Perry Hill got a lot of credit for the Marlins’ defensive improvement this season, but the 59-year-old first base and infield coach won’t be on Ozzie Guillen’s staff in 2012 because of knee problems.
Florida brought in Hill specifically to address its high error total and the Marlins’ error count dropped from 123 in 2010 to 93 this season. Error totals are very often a misleading way to judge defense, but the Marlins also improved their Ultimate Zone Rating and percentage of balls in play turned into outs, albeit only slightly.
Regardless of which numbers you focus on regarding defense, Hill has a long history of lowering his teams’ error totals and is well-respected as a defensive coach, so it could be a tough loss for the Marlins.
