Dear esteemed vets of the Hardball,

I recently checked my pitchers GB/FB ratings, and I have the #2 ranked bullpen GB/FB rating in the (Capra) world AL/NL combined (77) and my rotation is ranked #16 in the world (66). Not great, but not the worst either.

That being said, I am becoming frustrated with the performance of my infield. Here is the situation:
My 2B has a range rating of 90 with a glove of 81.
My SS has a range rating of 92 with a glove of 84.
Both of these position players have spent the entire season starting everyday (70 games in) and yet, neither is in the top 25 at their position in the World in Range Factor. I feel like they should be getting to more ground balls. We play in Salem, which is +1/+1 for HR, but neutral for all other aspects. Both of them are in the lineup for their defense (hitting 7th and 8th with no DH respectively) - and the performance is disappointing. The shortstop leads the world in plus plays meanwhile the 2B does not have a single plus play (with 4 minus plays FWIW). But... I just cannot get past this lack of range .

Is it possible that the lack of groundball defense is because they are both rookies? Will they get to more groundballs after they have a year or two of gameplay under their belts? I feel like they should be at least ranked around 16 in Range Factor, if not better, all things considered. So, for them to not even show up on the list makes me feel as though I am doing something wrong.

Thoughts?
JRNY

*Yes, I have double-checked to ensure that I am clicking "qualified."

Mike,
Thank you for advancing the conversation.
If my bullpen has the second highest GB/FB number, and my starters are #16 out of 32 teams... you are suggesting that 9th in pitching whiffs is dragging my range down because I am striking out more than the average number of batters?
If this is true, unless I make changes to my arms, I could sacrifice some range at 2B in exchange for a better bat to improve the squad overall, right?
Hopefully I am comprehending this adequately...
Thanks again,
JRNY

Assuming your pitching continues to strike out batters and not induce ground balls, you're not going to see much change in your MIF stats.   Obviously, sacrificing range at 2B for a better bat won't improve your MIF numbers.  But it could improve your team.   I've found that 70ish/70ish is fine at 2B.   And I don't believe in shorting D.

I have a 69 range/70 glove that I would love to start at 2B.
However, last season, I started him at 2B for 138 games and he registered a fielding pct. of  .981/ range factor/ 4.40 with 10 minus plays (zero plus plays).
Taking a look at it now... maybe this result was not so bad with my pitching that leans toward K's. Hmmm.
The new 2B is fielding .990/ RF 4.50 with 4 minus plays. The defense just does not seem to be as much of an upgrade considering what I am losing in ops (.760 better fielder VS. .775 better bat).
The better fielder is off to a seemingly great start hitting and is much younger and cheaper. The better bat is a future hall of famer that is having his first less-than-amazing season with the stick. I will have to chew on this idea for a while...

Any idea what ratings I should look at to determine high strikeout rate potential? Velocity? My pitching is not very good and in the next couple of seasons I will have cap room to add better arms. I am going to want to keep adding high strikeout guys if I sacrifice range at 2B...

Thanks Mike!!

Hey jrnyfan- is Pat Pierce the 2B you are talking about in your first post? He has a 75 range rating, not 90. That 75 rating is below the listed average of 80 for ML second basemen, which helps explain his 0/4 for +/- plays, as well as his current below average range factor.

Posted by outlaw 6-4-3 on 7/9/2014 12:28:00 AM (view original):
Hey jrnyfan- is Pat Pierce the 2B you are talking about in your first post? He has a 75 range rating, not 90. That 75 rating is below the listed average of 80 for ML second basemen, which helps explain his 0/4 for +/- plays, as well as his current below average range factor.

Good point. It looks like I was reading his projections as I created this thread.
Nice catch!!
I will be looking to replace him next season in FA for the short term. Ultimately, I have a replacement in Hi A, but I want to give him more time before calling him up.

Thanks again!
Chris