Day: July 25, 2016

Published June 27, 2016 – Miami Herald

The Marlins set club records for fewest errors and fielding percentage last season.

A year later, their infield has put together a streak of mistake-free defense that hasn’t been done in over a century.

Following the team’s victory Sunday over the Cubs, the Marlins extended its streak of games without an error by its infield to 26.

According to STATS LLC, it is the longest such streak by any major-league team since 1913.

The streak, which began May 30, surpassed the Orioles’ 25-game run without an infield error they set last season from May 22-June 15.

Since 2004 only three other teams – the Phillies, Giants and Mariners put together streaks that reached 24 games.

“The defense has been really good,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “We seemed shaky early, but we’ve really kind of hit our stride.”

The Marlins have committed only three errors overall in June – the fewest of any team in the majors.

Their fielding percentage matches their final total last season, which ranked second in the majors, and is the same as the one posted by the 2003 World Series championship team’s infield.

The regular starting infield of third baseman Martin Prado, shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, second baseman Derek Dietrich and first baseman Justin Bour has committed only 12 errors combined through the first 76 games.

“We’ve been a pretty good defensive club, and we thought we would be [again],” Mattingly said. “Martin’s been unbelievable at third. Hechavarria, obviously, he’s been one of those guys on the Gold Glove list the last few years. Derek’s been solid. Justin Bour’s been fine at first.”

Infielders coach Perry Hill compared the unit to the one he coached in 2003 that had Derrek Lee at first, Luis Castillo at second, Alex Gonzalez at shortstop and Mike Lowell at third. Lee and Castillo both won Gold Gloves that year.

Remarkably the squad has put together its historic run without 2015 Gold Glove second baseman Dee Gordon, who is serving an 80-game suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Dietrich proving himself a more than adequate substitute so far has been huge.

In his fourth season in the majors, Dietrich has made only three errors in 184 defensive chances at second and 209 overall. Dietrich has started 47 games at second base since Gordon’s suspension.

Dietrich’s defensive skills weren’t highly-regarded entering the year, having committed 12 errors in 101 games at second base over his first three seasons in the majors.

“A lot of the credit has to go to Perry Hill and the way he prepares us to do our job,” Dietrich said. “He’s helped me trust myself and just slow the game down.”

Hechavarria, a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop last season, got off to a tough start this season, making two errors on Opening Day, but has made only two more since in 264 chances.

Prado has been stellar at third, committing only two errors in 153 chances, and Bour has made only three errors in 412 chances in his second season as the team’s regular first baseman.

Reserve infielders Chris Johnson (one error in 184 defensive chances) and Miguel Rojas (two errors in 139 chances) have held their end as well.

Jose Fernandez superstitiously knocked on the table in front of him during a press conference following Sunday’s win when asked about the infield defense.

“It’s been great,” Fernandez said. “You guys probably see it a lot. They come here early. They do early work. When we’re hitting BP they’re catching ground balls.”

Published April 11, 2016 – fishstripes.com

The Miami Marlins have long talked the talk about improving their defense, but rarely had they walked the walk in terms of acquiring talent to provide that defense. One person, however, whom the Fish acquired and put on their staff who has actively helped the defensive cause is infield coach Perry Hill. Hill became a member of the Marlins once again in 2011, returning to the role of infield coach which garnered him and the team significant success from 2002 to 2007.

In the latest piece on Hill’s work with the team, Craig Davis of the Sun-Sentinel points out that simplicity is the key to Hill’s teachings.

“The way he breaks it down, it’s simple,” says Derek Dietrich, who works with Hill on playing first, second and third. “It’s nothing mind-boggling. It’s simple fundamentals that always apply.”

Hill, 64, developed his system while playing in the minor leagues in Mexico. He spent countless hours throwing a ball against a wall and boiling down the key components of fielding it and throwing to record the out to his 6 F’s: feet, field, funnel, footwork, fire, follow.

Those six F’s have brought the Marlins a decent amount of success. Much has been made of the fact that Dee Gordon went from a below-average, albeit inexperienced fielder at second base to a Gold Glove winner in one season with Hill. Gordon reflects on the basic, repetitive training that helped get him that award.

Gordon, the fifth infielder to win a Gold Glove under Hill (Castillo won three), says the transition began the first day of spring training in 2015, when the Marlins infield coach had him making throws to first with his eyes closed.

“I did it, and I was listening for [it to hit] the chain-link fence behind us,” Gordon says. “I heard ‘pop,’ and I was like, no way. The dude was at first base holding the [ball in his] glove and I was like, ‘Wow!’

