Jake Burger's unique skill has made him a lynchpin of the Rangers' defense

When you think about Jake Burger, the first things that come to mind are big-time power, a few too many strikeouts, and a penchant for being streaky, regardless of what kind of facial hair he's sporting. What usually doesn't come to mind when thinking about the Texas Rangers' beefy first baseman is defense.

Just looking at Burger, you'd be forgiven for assuming that he's a poor defender. The 30-year-old came up as a third baseman, but defensive concerns moved him across the diamond from the hot corner to the cold one.

However, while you might not think much of him based on his appearance, the big man has been a dancing bear at first for the Rangers this season, and his value is starting to show. One skill in particular really stands out.

Burger is one of the best in the league in first base receiving outs above average, coming in tied for third in the MLB with three OAA. Essentially, this measures how good a first baseman is at corralling all types of throws from his infielders: high, low, wide, scoops, etc., and then converting them to outs. Burgers' average expected out rate of 95.8% is tied for first.

Over the first two games of the series against the Blue Jays, this has stood out. While, it's certainly not al Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s fault, Toronto's infielders committed numerous throwing errors, including three on Friday and one on Saturday. Texas capitalized on several of these miscues to put runs on the board.

Jake Burger's exceptional receiving skills have unlocked the Rangers' defense

Obviously, picking balls out of the dirt and staying on the base while corralling off-target throws is important, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. Burgers' ability to do those things helps the rest of the infield play better in the field because of the silent impact.

Six-time All-Star first baseman and likely Hall of Famer Joey Votto made the case for why defense at the cold corner, and particularly this skill, matters more than most think. Votto's tweet storm covers a lot of nuance, but there are two big takeaways.

The first has to do with errors, even on routine plays. He talks about game speed and how the average baserunner is getting down the line between four and four and a half seconds. That's not a lot of time, and if a fielder doesn't have confidence in his first baseman's receiving skills, he's more likely to rush and begin focusing on the throw before actually fielding the ball.

That can lead to misplays, bobbles, and errant throws that ultimately cost outs. But that's not all.

Votto contends that when infielders know that there's a vacuum cleaner over at first, they're more willing to attempt those highlight reel plays. Diving, lunging, jump throws, and the like are all made with more conviction because they have faith that even if the ball isn't quite on target the first baseman is going to come up with it and convert the out.

Over those first two games, there were several nice picks from Burger at first, that a lesser first baseman would have let squirt away. If you watch closely how Texas's infielders handle the transition from fielding to throwing, you'll notice the nuance. They have full confidence that when they fire it over there, Burger is going to come up with the ball and stay on the base.

So while guys like Evan Carter, Nicky Lopez, and Ezequiel Duran have reputations as elite defenders, Jake Burger deserves more credit. He's very good at what he does, and he helps a good number of the Rangers' fielders be the best that they can be because of their confidence in his skills.

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