AL Gold Glove Awards: What a joke. Again.

[SwissRedSoxFan]

More Gold Gloves, more head-scratching from ESPN


Shockingly, the voters selected MVP candidates Joe Mauer, Mark Teixeira, and Derek Jeter, all of whom were probably solid defensively but might not have been the best fielders in the league (my choices at those positions were Gerald Laird, Kevin Youkilis, and Elvis Andrus). At second base, the voters chose Placido Polanco because he made only two errors all season. Polanco is a pretty good second baseman, but nowhere near as good as Dustin Pedroia, who won the award last year (and, coincidentally enough, was also the American League's MVP).

In the outfield, the voters had to choose both Torii Hunter and Ichiro Suzuki, because both had won eight straight Gold Gloves and everybody knows that if you've won eight you automatically deserve to win nine. Fortunately, the voters were wise enough to make room for an exciting young outfielder who burst upon the scene in 2009 with some of the most brilliant defense we've seen in center field since the heyday of Andruw Jones.

I am referring, of course, to the stupendously amazing Franklin Gutierrez, who ... Wait, what? They didn't vote for Franklin Gutierrez, who spent the entire season catching everything in sight and racking up phenomenal numbers?

Nope. They didn't. The voters instead went with Adam Jones, who played well in center field in 2008 but was (at best) average in 2009.

The voters made two excellent choices: Evan Longoria and Mark Buehrle. They made some defensible (pun intended) choices. And with Jeter and Hunter and Polanco and especially Jones, they just flat blew it, overlooking true excellence in favor of gaudy hitting stats or superficially impressive defensive performances. Well played, sirs. Again.

http://espn.go.com/blog/SweetSpot/po...ead-scratching

[Milt on Tilt]

Except that Polonco doesn't belong with the list of 'blew-it's.

1st probably should have bene Kedry or Youkilis
2nd could have been any of Zobrist, Polanco, Pedroia
3rd Longoria, Figgins, or Inge
SS Andrus, Izturis, or Everett
C Probably should have been Laird
OF Gutierrez, Ichiro, and heck Crawford

So the managers went 3/8

[TonyStarks]

If your gonna post Rob Neyer's entire article on the Gold Gloves at least say that you did....or even link back to the article. Otherwise, it seems as if your trying to pass this off as yours....not that I'm saying your purposely trying to do that of course.

[SwissRedSoxFan]

Except that Polonco doesn't belong with the list of 'blew-it's.

1st probably should have bene Kedry or Youkilis
2nd could have been any of Zobrist, Polanco, Pedroia
3rd Longoria, Figgins, or Inge
SS Andrus, Izturis, or Everett
C Probably should have been Laird
OF Gutierrez, Ichiro, and heck Crawford

So the managers went 3/8

I agree. Except for Youkilis. He played too much 3rd base to be eligible at 1st. And I don't think Ichiro is a goldglover anymore. Figgins was very very good this year. Polanco made just two errors, but his zone-coverage was average. And that Gutierrez is not a gg is just ignorant and false.

I mean this whole gold-glove-selection has to change someday. Reward those players who are really best at the defense. For the offense we have the silver slugger award, Hank Aaron etc. And if you want to go with Fan Favorites, there is still the All-Star-game. So please stop this joke. And for the announcers stop referring to gold-glove-awards if someone made a good defensive play. They mean absolutely nothing. If Andrew Jones was still hitting the ball, he would have been a gg, same for Vernon Wells.

So either stop to give the award, let the sabermetics select those gg, or just change the name of the award.

[White Knight]

Except that Polonco doesn't belong with the list of 'blew-it's.

1st probably should have bene Kedry or Youkilis

I'm gonna be totally honest with you guys, I didn't see either of those two play much. As a Yankee fan, I saw Tex and he was flat out amazing this year, the best in a Yankee uniform since Mattingly. He was beyond amazing throughout he playoffs, ans saved a few runs. So were these two really better? Honest question, as I can't answer it.

[Seattle1]

Don't forget, Ichiro deserved to win on the merits and didn't backslide in on his name and/or street rep.

I agree Guti deserved to win too. If there's one thing the Mariners weren't lacking for this season it was good defense (for the most part).

[White Knight]

So either stop to give the award, let the sabermetics select those gg, or just change the name of the award.

I agree. This season, Jeter made a career-low eight errors and matched his personal best with a .986 fielding percentage, both ranking at the top of the AL charts.

[tearforamariner]

If Andrew Jones was still hitting the ball, he would have been a gg, same for Vernon Wells.

I don't understand this. Are you actually saying that based off of defense alone, Andruw Jones and Vernon Wells were both more deserving than Ichiro? No way. Absolutely no freaking way. I'd buy the argument that Ichiro didn't deserve the gold glove if you'd give me names that actually made sense. There are some out there.

[Milt on Tilt]

I agree. This season, Jeter made a career-low eight errors and matched his personal best with a .986 fielding percentage, both ranking at the top of the AL charts.

Yeah. Cause those mean a whole lot. Jeter had his best fielding year! Give him an award!

[Milt on Tilt]

I don't understand this. Are you actually saying that based off of defense alone, Andruw Jones and Vernon Wells were both more deserving than Ichiro? No way. Absolutely no freaking way. I'd buy the argument that Ichiro didn't deserve the gold glove if you'd give me names that actually made sense. There are some out there.

No. He's saying they're on reputation and offense as much as they are for defense.

