Defensive Efficiency

meowbarkoink · 01-15-2019, 03:01 PM

hi!
so for 3 seasons now, im 28th to 30th in that stat and i dont know, how to change that.
what is obviously my problem?

in the gold league now, in avg, my team is 4th, runs at 8th but d.eff 29th...
so im only at 14-20 now but i expected, that i could win my division

what should i change, what to look for?

chazzycat · 01-15-2019, 03:10 PM

I would say the first step is determining if it's even a problem. Do you have custom ballpark factors set up? If your park has a high modifier for AVG, then your defensive efficiency will be low, through no actual fault of your defense. If that's the case you can get a sense for how your defense is actually performing by checking the "ZR" (zone rating) in the team defensive statistics page, and comparing it to other teams. This is generally a much better stat than defensive efficiency.

If your park is neutral or negative for AVG, then you probably do have a defense problem. If your pitchers are groundballers than try to upgrade your infield, if they are flyballers than try to upgrade your outfield first. Most important thing is generally range and secondarily error rating. Arm only really matters for 3B, RF and C. Upgrading "up the middle" will impact your defense moreso than the corner positions.

<Pion> · 01-15-2019, 03:14 PM

At first, I looked only at the players defensive rating, but then changed and went for defensive players with great range. But once I learned more about how the main defensive rating was calculated (taking into account range, errors, arms and maybe TDP depending on position, I've gone back to first looking at the main rating with an eye on the numbers that form that rating.

So improve your defense by looking at other players in your league or creating a spreadsheet where you can sort and look for the best at each position. Depending on your level, if bronze, Aparicio/Belanger are a good place to start as it strengthens your SS and gives you a player that trains up extremely well at both 2B and 3B. At silver you have guys like Troy Tulowitzki and you can't go wrong with Andrelton Simmons.

I also like to get the stud CF defenders as they can be trained up to play LF and RF.

meowbarkoink · 01-15-2019, 03:32 PM

hi, thanks for the answers!!

ballpark: yes i have custom setup: avg lhb 1.1, rhp 0,95
because i have many left hand batters, i thought, it gives me more avg... which works of course, but its bad for my defence?!

and thanks for the other tipps. i will work through it ^^

Dogberry99 · 01-15-2019, 03:39 PM

I do not personally put much stock in Defensive Efficiency.

Last season, I was 29th of 30 in my Diamond League in this statistic, in large part because of the higher averages that come from a pitching staff built around the groundball and extreme groundball profiles.

Was my defense really that bad? Maybe. However I also won the Great Glove awards this same year at 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, and CF, so... *shrugs*

CrazyWR · 01-15-2019, 03:43 PM

do you have a screenshot of your lineup so we can see who you are starting at the positions? Low error ratings combined with a ballpark that promotes hits will mean your defensive efficiency, which is a measure of what % of balls in play are outs, will drop. Zone rating is typically a better measure in OOTP of defensive effectiveness but obviously higher Def Eff is better. Range is pretty important too. If you are starting a bunch of statues, you're not gonna get to many balls.

chazzycat · 01-15-2019, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meowbarkoink

hi, thanks for the answers!!

ballpark: yes i have custom setup: avg lhb 1.1, rhp 0,95
because i have many left hand batters, i thought, it gives me more avg... which works of course, but its bad for my defence?!

and thanks for the other tipps. i will work through it ^^

Yes, park factors cut both ways. It will help your team get more hits (at home), but also help the team you are playing against get more hits (which makes your defense look bad).

Maddox · 01-16-2019, 10:40 AM

I have a thread about defense further down in the forum. I built a 3rd team and went with elite defense. I did this mainly because, like you, I saw my other teams hovering around the bottom of the Def Eff every season.

So far the defensive team has performed very well. They are second in Def Eff and are already 19 games above .500 in bronze league. It is a little too soon to make any definitive conclusions though as it is only bronze league and it has only been about 50 games.

I will say that as I look at future upgrades for my main teams that I will be paying a little more attention to defense (range especially) instead of focusing 100% on offensive ratings.

SF Giants · 01-16-2019, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chazzycat

Yes, park factors cut both ways. It will help your team get more hits (at home), but also help the team you are playing against get more hits (which makes your defense look bad).

