NL Gold Glove Winners Announced Today

[HeatherC12]

Here's the link: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081105&content_id=3664890&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

I am STOKED that Brandon Phillips won this year! :clap3: I thought he should have won last year (dude is awesome at 2B and makes very hard plays look easy) but this is still exciting news for the Reds even a year later. They aren't exactly known for their stellar defense so for one of their players to actually win a Gold Glove is pretty dang cool! Congrats to all the winners.

[sakata_catching]

Here's the link: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081105&content_id=3664890&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

I am STOKED that Brandon Phillips won this year! :clap3: I thought he should have won last year (dude is awesome at 2B and makes very hard plays look easy) but this is still exciting news for the Reds even a year later. They aren't exactly known for their stellar defense so for one of their players to actually win a Gold Glove is pretty dang cool! Congrats to all the winners.

I have me a big old mancrush on Nate McLouth, but I'm shocked that he won this. The Fielding Bible has him ranked as the worst defensive center fielder in MLB ( -40!!!) by a wide margin.

[wickedwitch]

I have me a big old mancrush on Nate McLouth, but I'm shocked that he won this. The Fielding Bible has him ranked as the worst defensive center fielder in MLB ( -40!!!) by a wide margin.

Since when are GGs based on fielding ability?

[PaulBako]

I have me a big old mancrush on Nate McLouth, but I'm shocked that he won this. The Fielding Bible has him ranked as the worst defensive center fielder in MLB ( -40!!!) by a wide margin.

Mabye because of that play in the All Star game.

[Frobby]

Well, if you go by the Fielding Bible award voters, the Gold Glove writers got it right on Phillips, Rollins, Molina, Maddux and Beltran, and Wright was close enough. Victorino, McLouth and Gonzalez appear to be stretches.

It's kind of surprising to me that Pujols got passed over. Usually if you have a great hitter who also is a great fielder, that's a no-brainer.

http://www.billjamesonline.net/fieldingbible/complete-votetally.asp

[Frobby]

I guess this means Nick wins his GG tomorrow!

[Moose Milligan]

Phillips is great. When, I went to see the Reds vs. Brewers in Cincy earlier this summer, he must have made 4 or 5 awesome plays.

[Migrant Redbird]

A blog posted at the St. Louis Post Dispatch website before the awards were announced.

In an exhaustive search of the Rawlings Gold Glove history and records of the 911 previous winners of the award since 1957, Kimack discovered that not only have the Cardinals been the most consistently decorated team for its defensive play but also that, yes, the Cardinals have won more than any other team. For the first time, here are the results of Kimack’s audit of the all-time Rawlings Gold Glove winners:

1. St. Louis Cardinals … 72

2. Baltimore Orioles … 63

3. Atlanta/Milwaukee Braves … 54

4. New York Yankees … 48

5. LA/Brooklyn Dodgers … 44

6. NY/San Francisco Giants … 44

7. Pittsburgh Pirates … 43

The Cardinals claim to the Gold Glove title stretches as far back as Ken Boyer winning the award at third base from 1958 to 1961, and it stretches all the way through some of the most decorated defensive units in the history of baseball — the 2000 to 2006 St. Louis Cardinals. During that span, the Cardinals won 18 Gold Gloves. In 2002, three members of the Cardinals infield won Gold Gloves — Fernando Vina at second, Scott Rolen at third and Edgar Renteria at shortstop. Kimack also points out that the Cardinals have had a knack for acquiring Gold Glove winners and sending player off to win additional Gold Gloves.

Mark Grudzielanek, for example, “received” his a year after his Gold Glove-worthy turn in 2005.

That’s part of the argument that the time is right for Molina to win his first Gold Glove. He’s been deserving the past two seasons, edged by the Dodgerse’ Russell Martin last year. The Cardinals, especially manager Tony La Russa, stumped aggressively for Molina this past season, even though his defensive statistics and overall defensive play was not as sharp in 2008 as it was in, say, 2006. He remains the most difficult catcher to steal against and the only one ruthlessly proficient at picking off runners at first base.

Oh, and yes sometimes this matters: He hit .300 this year.

The Cardinals history with the Gold Glove, however, hit a speed bump in 2007. They did not win one. It was the first time since 1999 that a Cardinal was not awarded a Gold Glove.

