2011 Gold Glove Winners: Brett Gardner Omission Shows How Useless Awards Are
November 2, 2011 · Tim Daniels · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
New York Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner was the best defender in Major League Baseball this season.
Gardner didn’t win a Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
Those two statements illustrate numerous flaws in the way Gold Gloves are voted upon.
First, the new system, which makes it so that one player at each outfield position gets an award, doesn’t make any sense. If there are two really good left fielders and no really good right fielders, why should one left fielder get a raw deal? He shouldn’t.
Second, by allowing managers and coaches to vote for Gold Gloves, MLB is giving power to people who see opposing players no more than 18 times per season. That isn’t nearly enough to make an honest judgment about a player’s defensive ability.
Gardner led baseball in ultimate zone rating (UZR) and tied for the league lead in defensive runs saved (DRS). Not just among outfielders, among every qualified player at every position.
Granted, advanced metrics are still working on better ways to analyze fielders, but for now those are the best numbers available. And anybody who watched Gardner on a consistent basis would say those numbers match up well with the infamous eye test.
Alex Gordon of the Kansas City Royals edged out Gardner for the award. While Gordon had a solid defensive season and has a cannon for an arm, his numbers just don’t match those of Gardner.
Gardner’s UZR was 15 points higher than Gordon’s and Gardner beat him 22 to 4 in DRS. Even though the Yankees left fielder couldn’t match Gordon’s assist numbers, his arm still rated above average among LFs.
It wasn’t like Gardner came out of nowhere, either. He had a great season in the field last year as well and is building a reputation, at least among people who look at the numbers, as one of the game’s best fielders. Apparently managers and coaches don’t look at statistics.
The Gold Glove Award took one more step toward irrelevance by not rewarding Gardner’s efforts.
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