Troy Tulowitzki: Looking back at the defensive wizard’s best moments

Troy Tulowitzki was known as one of the best defenders in baseball for an entire era. At shortstop for the Colorado Rockies, there were very few balls he couldn’t get to and very few runners he couldn’t throw out. He was an anchor at Coors Field for several seasons.

Here are a few of his most exceptional defensive plays, but rest assured there are so many that it’s difficult to compile all of them.

youtube-cover

If there was a ball hit to shortstop and Tulowitzki was anywhere near it, there was a very high probability he was going to get to it.

He obviously has an incredible defensive highlight reel. Does his highlight-style of play translate to actual good defense, though?

Sometimes, players who make flashy defensive plays aren’t the best defenders. Sometimes, they can even be poor defenders. Derek Jeter was widely heralded as a good defender and his five Gold Gloves speak for themselves.

However, when looking into it, Jeter was a bad defender. He’s considered by some statisticians to be the most detrimental defender in baseball history.

youtube-cover

Defensive Runs Saved has been tracked since about 2003, which means there are several years unaccounted for. Nevertheless, Jeter recorded -162 defensive runs saved over his career.

For Tulowitzki, the highlights match. He was one of baseball’s best on the infield visually and statistically.

He recorded 94 defensive runs saved in about 11,000 innings at shortstop in his career, so his defense was legit.


Is Troy Tulowitzki still involved in baseball?

Despite retiring in 2019 (after just a portion of the season with the New York Yankees), Troy Tulowitzki is yet to join a team in a coaching capacity or join the broadcast booth.

Troy Tulowitzki retired in 2019
Troy Tulowitzki retired in 2019

However, he is still involved in the game. He was most recently working out with New York Mets prospect Brett Baty. He has been working with him on his infield defense, an area Baty really struggles in.

Tulowitzki may not be involved in Major League Baseball on an official level, but he’s clearly still putting work into the game and trying to make it better.

Quick Links

More from Sportskeeda

Edited by Zachary Roberts




Source link