You could point to a lot of things in regards to the Minnesota Twins’ success thus far in 2017. And one of them certainly would be defense.
This past week, the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) issued its first Defensive Index rankings (SDI) for the season, based on games played through July 9, and Minnesota’s players made a strong showing, especially up the middle.
According to SABR, these rankings account for roughly 25 percent of the selection process used in determining each season’s Gold Glove winners and also contributes in determining Platinum Glove Award winners.
The Defensive Index is compiled from different fielding metrics and incorporates a myriad of categories.