Delino DeShields Can Run Away From His Problems
The Rangers won on Friday in no small part because of Rougned Odor’s baserunning after he got to first. But no less impressive was Delino DeShields‘ baserunning on his way to first. In the 14th inning, this happened, immediately following the single that made the difference in the game. So while it turned out this RBI was unnecessary, it might’ve also been the single most incredible display of raw skill in the contest:
For some context, here’s a table, copied from this website. Rating times from home to first base:
| Rating | Right-Handed Hitter | Left-Handed Hitter |
| Above – Average | 4.2 seconds | 4.1 seconds |
| Average | 4.3 seconds | 4.2 seconds |
| Below – Average | 4.4 seconds | 4.3 seconds |
| Very Below – Average | 4.5 seconds | 4.4 seconds |
Alternatively or additionally, from an old article by Jon Heyman:
Consider that on a swing a 4.0 time for a right-handed hitter and 3.9 for a left-handed hitter is considered an “8” on the 2-8 scout’s scale, or all-time great.
From contact, going frame by frame, I have the baseball arriving at first base in about 3.8 seconds. Fast enough to retire practically anyone and end the inning. But instead, DeShields seems rather easily safe. Because I have him getting from home to first — starting at contact — in about 3.7 seconds. Which would be three-tenths of a second faster than an 80-grade runner. It’s the same as the difference between an elite runner and an average one.
In some ways, footspeed is the most overrated skill in baseball. But sometimes, it really is enough to create something out of what ought to be nothing. Delino DeShields isn’t impossible to throw out, but you couldn’t blame Troy Tulowitzki if he’s feeling that way. Normal athletes don’t move that fast. Conventionally elite ones don’t either.
Jeff made Lookout Landing a thing, but he does not still write there about the Mariners. He does write here, sometimes about the Mariners, but usually not.
I timed it at 3.73 seconds and he did beat it easily. That makes his slowly hit routine ground balls to short almost guaranteed singles. Insane.
Granted, he had a bit of a lean forward in the box, because of the pitch and swing, but still, holy crap.
Early Ichiro.
That’s EXACTLY what I thought of while watching the GIF for the 20th time. Just like early Ichiro.
Infielders will not be able to play normal depth for him, ever. At least, not if he’s going to have that sort of swing-as-you-run toward first.
Was at the game. Saw the basic groundball to SS and assumed the inning was over. Then saw the play at first and he was well past the bag. Much expletives were uttered.
Funny. Being a Rangers fan, I just assumed it was a hit because I’m used to DeLino. Then I figured it might be crazy even for him just in time for it to be a single.
Then I did reflect on how nuts it is that I expect that of him.
So that’s what a 90 baserunner looks like these days! 🙂
He was just a 65 baserunner coming into the season. Maybe someone should give him a urine test:
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=11379&position=OF
He always was a plus runner on the basepaths, he just finally has learned to have it help more running to first.
Looking at it another way, breaking down the time it took to ball to go from the bat to Tulo to Smoak:
– Ball was a four/five hopper, maybe 0.1 seconds longer than average to reach SS.
– Alberto running across Tulo’s path may have cost another 0.1 seconds from Tulo not being able to charge the ball.
– Tulo’s transfer and throw were both solid, no time lost there.
And yet, DeShields beat the throw by so much that Smoak didn’t even consider stretching on Tulo’s throw, even though getting DeShields out would have ended the inning AND negated Gimenez scoring. Instead, Smoak’s immediate reaction was on Alberto having rounded third base. So I’d have to guess that DeShields beat the throw by about 0.2 seconds.
Which implies that on a routine grounder to the average shortstop, DeShields would have still had a legitimate chance of beating it out. Unbelievable.
Footnote – if I worked for the Reds and had any say in the matter, I’d move Billy Hamilton back to being a full-time RHB. If he’s always going to have issues with rolling over the ball and pulling grounders, better to do so as a righty because of the extra time you get on a throw from the left side of the infield vs. from the right. The advantage of hitting lefty for a speedster applies ONLY if you are a great bunter and/or have the ability to consistently hit the ball the other way like Ichiro (or Dee Gordon now.)
I think that’s an interesting point re: Hamilton. I couldn’t find anything about his stats hitting as a righty vs. a righty (since he always switch hits now), so it’s hard to say if that would be more successful.
But when I looked at Hamilton’s numbers and splits, I see a pretty likely rebound next year. From 2014 to 2015, his walk rate improved slightly, his strikeout rate improved pretty strongly, and his infield fly ball rate improved by leaps and bounds (13.2% to 5.9%).
Yes, he still hits too many flyballs, but his flyball rate and line drive rate were basically unchanged from last year to this year. The biggest driver is that his BABIP fell from .304 to .264. Since nearly every other facet of his offensive game improved (power was down slightly), I think that’s a fluke, or may have been a result of injury. If he keeps his infield flyball rate down, I think even a .304 BABIP is lower than I’d expect.
I think his BABIP could rebound to .320+ and if all the other rates remain the same as 2015, you could be looking at a .270/.310/.360 year next year pretty easily.
He began switch-hitting in 2011. The year before, as a 19-year old in short-season ball, he hit .309/.370/.441 as a righty vs. RHB and .362/.444/.532 vs LHB.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=hamilt002bil&type=bgl&year=2010
I do think his shoulder injury hurt his numbers, especially batting lefty. But even with that in mind, a .255 BABIP from the left side for a guy with his speed is a sign that the Reds should re-consider this experiment, especially when it’s accompanied by a .037 ISO and 6.9% walk rate.
From earlier in the year, for your potential bemusement: http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2015/5/22/8631883/delino-deshields-jr-and-the-tool-skill-intersection