Ichiro claims 10th consecutive Gold Glove
The Gold Gloves for the American League were announced yesterday and as usual there were the same old familiar faces, as well as some new ones.
Ichiro Suzuki won his 10th consecutive Gold Glove, tying the AL record for Gold Gloves by an outfielder, and Derek Jeter won his fifth. Ichiro is now just two away from tying the overall record held by Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente who have 12 each.
That decision has caused some unrest in the baseball world and has again called into question the validity of the award. Scouts have been commenting on the decline in Jeter’s defensive game for some time now and though he posted a career-high .989 fielding percentage committing just six errors, the evident decline in his range means he’s no longer an elite fielder, not that he ever was.
"It is a tremendous honour to receive the Gold Glove award, especially since this recognition comes from managers and coaches for whom I have a great deal of respect. It is particularly gratifying to be recognized for defense, as it is something I take a lot of pride in and am constantly working to improve," Jeter said in a statement.
Check the advanced sabermetrics measured by Fangraphs.com and you’ll find Jeter near the bottom of that list – out of the players that qualified. It seems that voters – managers and coaches – are voting for players based upon reputation rather than merit.
Based on UZR the Chicago White Sox’s Alexi Ramirez should have won the Gold Glove despite making 20 errors and a .974 fielding percentage.
Gold Glove winners by positions
C Joe Mauer Twins (3)
1B Mark Teixeira Yankees (4)
2B Robinson Cano Yankees (1)
SS Derek Jeter Yankees (5)
3B Evan Longoria Rays (2)
OF Ichiro Suzuki Mariners (10)
OF Franklin Gutierrez Mariners (1)
OF Carl Crawford Rays (1)
P Mark Buehrle White Sox (2)
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