Boston Red Sox have several Gold Glove candidates
A Boston Red Sox team that ranked as one of the American League’s best defensive teams is bound to have a few Gold Glove candidates.
With the 2016 regular season in the books, now is the time to dig through months worth of data to determine which players will be taking home some hardware for their accomplishments. Ballots for many of the season awards will be littered with the names of Boston Red Sox players, with worthy candidates lining up for both the MVP and Cy Young award.
Now it’s time to look at another award that recognizes one of the more neglected aspects of baseball – defense.
The Gold Glove is awarded to the top defensive player in the league at each position. In years past this accolade was often mistreated by voters that either didn’t know or didn’t care to properly evaluate elite defensive players. This is why guys like Derek Jeter continued to win the award based on reputation and how we ended up with the embarrassing result of naming Rafael Palmeiro the best defensive player at a position he hardly played that season. With a new wave of analytics providing us with more ways to evaluate defensive metrics, voters are getting smarter about their selections, allowing us to take the results more seriously.
A look at some of these metrics show that the Red Sox were one of the best defensive teams in the league this season. Boston was second in the league with 49 Defensive Runs Saved, third with a .695 Defensive Efficiency and fifth with 11 Total Zone fielding runs above average. It’s no surprise then to find the names of several Red Sox players among the Gold Glove candidates.
It starts with Mookie Betts, who led all major league players at any position with 32 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), while also leading the American League with 16 Total Zone fielding runs above average (Rtz). His 14 assists were second most among AL outfielders, as was his 23 Plus/Minus fielding runs above average (Rpm).
Betts committed only one error in 154 games for a .997 fielding percentage that ranks first among players with at least 100 starts in the outfield. His defensive metrics are comparable to any outfielder in the game, but Betts is in a tier alone at the top among AL right fielders, making him a virtual lock for a Gold Glove.
Not that he needs it to secure the award, but Betts should get bonus points for playing half his games at Fenway Park, where the quirky right field corners are notoriously difficult to handle.
When he’s making throws that shock other elite outfielders, you know he’s doing something right.
His glove is one of the five tools that make him one of the best all-around players in the game and potential front-runner for the MVP. Defense is part of what separates Betts from sluggers like
in the debate. Big Papi may be the best
hitter
, but Betts is the most valuable
player
due to the variety of ways he contributes at an elite level.
Betts has the talent and range to patrol center field, but he’s been pushed aside to the right because the Red Sox already have an elite center fielder.
That brings us to Jackie Bradley, a defensive wizard who will perennially find himself in the conversation for this award.
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The advanced statistics aren’t as high on Bradley this year as they have been in the past, but he still ranks third in the league at his position with 11 DRS. He’s only slightly above-average with 2 Rpm, but that is still good enough for fifth among those with at least 100 starts in center field and his .992 fielding percentage is third in that group. Bradley also led the league at his position with 13 assists, proving he still has that rocket arm.
He also clearly hasn’t lost his knack for making breathtaking diving catches. Outfielders like Bradley are a fly ball pitcher’s best friend.
Bradley faces stiff competition in center field from Toronto’s
Kevin Pillarand Tampa Bay’s
Kevin Kiermaier. He won’t be the favorite for a Gold Glove this year, but he’ll be in the mix. In the old days – so, less than a decade ago – Bradley’s reputation would carry more weight. His breakout season at the plate and first All-Star appearance would also be a factor, as it has made him a more recognizable name than his division rivals at the position. That won’t cut it anymore, so while JBJ remains among the elite, he won’t likely be taking home the hardware this season.
A year ago there were whispers that Dustin Pedroia‘s glove was in decline. His range was slipping and the four-time Gold Glove winner appeared to be past his peak. Turns out it was just a down year, likely brought on by a series of injuries that hindered his performance over the past few seasons. Now healthy, Pedroia delivered his best season in years on both sides of the field.
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The veteran second baseman tied for the league lead at his position with 12 DRS and 8 Rpm. He committed six errors, posting a .990 fielding percentage that ranked second among players with at least 100 starts at the position.
One of the traits that was most impressive about Pedroia’s defense was his fearlessness in holding his ground when turning a double-play. While rule changes eliminating the wipe-out slide have made this task a bit easier, Pedroia still turns two as quickly as anyone from second base.
He isn’t too shabby at fielding a grounder to initiate the double-play either.
The crafty veteran is one of the smartest defensive infielders in the game. While his range may not be quite what it once was, Pedroia still makes a number of remarkable highlight reel worthy plays. He’ll be challenged by Detroit’s
Ian Kinslerand Seattle’s
Robinson Cano, but Pedroia has a solid chance of edging both of them out for his fifth Gold Glove.
The Red Sox received solid defense from most positions, but the aforementioned trio wraps up the Gold Glove candidates.
The team received slightly below-average production in left field, but
Andrew Benintendiappears to be a long-term fixture that could boost them toward the top of the league. Unfortunately he didn’t have nearly enough appearances to factor into this season’s discussion. However, he did make what has to be considered the best catch of the year.
was one of the breakout surprises of the season, providing the offensive production to match his defensive reputation. Pitchers love working with Leon, while his game-calling and pitch-framing abilities are among the best. He also threw out 41 percent of base runners to rank fourth in the league among catchers with at least 50 starts. However, with barely more than half a season’s worth of starts, he’s unlikely to receive much consideration.
Hanley Ramirez ranks near the bottom of the league at his position in most categories, yet somehow his transition to first base seems rather successful. It’s certainly light years ahead of his adventures in left field a year ago. Of course Han-Ram isn’t winning a Gold Glove, but if they had an award for exceeding expectations then he would likely run away with it.
Next: Parallel view of Porcello and Beckett
Awards are always subjective to the views of the voters, as there are a number of viewpoints used to evaluate players. Regardless of what method they use to determine the Gold Glove winners, it would be a surprise if at last one Red Sox player didn’t walk away with the award at their position.