Derek Jeter Wins Yet Another Undeserved Gold Glove
November 9, 2010 · Chris Murphy · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Why is this so difficult?
Stop giving awards to players based on erroneous, misguided notions.
Is it so hard to be logical? To not look at ESPN’s web gems, but rather use your own judgment based on fact?
No one cares who you believe to be a “winner” or “leader” or a “grinder” or who ESPN casts as their hero in their sports theater.
No one cares about Derek Jeter‘s patented jump throw or some play from 2001 when the terrible, but also roided Giambi was in fact safe/should have slid. In fact, Jeter has to jump and throw because he doesn’t have the arm to stop and throw.
Is Jeter the only option under shortstops when it comes to Gold Glove ballots because he has won at least four more than he should have?
Of the nine American League players that started more than 125 innings at shortstop this season, Jeter was eighth in range factor and seventh in putouts. He had the sixth worst UZR at -4.7 in all of baseball. He had the worst RngR, which determines how a player gets to a ball in his vicinity, in all of baseball at -11.8.
Essentially, Jeter can’t get to any ball that any starting or replacement shortstop in baseball can’t get to and hurts a team by playing shortstop and yet, he was just claimed to be the best shortstop in the American League.
Give players who have played a long time some kind of plaque, but stop handing All-Star spots, Gold Gloves, MVPs and Cy Young awards to players based on a career. All of these things measure the best for a season, not a career.
Did Ken Griffey Jr. get Gold Gloves out of respect? Did Greg Maddux get Cy Young awards out of respect? No, but we are supposed to give Jeter Gold Gloves, and guys like David Ortiz and Tim Wakefield All-Star spots out of “respect”?
If Jeter were wearing an Oakland Athletics jersey would this ever happen?
We’ll see how much “respect” the Yankees organization gives Jeter when they move him to left field next season or don’t bring him back at all to sign Cliff Lee.
So, please, either take your job seriously or don’t vote.
I know, ESPN continually reminds you that everything on the East Coast is more important and better, but try to think for yourselves. Jeter is not the “captain” for 29 of the 30 teams in baseball.
And if you are going to continually be wrong about awards, at least give the real winners some kind of certificate to Arby’s or something.
Alexei Ramirez, we apologize for not watching any of the games you played in because ESPN doesn’t recognize two-thirds of the country, but we offer you $25 dollars off your next Arby’s purchase.
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