My thought on this is that a ballpark with maxed factors will leverage (utilize) better defense as fielders will have more action and therefore can utilize their /high/ defensive skills ...

chazzycat · 01-16-2019, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SF Giants

My thought on this is that a ballpark with maxed factors will leverage (utilize) better defense as fielders will have more action and therefore can utilize their /high/ defensive skills ...

I agree with you. I could have phrased that better...setting up your team this way will result in your defense looking bad by the defensive efficiency metric. It doesn't mean they are actually bad.

01-15-2019, 03:01 PM	#1
meowbarkoink Bat Boy Join Date: Dec 2018 Posts: 4	Defensive Efficiency hi! so for 3 seasons now, im 28th to 30th in that stat and i dont know, how to change that. what is obviously my problem? in the gold league now, in avg, my team is 4th, runs at 8th but d.eff 29th... so im only at 14-20 now but i expected, that i could win my division what should i change, what to look for?

01-15-2019, 03:39 PM	#5
Dogberry99 All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Wichita Falls, TX Posts: 1,328	I do not personally put much stock in Defensive Efficiency. Last season, I was 29th of 30 in my Diamond League in this statistic, in large part because of the higher averages that come from a pitching staff built around the groundball and extreme groundball profiles. Was my defense really that bad? Maybe. However I also won the Great Glove awards this same year at 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, and CF, so... shrugs Last edited by Dogberry99; 01-15-2019 at 03:41 PM.

01-16-2019, 10:40 AM	#8
Maddox All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 903	I have a thread about defense further down in the forum. I built a 3rd team and went with elite defense. I did this mainly because, like you, I saw my other teams hovering around the bottom of the Def Eff every season. So far the defensive team has performed very well. They are second in Def Eff and are already 19 games above .500 in bronze league. It is a little too soon to make any definitive conclusions though as it is only bronze league and it has only been about 50 games. I will say that as I look at future upgrades for my main teams that I will be paying a little more attention to defense (range especially) instead of focusing 100% on offensive ratings. Last edited by Maddox; 01-16-2019 at 10:41 AM.

01-15-2019, 03:10 PM	#2
chazzycat All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 1,685	I would say the first step is determining if it's even a problem. Do you have custom ballpark factors set up? If your park has a high modifier for AVG, then your defensive efficiency will be low, through no actual fault of your defense. If that's the case you can get a sense for how your defense is actually performing by checking the "ZR" (zone rating) in the team defensive statistics page, and comparing it to other teams. This is generally a much better stat than defensive efficiency. If your park is neutral or negative for AVG, then you probably do have a defense problem. If your pitchers are groundballers than try to upgrade your infield, if they are flyballers than try to upgrade your outfield first. Most important thing is generally range and secondarily error rating. Arm only really matters for 3B, RF and C. Upgrading "up the middle" will impact your defense moreso than the corner positions.

01-15-2019, 03:14 PM	#3
<Pion> All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,428	At first, I looked only at the players defensive rating, but then changed and went for defensive players with great range. But once I learned more about how the main defensive rating was calculated (taking into account range, errors, arms and maybe TDP depending on position, I've gone back to first looking at the main rating with an eye on the numbers that form that rating. So improve your defense by looking at other players in your league or creating a spreadsheet where you can sort and look for the best at each position. Depending on your level, if bronze, Aparicio/Belanger are a good place to start as it strengthens your SS and gives you a player that trains up extremely well at both 2B and 3B. At silver you have guys like Troy Tulowitzki and you can't go wrong with Andrelton Simmons. I also like to get the stud CF defenders as they can be trained up to play LF and RF.

01-15-2019, 03:32 PM	#4
meowbarkoink Bat Boy Join Date: Dec 2018 Posts: 4	hi, thanks for the answers!! ballpark: yes i have custom setup: avg lhb 1.1, rhp 0,95 because i have many left hand batters, i thought, it gives me more avg... which works of course, but its bad for my defence?! and thanks for the other tipps. i will work through it ^^

01-15-2019, 03:43 PM	#6
CrazyWR All Star Reserve Join Date: Nov 2018 Posts: 549	do you have a screenshot of your lineup so we can see who you are starting at the positions? Low error ratings combined with a ballpark that promotes hits will mean your defensive efficiency, which is a measure of what % of balls in play are outs, will drop. Zone rating is typically a better measure in OOTP of defensive effectiveness but obviously higher Def Eff is better. Range is pretty important too. If you are starting a bunch of statues, you're not gonna get to many balls.