"And yet, most defensive metrics don't think the Sox are that bad, and some think they are elite. By Statcast's Fielding Run Value as presented by Baseball Savant, the Red Sox had the fifth-best defense in baseball last year. By Statcast's Fielding Run Value as presented by FanGraphs (which is apparently a slightly different thing, though I couldn't tell you how) they were the seventh-best."
"Which of these metrics is the right metric? Well, according to the rules of arguing about baseball on the internet, the right metric is the one that helps you prove whatever point you've already decided you want to make. If you want to say that the Sox suck defensively, go ahead and use errors. If you want to say they're great, go ahead and use Fielding Run Value. If you want to provide a nuanced opinion, choose any of the others,"
"The truth is that defensive metrics are far behind the metrics we use to measure pitching and hitting, and they probably always will. Complicating the issue in the case of the Red Sox is the fact that roster features players of shockingly disparate defensive quality. Ceddanne Rafaela was arguably the best gloveman in all of baseball last year; Kristian Campbell was arguably the worst. Carlos Narvaez graded out as elite by many metrics; Connor Wong graded out as horrendous."
The Boston Red Sox led major league baseball in errors in 2025 while several advanced defensive metrics ranked them near the top of the sport. Statcast Fielding Run Value placed the club among the five to seven best, Statcast Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved produced middling to good rankings, and different presentations of the same underlying data produced different results. Defensive measurement remains less mature than hitting or pitching analytics. The roster included extreme defensive variance, from players graded elite to others graded as among the worst.
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