The Tampa Bay Rays rocketed up the standings in 2008, increasing their win total from 66 to 97 -- and probably did so largely because of how good they were defensively. Carl Crawford is a dominant defensive left fielder, third baseman Evan Longoria is already among the best at his position, B.J. Upton has developed into a top-flight center fielder and Jason Bartlett solidified the infield at shortstop.
It's not a coincidence that a handful of teams decided in the offseason to improve their respective defenses. For example, the Pittsburgh Pirates replaced
Jason Bay with
Nyjer Morgan and hired infield coach
Perry Hill to work with the likes of
Andy LaRoche and
Freddy Sanchez. The Mariners traded for the underrated
Franklin Gutierrez and
Endy Chavez and now might have the best defensive outfield in baseball. And the Texas Rangers installed
Elvis Andrus at shortstop and moved
Michael Young to third.
Those three teams have improved their defense, and their place in the standings. The Pirates rank No. 1 in the
Baseball Prospectus defensive efficiency ratings:
1. Pirates 0.738
2. Dodgers .727
3. Blue Jays .718
4. Athletics .708
5. Mariners .706
18. Rangers .687
Compare that with the final 2008 rankings:
1. Rays 0.710
2. Cubs 0.705
3. Blue Jays 0.704
4. Athletics 0.700
5. Red Sox 0.699
26. Mariners .682
28. Pirates 0.675
30. Rangers 0.670
If there a lesson to be learned, it might be this: The fastest route to improvement might not the addition of a big home-run hitter or a high-profile, free-agent pitcher. Rather, the best road to improvement might be to commit a team to better defense.
The Rangers have a chance to finish
over .500 in April, writes Jeff Wilson.
The Angels
haven't played to the level they need to play to defensively, as manager
Mike Scioscia knows. They are also in a critical period, trying to hold down their season at a time that they are without
John Lackey,
Ervin Santana and
Kelvim Escobar, and they are currently
on a winning streak.
•
Yovani Gallardo put on
your basic Babe Ruth-circa-1918 show. He is doing exactly what the Brewers must have him do if they are to contend in the NL Central.
From the Elias Sports Bureau: Gallardo was only the third pitcher in major league history to win a game 1-0 while recording at least 10 strikeouts and hitting a home run. The other pitchers to do that were Hall of Famers: the Yankees'
Red Ruffing, on Aug. 13, 1932 in Washington (12 strikeouts) and the White Sox's
Early Wynn, on May 1, 1959 against the Red Sox (14 strikeouts).
•
Zack Greinke's starts are becoming must-see events, and the crowd in Kansas City reacted to his mastery Wednesday night. He opened an at-bat against
Vernon Wells with a 69 mph curveball, and after the ball veered over the plate for a strike, the crowd roared at the Greinke version of an eephus pitch. Greinke followed that with an 84 mph slider for a strike, this on a night when he was throwing fastballs in the mid-90s.
His numbers through his first five starts: 5-0, 0.50 ERA, with 44 strikeouts and 8 walks in 36 innings.
Greinke is
too good to be jinxed, writes Joe Posnanski. He got
a lot of support from teammates, notes Bob Dutton.
• From the Elias Sports Bureau: Because of its spacious dimensions and high outfield walls, the Mets' new home, Citi Field, is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best triples parks in the majors. There have been 12 three-base hits in the last seven games at Citi Field, with at least one in each game, including three in the Mets' loss to the Marlins on Wednesday. In the 45 seasons the Mets played at Shea Stadium (1964-2008), there were only two stretches in which triples were hit in seven or more consecutive games: an eight-game streak in August 1965 and a seven-game streak in September 1976.
To continue reading Buster's blog, with injury news, a note on Stephen Strasburg and the Nats, a setback for John Smoltz and much more, please join ESPN Insider. 
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
Buster Olney