“And I did it again and did it again. And I was like, he’s right.”

This all seems very simplistic, but for the Marlins, it seems to have mostly worked. Gordon is the most obvious example, but Adeiny Hechavarria appears to have benefited as well from training with Hill. After arriving here mostly raw, it seems like Hechavarria may have turned a corner last season with an improved defensive campaign and better numbers to support his reputation as one of the most talented shortstops in baseball defensively.

One way that Hill is probably doing this is through positioning. And that positioning is itself based on data calculation.

None of that is left to chance. After every game, Hill watches the video and records where every ball was hit by the opposing team. He meticulously draws the lines for every ball hit into play on color-coded fielding charts that he keeps for every player who bats against the Marlins, also noting the pitcher, count and type of pitch.

The information is used for positioning his fielders. Before each game, Hill moves around the infield making marks in the dirt that indicate where each fielder is to go when he motions them right or left from the dugout.

The data behind Hill’s recommendations are actually exactly what proprietary zone-based metrics use to create their numbers. Much like Hill’s meticulous batted ball markings for infield-affected balls, data stringers keep an eye on and mark locations and make qualifications based on batted ball type, hard-hit quality, and count. In a way, Hill’s tracking is the basis for these sorts of statistics.

The metrics take an extra step, compiling the data of several batted balls into similar “buckets” and determining how well fielders at each position handle those buckets. Of course, this approach has its fair share of biases; the data is still recorded in a subjective fashion, as both Hill and data stringers are using video or live scoring to mark locations of the ball, and qualitative assessments are made for certain characteristics. However, if this data proves invaluable for helping infielders position better, why would it not be valuable in providing information about a fielder’s performance? Furthermore, the data at least attempts something that any individual scout would have difficulty doing: contemporaneous measurement.

Hill has said before that defensive metrics do not see positioning and players on the field, and his methods make fielding easier on his guys while not necessarily being reflected in the numbers. However, the numbers do reflect positioning in a certain way. If positioning leads to a fielder being better at a certain type of batted ball in a certain zone, it essentially counts it as part of the player’s good performance. Similarly, poor positioning that leads to less fielded batted balls in a certain zone lends to worse performance in that area. The problem with these metrics is that fielder positioning may not be known, so it is difficult to assess whether positioning is the problem or skill level is the issue.

This is where eyes on the field watching where a fielder starts his positioning is imperative not only in informing us about future performance but also possibly instructing talent on the field. A coach like Perry Hill has a lifetime of baseball knowledge behind him and has eyes on the field, so he can assess positioning problems or an issue with reactions or first step and help address those concerns. However, the numbers can assess where the problems are relative to other players at the position, and that information can help diagnose the general direction of the problem, even if it does not prescribe the solution.

Hechavarria had been a subject of this exact type of situation after the 2013 season. BIS data showed that he was near dead-last in making plays to his right after that year, and Perry Hill seemed to have listened or at least been open to the suggestion of this.

Hill still had the same opinion of Hechavarria’s skill, but he was open to the assessment that the numbers pointed out his plays to the right were weaker. Two years later, Hill and Hechavarria have worked together for a near-Gold Glove campaign with numbers in full support. If the proper adjustments were made based in part on that data, I think it speaks to both the fundamental approach of positioning and basic of a legendary fielding coach and the right prompting by data, a would-be ideal blend of both worlds.

Published June 28, 2016 – On Cloud Conine (MLB Blogs)

It’s no secret that Marlins first base/infield coach Perry Hill is the best in the business. In his four consecutive seasons with the Fish, and ninth overall, Hill has turned promising infielder after promising infielder into Gold Glovers, including Luis Castillo, Derrek Lee and, most recently, Dee Gordon.

Good defense is nothing new for the recent Marlins, either. In 2015, the Fish set single-season fielding records in fewest errors committed (77) and fielding percentage (.987). This year, the Fish have taken defense to a new level:

According to STATS LLC, the Marlins infield’s streak of 26 games without an error by an infielder is the longest by any team since at least 1913 (when official records began).

The last time a Marlins infielder had a miscue? Almost a full months ago on May 29^th in a 7-3 win over Atlanta.

The best infield defense in over 103 years? In the famous words of Perry Hill, “Stop It!”

Then Gordon met Hill, absorbed his lessons, won a Gold Glove and signed a contract for $50 million.

“That dude is just amazing; I can’t say it enough,” said Gordon, who joins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria in one of baseball’s top double-play combinations. “He’s the best coach I’ve probably ever had.”

