Gold Glove? More like aluminium foil...

By definition, the Gold Glove Award honors the top fielders at each position in each league. Since 1965, managers and coaches have decided the winners.

Well, they suck at it. This process is exactly like all-star voting. Players get awarded more for their star power, not performance.

How are coaches evaluating these guys? By the look of things, probably not by defensive stats...

For a closer look, here are 5 main stats used to evaluate defensive prowess:

1) Fielding percentage - the higher the #, the less mistakes you make
2) Errors - self explanatory
3) Total Chances - # of opportunities to field the ball
4) Range factor - how many balls you can get to
5) Zone rating - % of balls fielded in their "zone" (no idea...)

A reasonable person would evaluate the first 3, because who the hell knows what 4 & 5 really are. The other one not listed is the "eyeball test". You know by watching a player how good they really are. But it's also no secret who can get to a ball and who can't. Players who have less errors because they lost a step and can't reach a ball up the gap shouldn't be rewarded. There are some subjective areas, but lets be honest, it's a popularity contest.

In a perfect world you would start with your eyeballs, and then look at the stats. Unless a player is on your team, you don't see him play every day. The eyeball test only goes so far.

Lets take a look at some of the more glaring examples out there in the AL...


Pitcher:

Kenny Rogers takes it home this year. He had 5 errors in the regular season. There were 30+ pitchers who had less errors, with 11 of those recording "zero" errors. So, 11 guys who were essentially perfect got passed by with someone who made 5 errors. Maybe the makers of pine tar have a lobbyist...

Shortstop:

Derek Jeter is a great player, maybe even one of the best ever. But his best fielding days went bye bye a while ago. Take a peek at his stats and those he beat out:

D. Jeter: .975 FPC, 14 E, 610 TC
A. Gonzalez: .985 FPC, 7E, 475 TC
M. Young: .981 FPC, 14E, 747 TC
J. Uribe: .977 FPC, 14E, 604 TC

Outfield:

The same trio has now won the award the past 3 seasons. Here are some of the top performers (before we get to the winners):

C. Granderson: .997 FPC, 1 E, 389 TC
M. Cabrera: .996 FPC, 1 E, 230 TC
B. Anderson: .994 FPC, 2 E, 310 TC
R. Ibanez: .994 FPC, 2 E, 314 TC
M. Kotsay: .993 FPC, 2 E, 289 TC
C. Crawford: .990 FPC, 3 E, 314 TC

And your winners...

I. Suzuki: .992 FPC, 2 E, 260 TC
T. Hunter: .989 FPC, 4 E, 355 TC
V. Wells: .988 FPC, 4 E, 340 TC

Other Infielders:

The results are fairly close, but NONE of these winners were better in more than ONE of the statistical categories. You could make a clear case that someone else was better.

The one award that does make sense goes to I-Rod. He is not only better but superior in almost every major category. Throwing out a runner more than 50% of the time is amazing. So, you can feel warm and cozy about one of them.

What to do, what to do...

Do we continue to bitch about these awards every year? Do we let it continue? Does it really matter?

If there are those of you really tired and fet up with this, get out your pens and fire up your emails. Contact Rawlings (the sponsor) and MLB (coaches who vote).

Executive Office
Rawlings Sporting Goods Co., Inc.
P.O. Box 22000
St. Louis, MO 63126

Major League Baseball Advanced Media, LP.
75 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
212-485-3444