*Photo from Redbird Rants*
On Sunday night, MLB announced the 2021 gold glove winners on an ESPN broadcasted special. The finalists were unveiled on October 28, and now we have the winners. For the first time, we have a team with 5 gold glove winners
American League
1B: Yuli Gurriel, Houston Astros
It's the first gold glove of Gurriel's career, who just got his $8 million team option picked up by the Astros for next season. Gurriel led AL first basemen in assists with 86, and finished tied for second in defensive runs saved(DRS) with 5. He is just the second Astros first basemen to win a gold glove, joining Jeff Bagwell. At 37 years old, he's also the oldest first basemen to win a gold glove in all of baseball.
2B: Marcus Semien, Toronto Blue Jays
Semien had an easy transition to second base with the Blue Jays, taking home his first career gold glove. It solidifies his value at the middle infield, as he can play both shortstop and second base with ease. He's also the first Blue Jay to win a gold glove since Marcus Stroman in 2017, and the first second baseman since Orlando Hudson won in 2005.
SS: Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
It's the first gold glove win for Correa, who gives the Astros two gold glove winners in the same year for the first time since 2015. Correa led all baseball players in defensive WAR with 3, and led all AL shortstops with 21 DRS. Correa also finished 3rd among AL shortstops with his .981 fielding percentage.
3B: Matt Chapman, Oakland Athletics
Chapman's defensive accolades are so long, winning the gold glove is almost worthless at this point. It's his 3rd career gold glove, and he mostly blew his competition out of the water. He led all 3rd basemen with 17 outs above average(OAA), 10 more than Jose Ramirez, who was in second place among AL 3rd basemen. Chapman also led AL 3rd basemen in assists with 274, double plays with 39, and a .987 fielding percentage.
LF: Andrew Benintendi, Kansas City Royals
In his first season with the Royals, Benintendi also takes home his first career gold glove. He played the most innings in left field in the AL, and finished with a .987 fielding percentage, committing just 3 errors in 234 opportunities. His 7 DRS was also tied for the AL lead with Lourdes Gurriel Jr of the Blue Jays, and finished second in the AL rankings with 6 outfield assists.
CF: Michael A Taylor, Kansas City Royals
Taylor takes home his first gold glove, and it's the first time the Royals have two gold glove winners in a year since 2018. Taylor led all center fielders in baseball with 19 DRS and 15 OAA. He also had a career high 11 outfield assists this season, a big reason why he got a two year, $9 million extension.
RF: Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers/New York Yankees
It's the second straight year the Gallo has won a gold glove, winning in right field despite mostly playing left after his trade to the Yankees at the trade deadline. Gallo was tied for the lead among AL outfielders with 11 DRS, and became the first Yankee to win a gold glove since Brett Gardner in 2016.
C: Sean Murphy, Oakland Athletics
It's the first career gold glove for Murphy, who gives the A's two gold glove winners in a year for the 3rd time in the last 4 years. Murphy saved 8 runs due to his pitch framing, which was first among AL catchers. He finished second among AL catchers with his 10 DRS as well. He is also one of 10 first time gold glove winners this season.
P: Dallas Keuchel, Chicago White Sox
Keuchel takes home his 5th career gold glove, which is tied for 8th highest among pitchers all time. He's the first White Sox pitcher to win a gold glove since Jake Peavy did it in 2012. Keuchel posted a career high 12 DRS, and finished with 41 assists and just one error, and allowed just two stolen bases all season.
National League
1B: Paul Goldschmidt, St.Louis Cardinals
It's the 4th career gold glove of Goldschmidt's career, and his first with the Cardinals. He and Anthony Rizzo have won the first base gold glove in the NL every year since 2015. He's the first Cardinals first baseman to win the gold glove since Albert Pujols did it back in 2010, and he's the 4th to do it in team history.
2B: Tommy Edman, St.Louis Cardinals
After spending years behind Kolten Wong, Edman took over second base with Wong gone, and he has his first gold glove as a result. He's the 3rd straight Cardinal to win gold glove at second base, with Wong winning in 2020 and 2019. He led NL second basemen with 13 OAA, after entering this season with only 37 games at second base.
SS: Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants
It's the 4th gold glove of Crawford's career, and his first since 2017. His 4 gold gloves are tied for 3rd highest in Giants history. He finished tied for 3rd among shortstops with 15 OAA and finished in 3rd alone with 6 DRS. He's also a finalist for a silver slugger award and NL MVP.
3B: Nolan Arenado, St.Louis Cardinals
Nolan Arenado has played 9 seasons in the big leagues. He has won a gold glove in every season. It's a redundant award for him at this point, it has little meaning when you have 9 of them. He's the second player in baseball history to start a career with 9 straight gold gloves, trailing Ichiro, who had 10. He's the first Cardinals 3rd baseman to win a gold glove since Scott Rolen back in 2006.
LF: Tyler O'Neill, St.Louis Cardinals
It's the second gold glove of O'Neill's career, and his second in a row after winning in 2020. He led all major league left fielders with 12 DRS. He's also in the conversation for down ballot MVP votes, and had a very strong year with the bat as well.
CF: Harrison Bader, St.Louis Cardinals
Bader said in spring training he wanted a gold glove more than anything. Now, he's got one. According to statcast, he led all players in 4 star catches, and was tops in ultimate zone rating(UZR) with 11.4, and finished in second with 15 DRS. He's the first Cardinals center fielder to win a gold glove since Jim Edmonds in 2005.
RF: Adam Duvall, Miami Marlins/Atlanta Braves
Duvall played just 11 games in right field after being traded to the Braves, but spent 66 games in right for the Marlins before the trade. Duvall ranked first among NL right fielders with 9 DRS, despite playing the fewest innings in right field. The runner up had 8 DRS in almost double the innings in right field.
C: Jacob Stallings, Pittsburgh Pirates
In his first season as starting catcher, Stallings dazzled en route to his first gold glove. His 21 DRS were tied for first with Correa for DRS across baseball. Stallings was the only catcher in all of baseball to not allow a single passed ball all season. He's the first Pirate to win a gold glove since Corey Dickerson in 2018.
P: Max Fried, Atlanta Braves
It's the second straight gold glove for Fried, who won it in 2020. He's the 3rd Braves pitcher to win multiple gold gloves. He led NL pitchers with 6 DRS, and finished in second with 6 pickoffs. Brian Snitker also believes Fried has the athleticism to be a center fielder.
Comments
Post a Comment