This Reds player was the team's worst defender in 2022

If you were asked the question, "Who was the worst defender on the Cincinnati Reds in 2022?", most fans would probably answer by saying Joey Votto.

That's not a bad guess. While Votto does have a Gold Glove to his name, the Reds first baseman has been a below-average defender for some time now. On a side note, he is 39 years old, so we should probably cut him a little slack.

But it may surprise you to know that the Reds worst defender in 2022 was not Joey Votto. It wasn't Mike Moustakas either; probably because Cincinnati's 64-million dollar man was on the IL six times last season.

Jonathan India was the Reds worst defender in 2022.

Nope, the Cincinnati Reds worst defender, according to a number of different metrics was actually the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year Jonathan India. Let's dive a little deeper, shall we?

Fielding Bible is always a good resource. According to the outlet, India was worth -14 defensive runs saved. What that essentially means is that India cost the Reds 14 runs relative to what an average player would have. To put it in perspective, only Jose Altuve (-15 DRS) of the Houston Astros had a worse rating among second basemen.

Let's take it a step further and look at outs above average. Baseball Savant provides this nifty statistic that measures how many outs a player has saved. India was tied for last on the team in 2022 with -9 OAA. Again, only one second baseman had a worse defensive rating in this category and that was St. Louis Cardinals' rookie Nolan Gorman (-12 OAA).

Maybe you're a traditionalist and like the age-old stat of fielding percentage. Jonathan India committed 10 errors in 291 chances last season which equates to a .966 fielding percentage. That's a 10 point drop from India's .976 fielding percentage from 2021; a season in which he committed 15 errors in 620 chances.

India's 10 miscues were the third-most among second basemen in the league last season. Only Kolten Wong (17) of the Milwaukee Brewers and Rougned Odor (16) of the Baltimore Orioles committed more errors. Among players with a least 80 games played in the field, only Wong (.963) had a worse fielding percentage than India.

Jonathan India's horrific defense in 2022 will surely raise questions about his future at second base, esspecially with the impending elimination of the defensive shift in 2023. India will need to improve drastically on the defensive side of the ball heading into next season or he may well be moved to a different position.