Brandon Lowe, Henry Davis, and Pittsburgh Pirates Fielding Leaders
Fielding metrics are the newest addition to Pirates Prospects, with Brandon Lowe, Henry Davis, and Minor League leaders featured.
The latest addition to the new PiratesProspects.com is Fielding data.
You can find this on the Stats page by clicking the Fielding tab at the bottom, and by selecting Fielding under the Statcast tab. You can also find career history for any player on their player page.
The basic fielding metrics include classic stats like fielding percentage and range factor per nine innings. The Statcast data dives into more advanced metrics like outs above average and fielding run value.
Lowe’s Career Year
What stood out the most to me with the MLB data was the performance by Brandon Lowe.
Lowe hasn’t been known for defense in his career. Last season he had a -14.0 OAA and a -9.8 FRV at second base. That was one of his worst seasons. His best seasons are typically around league average.
This season is the best overall result of Lowe’s career. He has a 7.0 OAA and a 5.6 FRV. The biggest difference has been his range. He went from -10.5 Range runs last season to 5.5 this season. That’s a swing of 16 runs in a single season, going from well below average to above average.
On the other side of the ball, Lowe is having one of his best offensive seasons of his career. He already has 20 home runs, and his .815 OPS is the best total since 2021.
A free agent this offseason, the 31-year-old is doing everything needed to get one final big contract. The defensive improvements will likely raise his stock the most. He’s not looking like a liability in the field. He’s adding value in the field, which is a bonus on top of the plus power at second base.
There might be questions about the long-term sustainability of this production, when compared to the career results. What matters for the Pirates is they are getting this production in 2026.
Other MLB Defensive Metrics
The Pirates have two other players who have a 1.0+ FRV this season.
Ryan O’Hearn has a 1.7 FRV in 133.1 innings at first base. By comparison, O’Hearn has a -4.4 FRV in 335.1 innings in right field.
Jared Triolo has a 1.0 FRV at third base. This isn’t a surprise, as Triolo had a 3.7 FRV last season at third base, and is a former Gold Glove winner.
Esmerlyn Valdez joins the previous three as the only players with a 1.0+ range rating, based on his 81 innings in right field. Valdez is also the only outfielder with a positive Jump rating.
Jake Mangum has the highest arm rating at 0.5 runs, with no one else above 0.1.
Oneil Cruz has the hardest recorded throw at 101.9 MPH. For infielders, Konnor Griffin has the max at 93.5 MPH. Cruz and Griffin are first and second for average arm velocity.
Catching Defense
The fielding comparison I like the most is the caught stealing rate for catchers.
Henry Davis leads the entire organization with a 56.5% caught stealing rate. Davis has a 1.86 pop time, and a positive FRV, due largely to his 1.4 throwing runs. His blocking has struggled, with a -3.0 blocks above average and -0.9 blocking runs. The throwing has offset the negative blocking value.
At the minor league level, there isn’t Statcast data, but there are standouts for caught stealing rates.
Upper-level catcher Shawn Ross leads the way with 42.1%, throwing out 8 of 19 runners.
A-ball catcher Richard Ramirez is second at 40.6%, catching 13 of 32 runners.
There’s a gap between the top two and number three catcher Easton Carmichael, who has a 29.7% caught stealing rate. Carmichael has caught 22 of 74 runners, with opponents more willing to run on him. Part of the spike could be due to specific rules in High-A that allow for more attempts. However, Axiel Plaz (26.7%, 8-for-30) is at the same level, and hasn’t been tested as often.
Davis and Carmichael lead the organization with two pickoffs each.
Ross is the only catcher with 100+ innings and no passed balls. Rafael Flores Jr. has the most on that list at 7. In the majors, Endy Rodriguez has one, while Davis has six.
If catcher ERA is something you believe has any value, Davis leads all catchers with 100+ innings with a 3.98 cERA. Plaz leads all minor league catchers with a 4.39, followed by Ross with a 4.44.
Ross stands out the most in this review. He’s currently in Triple-A. He’s not a good hitter, with a career .188 average. He does have some of the best raw power in the system, and that translates to games. He also appears to be a good defensive catcher by several metrics. Despite the poor average, Ross looks like a decent depth option.
I also want to point out that while the offense from Davis has been a negative, the defense has been a huge positive. Once thought to be an offense-first catcher, he’s now starting to look like a serious defensive asset.
Minor League Fielding Limitations
The downside to the fielding metrics is there isn’t a great predictive measure for minor league results.
I’ve spent way too much time in my life inside minor league press boxes, listening to how errors are applied, to trust fielding percentage as a reliable stat.
Unfortunately, it’s the best available option.
Here are the fielding percent leaders by position across the minors, with a minimum of 100 innings at each position:
First Base
Jared Jones, Richard Ramirez, and Rafael Flores Jr. all have a perfect fielding percentage. Jones has 288.2 innings, which is twice as much as the two catchers who also spend time at first base. Nick Cimillo, another catcher-turned-first baseman, has a .996 with one error in 319 innings.
Second Base
Keiner Delgado and Fredderick Ovalle are both tied with a perfect fielding percentage. Delgado has 220.1 innings, while Ovalle has spent most of his season in rookie ball, with 110 total innings. The next best is Yordany De Los Santos with a .982 fielding percentage in 102 innings.
Third Base
Davis Wendzel has a perfect fielding percentage in 114.2 innings with Indianapolis. Second is Enmanuel Valdez at .969 across 222 innings, showing a big gap. Murf Gray is tied for third at .960 across 431 innings, while also leading third baseman with 11 double plays. That’s six more than the second best result.
Shortstop
Delgado is first with a .984 percentage across 277.1 innings. He stands out at both middle infield positions. Second place goes to Eddie Rynders in Bradenton, with a .981 across 371.2 innings. Rynders also leads in double plays with 25. Wednzel is third with a .974 in 247 innings. Jack Brannigan, considered one of the best infielders in the system, ranks fourth with .967 across 279 innings.
Minor League Outfielders
It’s more common to find perfect fielding percentages in the outfield. Left field has five, center field has seven, and right field has three.
Instead of errors, I want to focus the outfield on assists.
Left Field
Shalin Polanco leads with seven assists in 199 innings. Next best are P.J. Hilson and Will Taylor, both with three. Polanco and Hilson both have perfect fielding percentages, while Taylor is at .923.
Center Field
Jhostynxon Garcia leads with five assists. He’s got a .960 fielding percentage. He’s also been part of two double plays. The next best in center field assists is two. There are four players with a perfect fielding percentage and two assists: Dominic Fletcher (AAA), Ronny Simon (AAA), Josh Tate (A), and Gabriel Rodriguez (FCL).
Right Field
Hilson leads with five assists and a perfect fielding percentage. He also has one double play. Fletcher, Polanco, and Ivan Brethowr are all tied for second with three assists.
Outfield Combined
Polanco leads all outfielders with 10 combined assists across all positions. Hilson ranks second with eight. Rodriguez ranks third with seven assists in the FCL, along with a perfect fielding percentage.
Hilson and Garcia are tied with the most double plays at two each.
Scout Them For Yourself
Head over to the Pirates Prospects Stats page and browse through the new fielding data yourself.
The basic fielding stats can be found under the fielding tab, with the ability to sort by level, position, and with innings qualifiers.
The Statcast fielding for MLB players is under the Statcast tab.
You can also go to any of the player pages on the site to find individual career metrics, including Statcast data for players with MLB experience.
Until the next time I go live…
-Tim Williams