First step toward better outfield defense: Better first steps

Defensive metrics always must be taken with a grain of salt, especially when using them to evaluate only 35 games. But even in small doses, they can shed some insight into a player and a team's performance in the field.

The numbers right now say the Nationals have the worst defensive outfield in the majors, and it's across the board. Adam Eaton, with -4 Defensive Runs Saved, is tied for last among all right fielders. Victor Robles (-6) is tied for last among center fielders. And Juan Soto (-7) is all alone at the bottom among left fielders.

Eaton's defense has been declining for several years, but Robles was literally the best defensive outfielder in baseball last season with 22 Defensive Runs Saved, and Soto was a Gold Glove Award finalist. So are this year's numbers reflective of their actual performance? Does the eye test match the metrics?

"Yes, definitely," manager Davey Martinez said today with no hesitation during his pregame Zoom session with reporters from Atlanta.

What happened? How did an elite center fielder and an apparently above-average left fielder suddenly fall so far off the cliff? For Martinez, himself a good defensive outfielder throughout his long playing career, it's not about how those two guys are finishing plays. It's about how they're starting them.

"I watch Robles and Soto both, and their first step is not what it was last year," the manager said.

Martinez attributes their slow jumps to their lack of summer training for this unusual season. Both players spent most of July in quarantine, and Soto opened the season on the COVID-19 injured list after what he and the Nationals believe was a false positive test.

When the season began, Martinez and the coaching staff instructed both players to be careful not to extend themselves too much in the early going, wanting to make sure neither did something that might cause injury. But six weeks into the season, they still don't appear to have caught up to everyone else.

"It's tough," Martinez said. "They're coming in, and I don't know if they feel like they might get hurt, 'cause we've had a lot of that. It's just been a weird year for these guys. I know they're doing the best they can, that's for sure. We're putting them in spots where all our analytics say to play. Last year, they were really good. This year, I think we're struggling out there. We just have to get better at it."

Robles and Soto - who was a late scratch from today's lineup due to left elbow soreness - have been playing deeper than normal to try to prevent balls from going over their heads, but as a result there have been several bloopers falling in front of them, with Robles in particular looking uncomfortable taking charge and calling off infielders on popups where he has a better angle to make the catch.

Martinez understands their efforts to avoid injury, but he believes that's a separate issue from getting a good jump on a ball right off the bat.

"That first step is crucial," he said. "Imagine if you're stealing a base. They're always saying that the first step is the one that's ... the key to if you're safe or out. Same thing in the outfield. That first step in your jump dictates to whether you're going to get to the ball or not, to me."

Martinez also pointed out Robles' change in physique from last season, having reported for summer camp 10 pounds heavier. It's 10 pounds of muscle, not fat, so it was by design. But Martinez wants to make sure Robles understands how to find the balance between bulking up to increase power without losing his natural athletic abilities.

"I told him: 'You've got to work on your flexibility and continue to work on your agility,'" the manager said. "He said he wanted to get bigger and stronger. He's big. I saw him, and I go: 'Holy mackerel!' He's a beast."