The Diamond: 2008 All-Defensive Team

With Sunday's 17-14 win, Eli Manning and the Giants struck another blow for New York sports fans in their ongoing battle with their New England rivals.

In less than a week, pitchers and catchers report for spring training and talk will continue over the most heated of battles in the rivalry. 

While the Mets trumped both their cross-town rivals and the neighbors to the north, the Sox-Yanks storyline figures to be dominant in the media for yet another MLB season. 

Much to the surprise of fans from the Northeastern United States, there is a wide array of franchises across the league who made the offseason moves to put the tools in place to contend in this year's fall classic.

From the Tigers' acquisitions of Gold-Glove shortstop Edgar Renteria to go along with young stud third baseman Miguel Cabrera and flamethrower Dontrelle Willis, to the progression of young teams like the Rockies, Phillies and Padres, the talent pool appears to be spread as even as it has been in years and should provide compelling stories throughout the season.

While it does not take years of expertise for a front-office staff to set their desires on the proven stars like Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols, or the big stick that youngsters Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder possess, it takes a deeper look to determine a player's intangibles and ability to produce numbers away from the plate.

Today, we take a look at each position, judging the top performers on the defensive side of the spectrum.

Catcher:     Kenji Johjima - Seattle Mariners

Buried in the Upper Northwest, the first two years of Japanese-import Kenji Johjima's career, while shadowed, have been impressive and consistent. While carrying a .289 average, Johjima averaged 16 HR and 69 RBI while playing in the pitcher's park that is Safeco Field. In order to appreciate Kenji's contributions to the Mariners, one must take a deeper look at his efforts behind the plate. In 1100-plus innings behind the plate, Johjima committed just two errors, ranking him first among everyday catchers. More impressive, Kenji threw out 40 of 86 potential base stealers in 2007 for a 46.5% rate ranking him third in the big in success rate.

Runners Up:   Yadier Molina - Cardinals, Joe Mauer - Twins

First Base:     Todd Helton - Colorado Rockies

After years of excelling in the Mile High City, Todd Helton was finally cast into the national spotlight amidst the Rockies' storybook run to the 2007 World Series. While his days of batting titles, 40 home runs and 100-plus RBI seasons are far in his rearview mirror, Todd continues to place himself among the top defensive stalwarts at the first base position. After committing only 58 errors in his 10-year career, Helton achieved new benchmarks in the field with just two errors in over 1500 chances for a staggering .999 fielding percentage.

Runners Up:     Sean Casey - Red Sox, Kevin Youkilis - Red Sox

Second Base:    Placido Polanco - Detroit Tigers

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