Of interest is that Jason Bartlett—the player brought onboard last winter who was expected to be a defensive keystone—had a pedestrian defensive season, despite his reputation and previous years of data that indicated he would be better than he was. John Dewan's other defensive number, Plus/Minus, had Bartlett at -1 in 2008 after seasons of +13 and +18 in 2006-2007. That's a massive and sudden degradation, made even stranger since Bartlett was just as effective going to his right both years (+11); it was when going to his left (a drop from +4 to -11) that his defense became a problem for him in 2008. If Bartlett continues as merely average, the Rays will still be exceptional defensively, but if he can rebound, they'll be even better.
Yet again: positioning, injury, or something else?