What is the best Defensive Differential anyone has seen?

I normally try and field very strong teams, but I know I'm nowhere near the best single season mark. The best I've seen so far is S10 from the Arizona Diamondbacks in World Major Leagues (owner cbriese) who posted an incredible 157 plus (+) plays and only 6 minus (-) plays, for a 151 differential. The team overall was pretty successful too, going 90-72 and making the playoffs as a WC team.

Has anyone seen better? Has anyone made it to a +162 differential, or one extra play per game?

And 4 of the bad plays were by pitchers, which seems somewhat uncontrollable unless you're really going to look for a pitcher with good def ratings.

Good point.

I wonder if it really is the very best +/- differential that's ever been put together. It's the best I've come across browsing my Worlds, and no one else seems to have one that beats it yet.

Those defensive ratings for his COF and 1B were sick.  I assume most people can't find competent-hitting COFs/1B with 75+ range and an 80+ glove.  No wonder he had so many + plays, jeez.

I was just browsing Hobbs because there is one team that has great defense but his best is (133/12) and (129/9). Both very good but not close to those numbers above.

cb's HR team was 152/12 last season. He's definitely the king of exploiting plus defense.

Checked a few worlds back to the defense update" in S7 or 8 and was unable to find anyone with better than a +100. 

I think the Dbacks are the winners of this challenge. 

Defense Efficiency Ratio. The percent of times a batted ball is turned into an out by the teams’ fielders, not including home runs. The exact formula we use is (BFP-H-K-BB-HBP-Errors)/(BFP-HR-K-BB-HBP). This is similar to BABIP, but from the defensive team's perspective. Please note that errors include only errors on batted balls.

(BFP-H-K-BB-HBP-Errors)/(BFP-HR-K-BB-HBP).

S10 Arizona (157+, 6-)
(6286 - 1443 - 1019 - 513 - 54 - 85) / (6286 - 203 - 1019 - 513 - 54)
(3172) / (4497)
.705

S10 Kansas City (8+, 91-)
(6606 - 1737 - 1061 - 589 - 65 - 158) / (6606 - 182 - 1061 - 589 - 65)
(2996) / (4709)
.636

S10 League Average (63+, 36-)
(6321 - 1512 - 1065 - 517 - 57 - 97) / (6321 - 183 - 1065 - 517 - 57)
(3073) / (4499)
.683

cbriese jerks off to defensive ratings. run prevention is usually his game.

wow.  i had 127+, 11- last season in champions league, but 157 is incredible.

Just look at each of cbriese's teams and they'll all have numbers that far up there.

We had a 156/4 in Season 15 Harold Reynolds. Three of the four were by a pitcher. Pretty sure I won't top that, if only because I'll be looking for better offense this year.

Note that fine defense earned me a first-round playoff exit.

Posted by isack24 on 10/28/2010 11:36:00 AM (view original):
And 4 of the bad plays were by pitchers, which seems somewhat uncontrollable unless you're really going to look for a pitcher with good def ratings.

On one of my teams I have a pitcher with 15 RA and 0 GL. He has a career .867 fielding pct with zero (+) plays and 17 (-) plays. I think he may only have one arm, but I cannot confirm that.  (Edit: Jim Abbott had a .976 career fielding pct, so the one-arm excuse is out the window)