Strength up the middle is important to any contender, but with so many teams still in the hunt for a playoff spot, it’s no surprise some of them have weak spots. Sometimes, it’s easier for a team to convince itself that the metrics aren’t fully capturing the strength of a light-hitting player’s defense if they’re playing a premium position. This seems to be the case with the shortstops and some of the center fielders in this year’s batch of Killers.
On the flip side, shaky defense can sometimes be justified if there’s hope of getting adequate offense. Then there are times when injuries force someone to stand out in the middle pasture looking like they know what’s going on.
While still focusing on teams that meet the loose definition of contenders (a .500 record or Playoff Odds of at least 9.5%), and that have gotten about 0.6 WAR or less out of a position thus far, I have also incorporated our Depth Charts’ rest-of-season WAR projections into the equation for an additional perspective. Sometimes that may suggest that the team will clear the bar by a significant margin, but even so, I’ve included them here because the team’s performance at that spot is worth a look.
2024 Replacement-Level Killers: Shortstop
Braves
| AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | Bat | BsR | Fld | WAR | ROS WAR | Tot WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .207 | .245 | .323 | 55 | -19.1 | -0.2 | 1.3 | -0.1 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
Guardians
| AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | Bat | BsR | Fld | WAR | ROS WAR | Tot WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .205 | .295 | .298 | 74 | -10.6 | -2.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
Braves
After letting Dansby Swanson depart in free agency, the Braves turned to Orlando Arcia. Arcia was surprisingly solid in 2023 but hasn’t lived up to that standard this year. Despite decent defense, his -0.1 WAR is in the red. The Braves are remaining patient with Arcia but don’t have much depth at the position.
Guardians
Last summer, the Guardians traded Amed Rosario and turned to Brayan Rocchio at short. Rocchio’s defense has been strong, but he hasn’t produced much offensively. The team has also been looking at Daniel Schneemann for additional help.
2024 Replacement-Level Killers: Center Field
Cardinals
| AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | Bat | BsR | Fld | WAR | ROS WAR | Tot WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .211 | .250 | .276 | 50 | -19.5 | 2.1 | 2.2 | -0.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
Dodgers
| AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | Bat | BsR | Fld | WAR | ROS WAR | Tot WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .213 | .281 | .326 | 76 | -11.2 | -0.6 | -3.5 | -0.1 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
Pirates
| AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | Bat | BsR | Fld | WAR | ROS WAR | Tot WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .206 | .267 | .297 | 59 | -17.4 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
Orioles
| AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | Bat | BsR | Fld | WAR | ROS WAR | Tot WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .199 | .255 | .363 | 74 | -11.6 | 2.2 | -3.4 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
Guardians
The Guardians have struggled to find production in center field. Michael Siani has done the bulk of the work but hasn’t provided much offense. The return of Tommy Edman should help boost the production in a weaker spot for the team.
Diamondbacks
| AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | Bat | BsR | Fld | WAR | ROS WAR | Tot WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .209 | .285 | .309 | 70 | -15.2 | 6.0 | -0.8 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 2.0 |
