishing!I could watch that all night. Love that he plays it in the middle of a jump toward the infield to set up the throw.
Props to Kinsler on the reception too. Both those guys making it look easy.
JBJ’s technical proficiency is a real marvel: playing the caroms, timing his rolls and jumps to avoid injury, cradling his glove so the ball doesn’t pop loose, angling his routes for glare and footwork and momentum. Kiermeier is more physically gifted, but JBJ is the #1 guy I’d tell my outfielders to watch, if I were a high school or college coach.His setup is astounding. We’ve all seen hundreds and thousands of plays where an OF sets up to make a throw on a tag on a fly ball. JBJ did it on a carom. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before. And as noted, the fact that he corrals it on a hop step puts just tremendous momentum in the right direction with no wasted time. Astonishing!
My God, can you imagine what he'd pull off if he was as fast as, say, Mallex Smith? Statcast has Smith's Sprint speed 5th among CFs at 29.6ft/sec, while JBJ is 23rd at 27.8. if he had an extra 2ft/sec I'm not sure anything would ever fall in the outfield...And if he were anywhere as quick afoot as people believe he is, we’d be looking at an all-time great instead of just a GG-caliber CF on a 100-win team.
And Gomes saw it coming the whole way...and was too committed to stop.Gomes isn’t the fastest guy around, but you hit a ball off the CF wall and that’s a double. Unless JBJ...
That play was ridiculous.
Not sure about UZR, but DRS has a specific category for "Good Fielding Plays" (rGFP in the Fangraphs "Advanced Fielding" tab), which are described thus on the Fielding Bible page:Does a play like that figure into UZR or defensive WAR or any of the other defensive metrics?
However, Sox fans may be forgiven for doubting that this part of DRS is being calculated with optimal accuracy, considering that JBJ's current total in the rGFP column is....wait for it..... -1.A Good Fielding Play is recorded when a fielder does something to prevent an advancement or record an out that we wouldn't typically expect from a fielder at the position. It is a play that is made when, had the play not been made, no one would have faulted the fielder for not making it.
Kemp and Ethier did it for the Dodgers in 2011, Ichiro and Franklin Gutierrez for Seattle in 2010. I think that's the last two times unless I missed something.Edit, when’s the last time a team had two gold glove outfielders?
Both UZR and DRS have a component that accounts for how often baserunners are either held to fewer bases or thrown out attempting to take an extra base relative to other similar plays, but I don't know all the low-level math involved.Does a play like that figure into UZR or defensive WAR or any of the other defensive metrics?
Thanks. Kemp, funny.Kemp and Ethier did it for the Dodgers in 2011, Ichiro and Franklin Gutierrez for Seattle in 2010. I think that's the last two times unless I missed something.
Mookie fielded that ball awkwardly and wasn't in a position to make a good throw. I don't know if he took a mis-step or the ball took an odd hop but he ended up fielding it to far to his left which forced him off balance and to have to rotate around to get in a position to make a throw. It's at about 1:26 of this video.Betts and Bradley are so good that when one of them doesn't quite make a play it's a disappointment. Thought for sure Mookie would throw that guy out at home in the 9th inning last night.
It was another play deep in the hole at short. Looked like a sure base hit.Initially ruled safe but overturned. Bogaerts also made another good play later in the game that unfortunately wasn't included in mlb.com's highlights so I don't have a way to post it.
If it’s real, I think Kelly is breaking some laws of physics. Or, he got another planet’s atmosphere down here for a second. That is too much break to be believed IMO.IIRC, it was "real" - Sandy set up on the outside, but out of his hand the pitch just took off inside (which should have "helped" Kemp) like a two seamer on crack - crazy movement he put on that pitch last night (certainly compared to his sometimes dead-straight four seamer)....
Well, looking it again, not just the grip but how he is manipulating his hand & the ball release, its almost more of a screwball than a change up. If you notice on the slow mo from overhead, the first 15 or so feet the ball is still adding to the spin he imparts to it and is traveling relatively "straight" towards the plate - by 20-25~ feet the ball spin has accelerated and is now imparting maximum force on the ball, which is when it appears to "bend" inward toward Kemp somewhat drastically. I don't think it is camera trickery, but that camera may not be tracking it exactly "straight" which could somewhat make it appear to move more than it does. But it is totally "real", just not many guys can do that!If it’s real, I think Kelly is breaking some laws of physics. Or, he got another planet’s atmosphere down here for a second. That is too much break to be believed IMO.
The ball almost makes a right turn. I've never seen that. Relooking at it on a laptop instead of phone, the view from behind Kelly looks right, like a screwball as you say. The view from behind the plate is bonkers.Well, looking it again, not just the grip but how he is manipulating his hand & the ball release, its almost more of a screwball than a change up. If you notice on the slow mo from overhead, the first 15 or so feet the ball is still adding to the spin he imparts to it and is traveling relatively "straight" towards the plate - by 20-25~ feet the ball spin has accelerated and is now imparting maximum force on the ball, which is when it appears to "bend" inward toward Kemp somewhat drastically. I don't think it is camera trickery, but that camera may not be tracking it exactly "straight" which could somewhat make it appear to move more than it does. But it is totally "real", just not many guys can do that!
Oh man. That just sent me down a /r/filthy pitches rabbit hole (hint: order by top, alltime). And that led me to link to a collection of Pedro AS Game '99 gifs and I lost another ten minutes.
I’m sure many here remember the incredibly nasty pitch Daniel Bard threw that moved completely sideways.The ball almost makes a right turn. I've never seen that. Relooking at it on a laptop instead of phone, the view from behind Kelly looks right, like a screwball as you say. The view from behind the plate is bonkers.
I’m sure many here remember the incredibly nasty pitch Daniel Bard threw that moved completely sideways.
I’m sure that .gif is around here somewhere.
I love this place. I ask for something and within seconds someone puts it up. This was one of the nastiest pitches I’ve ever seen. Thank you.