2005 Gold Glove Analysis
By Keith Glab, 11/11/05
As usual, this years Gold Glove selections come with a bevy
of controversy. While the selections are
not great overall, they do display signs of improvement over previous selection
philosophies.
First Base: AL-Mark Teixeira; NL-Derek Lee
Okay, this isn’t the best example of voter
improvement. Teixeira did lead all first
basemen in fielding percentage with a .998 mark, but he and Lee are both the
product of first basemen having breakout offensive years and getting recognized
for that on defense. Lee’s defense
doesn’t look good statistically, and he doesn’t stretch as far as he can for
most throws to first base, but he did make a lot of spectacular plays on the year. So neither selection marked an impressive
evolution in the selection process, but both players are at least good
defensively if not great, and the selection is an improvement over the
oft-cited Palmeiro/DH fiasco a few years back.
Second Base: AL-Orlando Hudson; NL-Luis Castillo
The
only superstar second baseman in the NL is Jeff Kent, and anyone who has seen
him knows just how non-existent his range is.
There’s know consensus defensive wizard either, so Castillo, who
finished just behind Craig Counsell in terms of Range is a good pick.
Shortstop: AL-Derek Jeter;
NL-Omar Vizquel
Jeter continues to be overrated on defense. While his numbers have improved over the past
two seasons, he remains, at best, below average defensively.
Vizquel is past his prime, but still led all shortstops
with a .988 F%. Trouble is Rafael Furcal
led all players in Range save Coco Crisp. He also led by a lot in Range factor at
5.23. Jack Wilson would have also been a
worthy selection, as he led all shortstops in
Third Base: AL-Eric Chavez; NL- Mike Lowell
Chavez is a staple now, and since he’s pretty good (ZR
leader- .817) and since there are no other standout choices, it’s a quality
pick.
Catcher: AL-Jason Varitek; NL-Mike Matheny
Oh no! Jason
Varitek, one of the worst offensive catchers in baseball today, gets the award
based on his offensive dominance combined with his “leadership” of the Red
Sox. Ivan Rodriguez was the obvious
choice, as usual, with his .515 CS% and 4.44 CERA compared to Varitek’s marks
of .244 and 5.02. The worst part about
his CERA is that teammate Doug Mirabelli’s was 3.73! Varitek: “The most important job I have is to
work with the pitchers to help them be the best that they can be.” And if Jason is so solid defensively, then
why isn’t he able to catch Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball? Ridiculous!
Matheny had a comeback year defensively, but he can’t
compare to Yadier Molina and his incredible .641 CS%. One possibility is that Yadier’s 959 Innings
Caught wasn’t enough to give him a Gold Glove.
We’ll see what happens next year.
Outfielders:
AL-Ichiro Suzuki, Torii Hunter,
NL-Jim Edmonds, Andruw Jones, Bobby Abreu
Suzuki, Hunter,
The upset is Abreu, who probably deserved a Gold Glove in a
few of his six double-digit-assist seasons, but only gunned seven baserunners
this season, and is declining in terms of Range. I’d like to see this as a makeup award, like
Clemens’ 2001 Cy Young (for 1990), but it’s far more likely that it’s a
response to Abreu’s dominance and prominence in the Home Run Derby.
Pitchers: AL-Kenny Rogers; NL-Greg Maddux
This is king of a nothing award, as the average starting
pitcher is fortunate to amass 50 Total Chances in a season. But that is precisely why Jake Westbrook
deserves the award for his 82 errorless chances last year. Horacio Ramierez should have gotten in in the
senior circuit, due to his position-leading 8 double plays. Rogers and Maddux are okay picks for their
high DP totals, but they were easy picks rather than informed ones.
Again, this is the sort of nitpicking that I’m
discouraging…we should be happy to see the process improving, not moaning about
its imperfections.