Expect, at least, No. 73 in franchise history to be announced this afternoon.

Oh, and Pujols was robbed again! He ought to have about 4 straight by now.

[Sports Guy]

A blog posted at the St. Louis Post Dispatch website before the awards were announced.

Oh, and Pujols was robbed again! He ought to have about 4 straight by now.

Yep.....Pujols should have won.

Here is rotoworld's blurb on the GGs....Slamming the choice of McLouth.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/Headlines.aspx?sport=MLB

[Migrant Redbird]

Rotoworld's take on McClouth:

The 27-year-old is probably an above average corner outfielder, but he was perhaps the game's worst full-time center fielder last season.

I will qualify this by saying that I don't regard myself as a particularly astute scout of playing ability, but my impression was that McClouth played a pretty good center field this season -- at least in the Cardinals games with the Pirates which I watched.

The +/- award rating of a minus 40 for McClouth makes me more skeptical of those ratings than I've been in the past. (Of course, they also rated Rick Ankiel very poorly. However, I will concede that Ankiel's defense is still a "work in progress". I would not have ranked Ankiel better than McClouth.)

[HeatherC12]

Phillips is great. When, I went to see the Reds vs. Brewers in Cincy earlier this summer, he must have made 4 or 5 awesome plays.

That's all?! Must have been an off day for him, LOL

[Baltimoron]

I will qualify this by saying that I don't regard myself as a particularly astute scout of playing ability, but my impression was that McClouth played a pretty good center field this season -- at least in the Cardinals games with the Pirates which I watched.

The +/- award rating of a minus 40 for McClouth makes me more skeptical of those ratings than I've been in the past. (Of course, they also rated Rick Ankiel very poorly. However, I will concede that Ankiel's defense is still a "work in progress". I would not have ranked Ankiel better than McClouth.)

The Fans scouting report organized by Tom Tango, which in this case is basically a sampling of hardcore fans who watch a lot of pirates games, supports the idea Mclouth is poor center fielder.

2008

2007

2006

[Baltimoron]

The +/- award rating of a minus 40 for McClouth makes me more skeptical of those ratings than I've been in the past. (Of course, they also rated Rick Ankiel very poorly. However, I will concede that Ankiel's defense is still a "work in progress". I would not have ranked Ankiel better than McClouth.)

Keep in mind this is a counting stat, like home runs. So it matters that Mclouth approached twice the innings and balls in zone as Ankiel.

Also keep in mind its not a ranking of talent, but of production.

Like with yearly hitting lines, yearly fielding "results" will have natural variation from year to year and are subject to smaller size concerns (moreso than a full season of plate appearances for an offensive line). Maybe Mclouth had harder balls on average to field?

Big point being you can't look at one year all to heavily.

[Migrant Redbird]

The Fans scouting report organized by Tom Tango, which in this case is basically a sampling of hardcore fans who watch a lot of pirates games, supports the idea Mclouth is poor center fielder.

2008

2007

2006

Pardon me if I'm a little skeptical of a fan rating system that seems to list John McDonald as the best shortstop in baseball for the 2008 season.

[Migrant Redbird]

Keep in mind this is a counting stat, like home runs. So it matters that Mclouth approached twice the innings and balls in zone as Ankiel.

Valid point, but McLouth had 1.74 times the chances and 2.67 times as many minus points.

Also keep in mind its not a ranking of talent, but of production.

Like with yearly hitting lines, yearly fielding "results" will have natural variation from year to year and are subject to smaller size concerns (moreso than a full season of plate appearances for an offensive line). Maybe Mclouth had harder balls on average to field?

Big point being you can't look at one year all to heavily.

I completely agree. I had to laugh when St. Louis Post Dispatch correspondent Bernie Miklaz was telling us fans that we weren't evaluating Chris Duncan's defense fairly because the +/- ratings for the first couple months of 2008 had him among the leaders in left field.

I also believe there is a natural variation from year to year, and that the 3-year totals at TFB are better indicators of fielding prowess than the ratings for a single season -- even for a full time player that's not been on the DL. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find many players to compare who have equivalent playing time over a 3 year period.

Perhaps BIS ought to consider adding a rate form of the stat which divides the +/- totals by playing time? That would provide us a more valid comparison of players with varying degrees of opportunity.