Defensive Runs Saved and Zone Rating in Baseball

A sabermetric statistic that attempts to determine how many runs an outfielder or other fielder saves by making more plays than the average MLB player at their position. Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) is similar to Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), but both differ slightly in the formulas used and how they are implemented.

UZR splits the field into 78 different slices called zones and compares a fielder to league average for each zone. It takes into account things like batted ball direction and distance, pitcher and batter handedness, and whether or not a runner is on first. It also accounts for factors like the position, shifts and fly balls. The results are then park adjusted and converted to a value, which is positive or negative.

Zone rating is an excellent tool for comparing players to one another, but it’s not perfect. It can miss some important plays, such as a groundball turned double play or a tag out. Also, it doesn’t account for some important actions, such as pitch framing or keeping runners from stealing by blocking the plate, or preventing passed balls and wild pitches by getting outs at the plate.

This explains why a fielder with a strong defensive reputation may have a lower UZR than you might expect. However, it’s a good tool to have when evaluating a player because it will highlight areas of the game where a fielder is excelling. For example, the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates were plus-38 in Total Zone, but they led the league with 19 assists from right fielder Roberto Clemente and had a great shortstop in Dick Groat and center fielder Bill Virdon.