Stolen Goods: The Myth Of Defensive Diminishing Returns

Most of you probably know him from Fangraphs, but others will know Dave Cameron from U.S.S. Mariner. Recently, in defense of Jack Zduriencik and his defensive posture this offseason, Cameron wrote one of the most insightful pieces on team construction which I have read in a long time. The article, titled The Myth Of Defensive Diminishing Returns, explains why the law of diminishing marginal returns does not apply to defense:

"Put simply, almost every single ball in play that matters is only catchable by one player. On a line drive to left field, the quality of the defender at second base is completely irrelevant. That the team already has Franklin Gutierrez and Jack Wilson doesn’t matter when the hitter smashes a line drive down the first base line – the only variable on the defensive side is the quality of the first baseman. If he’s lousy, then the play isn’t getting made, regardless of how good his teammates are defensively."

There is much more meat to Cameron's thesis in the article itself and I highly recommend giving it a thorough reading. Perhaps even a forwarding or two.