By Mark Simon

When batters are hitting the ball in the air and it stays in the ballpark, the Rays have done a very good job at catching it.

Tampa Bay is 28-14 and has won 16 of its last 19 games with an outfield defense that ranks second in the majors with 16 Defensive Runs Saved and second in the majors in turning balls hit in the air to the outfield into outs. Only the Braves have a higher out rate than the Rays’ 66 %.

Most Defensive Runs Saved - Outfields in 2026

One of the things the Rays did for 2026 was to make Chandler Simpson their everyday left fielder. Simpson split time between center and left last season and it didn't go well in either spot. But it's been a different story this season. He's totaled 6 Runs Saved in left field, which ranks tied for second at the position.

Simpson has scored much better in MLB's Jumps stats, most notably in his reaction after a ball hits the bat. His average jump in the first 1.5 seconds is nearly 6 feet more than an average outfielder. Last year, his average jump in that first 1.5 seconds was 6 inches more than an average outfielder.

The improvement in jump allows him to make catches like this one against the Blue Jays last week, as well as a bunch of line drives, like this one, this one, and this one among others.

Rays left fielders tallied -11 Runs Saved last season, matching the Reds for worst in the majors, so this is an impressive turnaround so far.

It's not just Simpson though. Rays center fielders Cedric Mullins and Jonny DeLuca have combined for 6 Runs Saved. They've saved 3 runs apiece.

This is particularly notable given that Mullins had -14 Runs Saved combined between the Orioles and Mets last season. He hasn't hit much (.150 batting average) so he needs to be doing something else well to stay in the lineup.

A play like this one has an out probability of 10% or lower by both our measures and MLB's but a great jump by Mullins allowed him to make the sliding catch.

DeLuca has shown that he can handle both center field and right field, the latter being important because regular right fielder Jake Fraley has -1 Runs Saved (Ryan Vilade has also played a little right field).

The Rays have needed good outfield defense because their infield has some issues. Their corner infielders have combined for -15 Runs Saved. Even so, they're still tied for 5th in MLB in Defensive Runs Saved, with their outfield skill and infield positioning being the keys to pushing them near the top.

The Rays lost a tough one yesterday when Daulton Varsho hit a walk-off grand slam. Simpson made a running catch in the eighth inning to take away a go-ahead double. So, it took a ball being hit out of the ballpark and out of the reach of their outfielders to beat them.  

Our other article this week is about Bobby Witt Jr. and how our stats seem to be catching up with his defensive excellence. Check it out here.

The FieldingBible.com website is a great resource for your defensive stat needs.

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