Unbelievable Joey Ortiz stat makes inconsistent playing time even more perplexing

Joey Ortiz leads all of Major League Baseball with +7 Outs Above Average at third base in 2026, despite playing only 209.1 innings at the position—less than 25% of the playing time of the second-place defender. The Milwaukee Brewers third baseman has also posted a +5 Fielding Run Value, tied for the best mark among third basemen, while hitting at a 180 wRC+ in the second half. With rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt returning to health and David Hamilton also competing for infield spots, manager Pat Murphy faces a roster crunch among three excellent defenders for limited positions.

Summary written by MLB Feed Network based on the original reporting. How we write summaries