First-year Diamondbacks shortstop Cliff Pennington might not be making a big impression offensively, the team is pleased with his contributions, especially on the defensive end.
"He's been outstanding," Diamondbacks bench coach Alan Trammell said, per MLB.com. "He's come over and done everything we were hoping for, we've been impressed. He's one of the reasons why we're at where we are. It's so far so good with him, he's brought what we needed and solidified the position."
Pennington, who has two errors through 12 games, ranks fourth among all qualifying shortstops in zone rating, which the percentage of balls fielded by a player in his typical defensive zone, as measured by STATS, Inc. He's also sixth in range factor, which is an advanced fielding percentage stat that takes into account the player's individual ability to get to each batted ball.
"He's able to do it all," Trammell said. "He often shows he has a real good God-given talent in certain plays, but that's a bonus for me. It's more about making the routine plays, and that's what I've seen out of him."