Crack-n-Clank: Luke Keaschall and the Glorious History of Good Little Hitters Who Suck at Defense

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Since the moment Luke Keaschall arrived in the majors, fans have wanted him to be a star. He can really, really hit, and everyone loves a guy who can really, really hit. Keaschall also happens to be handsome and proudly scrappy, using the Rocky theme as his walkup music and hustling for doubles in a way that isn't eyewash but also will never be mistaken for a languid glide. He was bound to be a fan favorite, but most Twins fans—and all Twins fans who remember Michael Cuddyer and Nick Punto with the clear eyes of hindsight, and most modern baseball fans, really—were wary of making him one simply because he could hit for average. A bit more is asked of the modern star. In fact, a bit more is demanded.

We've gotten very good at measuring and evaluating performance in baseball, which has made the game smarter and more efficient. It's made sneakily good players rich and worse players a bit less rich. It's allowed teams like (and sometimes even including) the Twins to compete with bigger-market, bigger-spending behemoths. It's sanded off many a rough edge.

One of those rough edges, though, is a thing worth missing a little bit. Along the way, the game has grown terrifically impatient with the good little hitter who can't field any position worth a damn. This used to be a fairly common and well-tolerated archetype. It has become an extremely rare creature. 

Who Are the Best Good-Hit, Bad-Glove Players in Baseball History?

As it happens, there are exactly 50 players who have had at least one season since 1969 in which they:

• Played at least 50 games at a position other than first base or DH, signaling that they had some real defensive responsibilities;
• Posted an isolated power (ISO) figure under .150, meaning they didn't get much value from sheer slugging;
• Amassed at least 2.5 offensive Wins Above Replacement (oWAR), according to Baseball Reference, evidence of real difference-making ability at the plate; and
• Gave back at least 1.5 WAR via lousy defense, or below-average defense at a not-very-important position (-1.5 dWAR or worse).

It's a wonderful list, so before diving deeper into the subject, let's savor it together.

Query Results Table

Rk	Player	Count	From	To	Ind. Seasons Link
1	Lou Brock	4	1970	1973	Seasons List
2	José Cardenal	3	1970	1975	Seasons List
3	Tommy Harper	3	1969	1972	Seasons List
4	Derek Jeter	2	2005	2007	Seasons List
5	Roger Cedeño	2	1999	2001	Seasons List
6	Derek Bell	2	1994	1995	Seasons List
7	Brett Butler	2	1993	1995	Seasons List
8	Tony Gwynn	2	1989	1995	Seasons List
9	Phil Bradley	2	1986	1989	Seasons List
10	Jorge Orta	2	1976	1977	Seasons List
11	Ralph Garr	2	1972	1977	Seasons List
12	Carlos May	2	1970	1972	Seasons List
13	Luke Keaschall	1	2026	2026	Seasons List
14	Alec Bohm	1	2022	2022	Seasons List
15	Yandy Díaz	1	2022	2022	Seasons List
16	Josh Rojas	1	2021	2021	Seasons List
17	Brad Miller	1	2015	2015	Seasons List
18	Dexter Fowler	1	2014	2014	Seasons List
19	Jose Altuve	1	2012	2012	Seasons List
20	Nick Markakis	1	2010	2010	Seasons List
21	Chris Coghlan	1	2009	2009	Seasons List
22	Felipe López	1	2006	2006	Seasons List
23	Matt Lawton	1	2004	2004	Seasons List
24	Ray Durham	1	1999	1999	Seasons List
25	Steve Finley	1	1995	1995	Seasons List
Rk	Player	Count	From	To	Ind. Seasons Link
26	Tim Raines	1	1995	1995	Seasons List
27	Dion James	1	1993	1993	Seasons List
28	Robin Yount	1	1986	1986	Seasons List
29	Keith Moreland	1	1985	1985	Seasons List
30	Gary Matthews	1	1984	1984	Seasons List
31	Lonnie Smith	1	1984	1984	Seasons List
32	César Cedeño	1	1982	1982	Seasons List
33	Steve Kemp	1	1982	1982	Seasons List
34	Al Cowens	1	1979	1979	Seasons List
35	Ken Landreaux	1	1979	1979	Seasons List
36	Dwayne Murphy	1	1979	1979	Seasons List
37	Dan Ford	1	1978	1978	Seasons List
38	Gene Richards	1	1978	1978	Seasons List
39	Alan Bannister	1	1977	1977	Seasons List
40	Ron LeFlore	1	1977	1977	Seasons List
41	Ken Griffey	1	1976	1976	Seasons List
42	Johnny Grubb	1	1976	1976	Seasons List
43	Ken Singleton	1	1976	1976	Seasons List
44	Rusty Staub	1	1976	1976	Seasons List
45	Bobby Murcer	1	1975	1975	Seasons List
46	Don Baylor	1	1974	1974	Seasons List
47	Billy Williams	1	1973	1973	Seasons List
48	Pat Kelly	1	1972	1972	Seasons List
49	Richie Scheinblum	1	1972	1972	Seasons List
50	Ron Hunt	1	1970	1970	Seasons List