[Milt on Tilt]

I'm gonna be totally honest with you guys, I didn't see either of those two play much. As a Yankee fan, I saw Tex and he was flat out amazing this year, the best in a Yankee uniform since Mattingly. He was beyond amazing throughout he playoffs, ans saved a few runs. So were these two really better? Honest question, as I can't answer it.

I'm gonna be totally honest with you. It probably has a lot to do with watching Giambi at first a lot for the last 4-5 years whatever it was. I don't really care about 1st though. The difference between the best and the worst is pretty small.

[Milt on Tilt]

What's worse?

Jeter winning 4 GGs

Hunter winning 9 GGs

[Joltin' Joe]

Gutierrrez and Ichiro means anything hit to the right half of the outfield is almost an automatic out.

[Los Bravos]

I agree. Except for Youkilis. He played too much 3rd base to be eligible at 1st.

If nothing else, the perception of him as a guy who goes back and forth probably hurts him in getting votes at any one position. That's silly, but it happens.

I can't stand Teixeira but he's a fabulous defender. It's no stretch (no pun intended) for him to take this hardware home.

I had a pretty good idea when I saw this list on ESPN that the Jeter selection would be wildly popular here

[SwissRedSoxFan]

I don't understand this. Are you actually saying that based off of defense alone, Andruw Jones and Vernon Wells were both more deserving than Ichiro? No way. Absolutely no freaking way. I'd buy the argument that Ichiro didn't deserve the gold glove if you'd give me names that actually made sense. There are some out there.

Milt on Tilt answered that question perfectly. They (the gg-voters) just don't look at defense only. And if you got already some gg-trophies and you still can hit the ball, a gg-trophy seems not very far away...

(Ichiro is of course waaaay better than those two money-eaters for nothing)

[SwissRedSoxFan]

I agree. This season, Jeter made a career-low eight errors and matched his personal best with a .986 fielding percentage, both ranking at the top of the AL charts.

Well sabermetics would also tell you, that Jeter can't even dream to get to those balls Elvis Andrus or Alcides Escobar or Tulowitzki can. And thats why Jeter isn't a gold-glover by the logical definition of the word. Andrus made 17 erros, yeah. But he grabbed some balls, that Jeter would have no play on, and Elvis made it close or had an error or an out. He is lightyears better than Jeter. Jeter is better at hitting the ball of course, but we are talking good defense here. And defensively there is not just Andrus who deserved it more than Jeter in the AL. And thats why I want the sabermetics to select the gg, because they don't give a .... if a guy hits .210 or .320. And if the guy is married to a filmstar and plays for a good team or married to the local ice-cream-seller and plays on a .300-team.

[runningshoes]

I can wrap my head around Teixiera getting one, but Jeter?

C'mon.

[RuthMayBond]

Except that Polonco doesn't belong with the list of 'blew-it's.

2nd could have been any of Zobrist, Polanco, Pedroia

Um, HILL!

<OF Gutierrez, Ichiro, and heck Crawford>

Heck, Sweeney instead of Ichiro

[SwissRedSoxFan]

Um, HILL!

<OF Gutierrez, Ichiro, and heck Crawford>

Heck, Sweeney instead of Ichiro

Yeah, would sign that too...

[MyDogSparty]

I'm just glad Longoria won it. Way to go Evan! Now if Zimmerman can win it in the NL, I think those two guys will dominate that award for years to come.

[YankeeDJW]

It was Jeter's 4th, wasn't it? Either people take the award seriously and are genuinely shocked, or people are pretending to be shocked at the list for some other odd reason. If someone could explain either scenario, that would be great.

[spark240]

As a fan, I pay essentially no attention to awards.

But I was thinking, if I were a GM, would I be hoping and praying that none of my guys won? Seems like the most concrete result is to inflate both demand for them at contract time, and their sense of worth.

[EricAnno]

What's worse?

Jeter winning 4 GGs

Hunter winning 9 GGs

Jeter, no question.

Jeter's won about five Gold Gloves too many. (Yeah, not a good joke, but I thought it was funny when I thought of it)

Since I'm lazy and it's like 12:30 in the morning, I'm only gonna go by FRAA for now.

In Jeter's four GG-winning seasons (2004-2006, 2009), he was a combined 35 fielding runs below average and is 170 fielding runs below average for his career.

He now has more Gold Gloves than Barry Larkin. In Larkin's GG-winning seasons (1994-1996), he was a combined five fielding runs above average. He failed to win the Gold Gloves in seasons where his FRAA was 26, 17, and 19. Why? Ozzie Smith. Larkin's defense was world's better than Ozzie's (Ozzie was just two runs above average for 1990 and 1991, while Larkin was 43 runs above average).

Derek Jeter is now tied with Alan Trammell and Tony Fernandez for sixth all-time in GG awards for a shortstop. Trammell was 112 FRAA for his career, and Tony Fernandez was 127. Jeter is -170. There is a 282 FRAA difference between Jeter and Trammell and a 297 FRAA difference between Jeter and Fernandez.

Something tells me that Jeter does not belong in this group. Call me crazy.

[RuthMayBond]

Jeter now has more GG than
Cal Ripken Jr. ...
... AND Bert Campaneris ...
... AND Chris Speier ...
... AND Ozzie Guillen ...
... AND Gary Templeton ...
... AND Dick Bartell ...
... AND Dick Groat ...
... COMBINED (and individually each of them had better D than Jeter)

[Zagi-CRO]

Jeter is the best pure hitter and the best defensive player!?

Is he going to be MVP this year?