Blog Focus: Evaluating the National League Gold Glove Choices
Yesterday, we showed you some reactions around the blogosphere to the American League Gold Glover winners, today, we'll see how bloggers feel about the National League choices.
First, the winners: C - Yadier Molina; 1B - Adrian Gonzalez; 2B - Orlando Hudson; 3B - Ryan Zimmerman; OF - Shane Victorino, Michael Bourn, Matt Kemp; P - Adam Wainwright.
Again, while Gold Glove choices usually rile statistically-inclined bloggers to no end, this year's AL and NL choices were largely OK. Here's some reaction:
Sporting Blog: "But yet again, here's where numbers lie. Raul Ibanez had a UZR of 8.0, sixth-best for those eligible, but was absolutely the third best outfielder on his team. In fact, if anyone of the Phillies All-Star outfielders should have won the award, it probably should have been Jayson Werth. But centerfielders usually rule the Gold Gloves, and this year is no exception."
Beyond the Boxscore: "The final disagreement may lie in the ridiculous season that Nyjer Morgan posted in 2009. Morgan is the only player listed in either this article or the previous one that had no Fans Scouting Report data incorporated; his projection was strictly using UZR. Typically I would have tossed him out of the exercise, but his season was anomalously good that I just had to include him to see how he compared. His +17 projected/regressed runs tops the National League but was very heavily influenced by this year's UZR totals."
Big League Stew: "The geniuses over at Fangraphs, with their UZR and their uzis, not only call Utley the best second baseman in baseball but its best player at any position on defense over the past three seasons. Yet, willfully ignorant voters are always stealin' Chase's Glove o' Gold! Do they not judge my boyo by the light of the yellow moon? His mates Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino won awards, so it's not some kind of anti-Phanaticism."
Continued on the next page