Provided by Stathead: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 8/24/2026.

There are a couple of old friends here; it's nice to see old friends. Are you old enough to remember Dan Ford? In his last season with the Twins, he was this level of good wood but hard leather. Maybe Matt Lawton is more in your wheelhouse, though. He could really hit, in his prime, but boy, he could be a butcher in the outfield, too, right?

It's easy to make this list longer. Just remove the limit on ISO. What I wanted, though, was to see whether and to what extent we've lost the not-so-slugging guy who can rake, but can't play defense no matter where you put him. Back when defensive assessments relied mostly on error counts and the eye test, to be sure, more poor fielders stayed on the field, especially if they benefited from the halo effect of being good hitters. Back then, though, teams also didn't always know a good hitter from a bad one. A guy might rack up a high but empty batting average and play for quite a while, despite not really adding much to the offense. Keaschall isn't that kind of player. He can genuinely hit, and he genuinely makes the lineup better, especially now that he's hitting at the top of it. He just can't help—or even avoid hurting—the team when it's the other team's turn at bat.

Historically, most of the players who get the chance to play in such a one-sided role do so either at a position where defense doesn't matter much (first base or DH) or in a league where you have to accept some tradeoffs. For instance, in the NL, some teams used to be willing to absorb a bad defender in left field to avoid having two weak spots in their lineup, since the pitchers then had to bat for themselves. Being great early in your career also bought you the right to get old (gracefully or not) while still playing a position you could no longer handle, especially if the alternative was losing a job altogether. Thence come the many entries for Lou Brock, and the pair for Derek Jeter.

For a long time, though, there were also a couple of guys in the league at any given time who were dreadful defenders even in their 20s, but who nonetheless held onto everyday jobs. The above list contains prime seasons from Jose Altuve, Ken Griffey Sr., and Lonnie Smith. Chris Coghlan won the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year Award as a crack-and-clank guy: lots of solid contact, lots of ugly plays in the field.

By and large, that player type has now been completely excised from the game. José Cardenal's career would be in real jeopardy if he came up today, rather than in the 1960s. Derek Bell's would be on the ropes, if he hadn't come up in the 1990s. Analytics sometimes make the perfect the enemy of the good, by highlighting what players do poorly and making those shortcomings their defining characteristics. However, neither teams nor fans are entirely wrong to think that way, in an era like this one. Cardenal (1970, 1973) and Bell (1994-95) had multiple seasons as excellent hitters and atrocious defenders, but each did that in the shadow of expansion years. There were five seasons in which the league had at least three crack-and-clank dudes: 1970, 1972, 1976, 1977 and 1979. The combination of uncertainty about defensive value and the thinning-out of talent pools via expansion in 1969 and 1977 made those profiles viable in those years. It's been almost 30 years since MLB last expanded; the league doesn't have as much use for Keaschall types right now.

