Kris Bryant a defensive star for the Chicago Cubs
by Randy Holt
There was never any real question about the offensive skill set of Kris Bryant
.
We knew that he possessed an advanced bat out of college and was as close to a
can’t-miss prospect as you can get. Though it hasn’t been without growing
pains, he’s been every bit the offensive star that the Chicago Cubs could have
hoped for. At the same time, though, it’s important to acknowledge what he’s
accomplished in the field.
一直以來,Kris Bryant的進攻能力都沒什麼問題.我們知道他從大學就有著進階的打擊能
力而且是個無法錯過的潛力新秀.雖然經過一些些成長的陣痛期,但他完全是芝加哥小熊所
期望的進攻端明星.與此同時,我們也應該認可他在防守端上完成的.
His performance with the bat has been right on par with what was essentially
expected out of him. He’s striking out at a 30.3% rate, yes, but he’s also
walking at a 13.4% clip and has a .359 on-base percentage. He’s gone for a
.196 ISO and a 125 wRC+. You’ll take the punchouts given the approach he
brings (his 4.15 pitches per plate appearance rank eighth in the National
League) and that ability to reach base at a consistent pace.
他的表現就跟給他的預期一樣.他的被三振率是30.3%,但同時他也有13.4%的被保送率和
.359的上壘率.他有著.196ISO跟125wRC+.更進一步的是他的打擊approach(平均每打席消
耗4.15球排在國聯第八)和他能持續上壘的能力.
And as strong as he’s been at the plate, there were questions about Bryant’s
ability to hack it in the hot corner with the glove coming into the season,
regardless of when his arrival in the big leagues actually took place. Some
projected him in the long-term as more of an option in the outfield, given his
large strides and cannon of an arm. But with what we’ve seen in a short time
at the bigs, there may not be reason to consider a position change anytime
soon.
雖然他的打擊表現很好,但Bryant固守三壘區的能力一直被打問號.有些人因為他很大的步
伐和雷射肩,預測他未來會待在外野.然而筆者認為,就這短時間在大聯盟看到的防守表現,
沒有理由將Bryant移防.
On the surface, one would probably look at Bryant’s .952 fielding percentage
and 13 errors on the season and be rather dismissive of him having as solid a
defensive season as has actually been the case. But that’s what defensive
metrics are for. While they’re not a perfect system, they certainly paint a
better picture of what Bryant actually is.
表面上看來,我們會看到Bryant .952的守備率和13次失誤.我們不會認為他實際上有著不錯
的防守表現-實際上防守衡量數據告訴我們他還行.雖然防守衡量數據不是個完美的系統,但
他讓我們能看到更貼近現實的表現.
Bryant ranks eighth overall among third baseman in Def rating, and second in
the National League, with a 5.1 figure. In the NL, the only third baseman he
trails in that regard is Nolan Arenado, and the list of players that can touch
him defensively likely begin and end with Manny Machado.
Bryant在Def rating(5.1)排名三壘手第八,國聯第二.國聯只輸給Nolan Arenado,而能在
防守上接近Nolan Arenado的人,其實也就只有Manny Machado.(很喜歡這句的英文用法)
His UZR for the season is at 3.5, but we still have a bit of a ways to go
before we get a really clear picture in that regard. But his UZR per 150 games
is up at 5.8, which would have him fall in an ‘above average’ category. Even
that label, as “normal” as it might seem for a player that is expected to be
of Bryant’s caliber, is far better than what was actually expected of him
coming into the season.
他的UZR是3.5,但當我們為了看的更清楚而再看看其他表現.他的UZR/150升高到5.8,讓他進
入'高於平均'這個範圍.就算這種防守表現在Bryant這種等級的選手(高級潛力新秀)只會
被認為是"普通",但這遠比當初給Bryant的預期好多了.
For a player with a high volume of errors on the sheet, his Defensive Runs
Saved for the year is at just -3. Less than half of qualifying third basemen in
the NL have a DRS mark in the positive, so he’s not really alone in that
regard. Bryant has also made 28 Out of Zone plays at the hot corner, which
ranks fourth in the National League.
雖然Bryant有高失誤數據,但他的DRS只有-3(笑).由於不到一半的國聯三壘手有正面的DRS
數據,所以我們能說他不是唯一一個DRS是負的三壘手(再笑).Bryant也完成了排名國聯第四
的28個防守區之外的play.
We don’t even need defensive metrics to know that Kris Bryant has improved
quite a bit defensively. A simple eye test will do. Noted early in the season
for his penchant for taking Anthony Rizzo over the first base bag and leaving
him susceptible to a potential collision with baserunners, Bryant has managed
to eliminate that. That change is predominantly thanks to the elimination of
his long pause before throws. It’s been a welcome change and has made the Cubs
a more effective defensive club overall.
其實用眼睛看,我們也能看出Kris Bryant的防守有點進步.季初他常常傳出讓Anthony Rizzo
可能被跑者撞到的球,這種情況現在消失了.之前會這樣主要是因為他在傳球前會停頓一陣
子,現在他不會了.這對小熊來說是個很歡迎的改變也使得小熊整體的防守更好.
There are still concerns that Kris Bryant’s size could limit him to a certain
degree at third base. While that may be true, it’s hard to ignore the
improvements that he’s made. With advanced metrics favoring him heavily, in
addition to the eye test that illustrates his improved footwork and throws from
third base, it’s easy to look past the errors and see that the Cubs are able
to deploy one of the more effective third basemen in the National League on a
daily basis, one that doesn’t look bound for the outfield anytime soon. That
shouldn’t change anytime soon.
雖然仍有人擔心Kris Bryant的身材可能限制他在三壘的防守表現,但我們很難去忽略他的
進步.進階數據非常有利於他,而且他更好的防守腳步還有傳球,讓人能不管過去的失誤而認
為小熊其實擁有國聯中防守較好的三壘手,而且短期內看起來不會移防外野.