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Baseball by the Numbers: The case for defense

Chicago Sun-Times | May 22, 2023

Related Topics: Luis Robert, Dansby Swanson, Seby Zavala, Nico Hoerner

Erin Hooley/AP

White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. is second in the majors among all position players with 10 runs saved so far this season.

Batting average on balls in play comes with a defensive mirror image, and that’s defensive efficiency.

The rise in BABiP that has come with rules changes for 2023 means a lower percentage of balls in play are turned into outs.

BABiP is up from .290 in 2022 to .297, helping fuel an overall rise in batting averages from .243 to .248. DefEff has dipped from .697 to .691, meaning 69.

See full article at Chicago Sun-Times