Reds shortstop Kyle Farmer has seen his defense take a nosedive in 2022

I'm not sure how many fans have noticed, but Kyle Farmer's defense has severely declined in 2022. While he's certainly shown marked improvement at the plate, Farmer's calling card has always been his defense. That is not the case this season.

Farmer came in to spring training looking to hang on to his starting job at shortstop. The unwavering confidence and support from his manager combined with a wrist injury to up-and-coming shortstop Jose Barrero guaranteed that Farmer would be the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day starter at shortstop.

And let's face it, unless Barrero absolutely obliterated the ball in during Cactus League play, Farmer's play in 2021 demanded that the veteran at least be given the opportunity to prove that his performance last season was not a fluke.

Reds SS Kyle Farmer's defense has taken a nosedive in 2022.

Kyle Farmer has played well this season. The soon-to-be 32-year-old is hitting .280/.340/.418 and has five home runs and 38 RBIs on the season. According to FanGraphs, Farmer has a wRC+ of 109. His walk-rate (6.7%) is up and his strikeout-rate (14.5%) is down.

But Farmer's defense has take a hit in 2022. In 2021, Farmer led the Cincinnati Reds in outs above average (OAA) according to Baseball Savant. In fact, Farmer's 5 OAA was higher than the highly-regarded Javier Baez and Jose Iglesias.

But this season, Farmer has -6 OAA which is tied for the worst on the team with first baseman Joey Votto. Surprisingly, second baseman Jonathan India is near the bottom as well with -5 OAA. If Brandon Drury is considered Cincinnati's starting third baseman, the Reds infield has a combined -16 OAA. Ouch!

Fielding Bible doesn't offer a better picture. After posting 2 defensive runs saved (DRS) in 2021, Farmer has 0 DRS in 2022. Players like Max Schrock (1 DRS) and Matt Reynolds (3 DRS) have more defensive runs saved than Kyle Farmer.

While Farmer seemed to make every play last season, Farmer's fielding percentage has taken a hit as well. After committing just five errors in 403 chances at shortstop last season, the Georgia native already has five miscues in half the number of opportunities in 2022. His fielding percentage has dropped from .988 to .975.

Kyle Farmer has certainly turned himself into a better hitter, but his defense is suffering. Let's hope he find a way to return to being that stalwart defender he was in 2021 and continue to hit like he has in 2022.