Hill has been called Bone since childhood, after his fondness for chicken wings, and he teaches infield here on the Bone Yard, a fenced-in diamond with no outfield. Chris Johnson, a veteran who plays third and first base, said he signed with the Marlins for the chance to work with Hill. Don Kelly, who has played every spot, knew of Hill from his rookie season in Pittsburgh when another coach, Jeff Cox, taught Hill’s technique. The infielders wear T-shirts with one word across the chest: DEFENSE.

“When you’ve got some time in, sometimes coaches don’t want to approach you and tell you what to do, because they’re afraid you’ll snap or not take it the right way,” said third baseman Martin Prado, a 10-year veteran who joined the Marlins last season and made just seven errors in 297 chances. “But this guy here, he doesn’t care who you are, or even if you’re a Gold Glover. He just lets you know. He’s successful because he wants to make sure you get better, no matter what you’ve done.”

Hill has coached for Texas, Detroit, Montreal, Pittsburgh and in two stints for the Marlins, including for their 2003 championship team. Three of Hill’s infielders then — first baseman Derrek Lee, second baseman Luis Castillo and third baseman Mike Lowell — won Gold Gloves after working with him. Castillo gave him his first trophy.

Hill’s first Pirates team, in 2009, made the fewest errors in the majors. An Expos pupil, shortstop Orlando Cabrera, won a Gold Glove in 2001. When Hill joined the Tigers in 1997, they became the first team ever to go from worst to first in fielding percentage in consecutive seasons.

“Perry has such a stellar reputation in the game,” the Marlins’ new manager, Don Mattingly, said. “He’s enthusiastic, he’s detailed. I don’t think there’s any real tricks. He’s a good teacher and he really loves infield.”

Hill, 63, grew up in Hurst, Tex., before the majors arrived at Arlington. As a teenager he would pay 50 cents to sit in blazing heat at Turnpike Stadium and watch the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs, the Class AA team of the Baltimore Orioles. Hill was drawn to future major league infielders like Bobby Grich and Junior Kennedy, and remembered their techniques years later, in the Mexican League, when he crystallized his coaching philosophy.

“When I was growing up, I would always have coaches tell me like 19 different things and I would just get overwhelmed, like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa,’ ” Hill said. “So I tried to come up with one word that, as you did it, would take care of all those other words that they were saying, try to make it simple. That’s where I came up with the six F’s.”

The Marlins’ infielders all know the six F’s. They are the cornerstone of Hill’s message.

■ Feet: “Your feet have to be moving when the ball’s hit, so you can get to the ball quick and take better angles.”

■ Field: “When you field the ball, you’ve got to be wide. When your feet are wide, your glove is automatically out front. You have to see the ball and your glove in your peripheral vision, and you have to be wide so you can react to bad hops.”

■ Funnel: “You funnel the ball to the middle of your body. Think about all these other sports. Where do boxers hold their hands before they throw their punch? How about a quarterback, when he takes a snap and goes back to pass, where does he hold the football when he’s looking around? That’s the perfect throwing position. That’s where the hands break. My arm stays short, my elbow stays up and my hand stays on top of the ball. Three basic things, but you don’t have to remember that. One word: funnel.”

■ Footwork: “Placing your feet. I don’t like to cross my feet when I throw. I call it replacing your feet — right goes to your left, left goes to your target, and it’ll be at the same time.”

■ Fire: “It’s ‘throw,’ but I couldn’t say, ‘Five F’s and a T.’ ”

■ Follow: “You always take one or two steps after you release the ball. When you follow through, it carries your head toward your target. You’ve got more momentum. If you let it go and snap back, eventually you’re going to blow out your shoulder. So it’s proper mechanics, ensuring that your ball goes all the way through, and it gives the ball a lot of carry.”

During games, Hill watches his infielders deploy his tactics from the same seat in the dugout, marked by a strip of tape on which he draws a bone. Before games, Hill makes subtle divot marks around the infield so fielders know precisely where to go when he waves them left or right.

According to Baseball Info Solutions, the Marlins ranked 27th of the 30 teams last season in shifts on balls in play, with 300. Yet they ranked 12th in opponents’ batting average on grounders and short liners, at .258. The discrepancy would seem to validate Hill’s approach.

The Marlins do shift more now than they have in the past, and Hill will not criticize the leaguewide trend. But he believes in his methods, in the knowledge he gains with his pens and charts, and mostly in the players who listen.

“I’ve really been blessed with players,” Hill said. “I’ve had some real receptive players that make the stuff look good.”