How Luke Keaschall is Achieving More Power

Still, on balance, I think Keaschall deserves a bit of a break. He's a terrible defender. He's never going to not be a terrible defender. His nickname should be Boulder; it captures both his sturdy physique and his rock-hard hands. He's not going to show up next spring and be a good outfielder, even if he puts in considerable work this winter. There's nothing he does well in the field. He might come off this list next season, anyway, though, because his power is beginning to blossom. Over the last month, his ISO is .180—forget .150. His bat speed is up this season. Psrtially because of that (and partially because he's figured out how opponents want to attack him), he's learned how to get his bat working uphill more at contact and to pull the ball more consistently, while still utilizing his steep swing to get on top of the ball deep in the hitting zone and drive some pitches to right field. Here's a visualization of his swing at the contact point last year, via Statcast:

Here's the same dataviz for 2026. Note the more upright body position, more powerful extension of the arms, the orientation of the bat, and that higher bat speed.

Loosen the original crack-and-clank parameters I laid out to allow any ISO under .200, and some names you're much more comfortable with appear on the list in their 20s. Randy Arozarena had a great year in 2022. Shin-Soo Choo had one in 2012. And in 2004 and 2005, another right-handed hitter who was always hit-over-power and offense-over-defense slots into the list: Michael Young. That might just be the perfect comparator for Keaschall. He's a man out of time, but he can still find his way to being an above-average player.

The Twins will have to accept some red on the run-prevention side of the ledger to realize his full overall value, but Keaschall is trending toward being a Young-like player: someone who can compete for batting titles and produce moderate power, with athleticism that augments the offensive profile—even if the glove never seems to find any benefit from it. As a lover of many player profiles slowly going extinct under modern pressure to be perfect, I'm rooting for one more crack-and-clank guy to make good.

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[ToddlerHarmon]

If the Twins agree that Keaschall will never be even a passable fielder, that makes a decision to non-tender Larnach more appealing. Keaschall as full time DH allows both Jenkins and EmRod to be up next year and have plenty of playing time

[mikelink45]

Luis Arraez was all hit and no field according to all the analytics and now he is gold glove.  I would happily have a number of players from you table play on my team,  Luke will continue to both improve and hit.  We need him.

[UpstateNewYorker]

Very interesting article!  However, I can't get behind the idea that "defense doesn't matter" at first base. Just ask Ron Washington.  😉

[90stwinskid]

Curious to what extent Keaschall would improve defensively if you just put him in the same outfield spot every day. He might not ever be excellent or even good, but is there even a chance that he has at least neutral value defensively?

If he can make it as a 4th outfielder type and spend most of his time at DH, he definitely has a place on this team, imo. I hope he sticks around. Love the hustle and the locks. 😎

[Jasper]

Put him in left field and work hard on defense this off season, Use him as DH and fourth outfielder and he will do ok.

[Nashvilletwin]

At this point, he is 100% a keeper who should be in the lineup every day based on his bat and energy.  In ‘27, when he’s not starting in LF (ideally next to Jenkins and ERod), he’s starting at DH.  Period.  He should essentially share those two positions with Buxton for the next two years.  Martin can be his late inning defensive replacement as needed.

Keaschall as a starter every day is a no brainer - to think otherwise is ridiculous (especially for this small market team struggling to both win and draw fans).

[Coach]

Pretty harsh take: "He's not going to show up next spring and be a good outfielder, even if he puts in considerable work this winter. There's nothing he does well in the field."

Keaschall is an athlete and a baller.  He'll figure it out in time.

[EGFTShaw]

36 minutes ago, UpstateNewYorker said:

Very interesting article!  However, I can't get behind the idea that "defense doesn't matter" at first base. Just ask Ron Washington.  😉

And ask the Red Sox and some guy named Buckner.