Since either the dawn of time or the year 2002, analyst Tom Tango — who currently serves as senior database architect on MLB’s Statcast team — has facilitated the Fans’ Scouting Report, either at his site or (beginning last year) right here at FanGraphs. The project represents an attempt to harness the wisdom of the crowds with a view to better understanding player defensive skill — and not just that, but to translate that skill into something like a “runs saved” metric. The results from previous years are available both on individual player pages and in the form of a leaderboard.

The purpose of this post is to announce that ballots are now open for the 2018 edition of the Fans’ Scouting Report. When completing your ballot, a few things to remember:

1. Don’t adjust ratings by position!
2. Don’t adjust ratings by position!
3. Rely on your eyes. Don’t look at fielding percentage, UZR, DRS, etc.
4. Only submit ratings for players on whom you have an actual opinion.
5. Don’t adjust ratings by position!

Ballots will be open for a few weeks. Once the voting is complete, we will compile the ratings and release the results of the 2018 Fans’ Scouting Report. In the meantime, click here to cast your ballot. Or click here to cast your ballot. Or click here to cast your ballot.