The defense statistic Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) aims to measure how many runs above or below average a player saves in the field. Factors like range, errors, throwing arm (for outfielders), and double plays (for infielders) are evaluated. For this stat, positive = good; negative = bad. Five Mets have played at least 20 innings in the outfield this season:
- Carlos Beltran
- Ryan Church
- Daniel Murphy
- Jeremy Reed
- Gary Sheffield
Can you match them up with their UZR?
| Player | UZR |
|---|---|
| A | 1.0 |
| B | 0.5 |
| C | -1.5 |
| D | -1.5 |
| E | -3.8 |
Answers after the jump.
| Player | UZR |
|---|---|
| Jeremy Reed | 1.0 |
| Daniel Murphy | 0.5 |
| Gary Sheffield | -1.5 |
| Carlos Beltran | -1.5 |
| Ryan Church | -3.8 |
A little surprising? Yes, but there are plenty of caveats. The season is still young, despite being about 1/7 completed. Reed has only played in 20.2 innings. And most importantly, this does not mean that Gary Sheffield is a better fielder than Ryan Church. It's worth mentioning that Mets outfield defense has been 27th in all of baseball so far this season per UZR, after finishing 3rd in 2008 (with some help from Endy Chavez).