Buxton and Dozier Gold Glove Finalists

It is absolutely absurd that Mauer isn't a finalist.

If Buxton doesn't get one this year, it officially means nothing.

Dozier is a defensively OK 2B who might be a bit below average... so he shouldn't be a finalist for the Gold Glove, but I guess hitting is still a factor, even if it's small. I can't understand how Mauer isn't even in the conversation... I've never liked the Gold Glove awards and they haven't done anything to change my mind.

  On 10/26/2017 at 8:10 PM, Mike Sixel said:

Ya, if people are going to rip the Mauer thing, they should also rip the Dozier thing.....

I'm fine with that.   If the award is to mean anything both things should be ripped.... and shredded.    Seriously, I don't know how Mauer did with runs above replacement but considering every time he sat it seemed like errors and mistakes were made over there so runs above OUR replacements was probably better than Buxton's.   Buxton should have run away with it and from what I actually witnessed among other first basemen when we played them, Mauer should have been comfortably ahead there also.   Yeah, Dozier being a finalist feels a little like Melanie Griffith getting a nomination for an Oscar.    OK maybe that dates me and is a little extreme but still.

This is silly! You don't need advanced metrics to see how ridiculous this is. Without Mauer the Twins IF becomes below mediocre, it seemed half the throws to 1B were in the dirt. Maybe they should change the award to the Gold Batting Gloves Award!

Who was a finalist instead of Mauer?

Dozier makes enough diving plays to pass the casual eye test. I can easily see how he was included just from highlight reel footage. Mauer didn't make a lot of noise on the highlight reel but when you watch the games you realize that you might be watching the steadiest 1B in the game over the last 15 years. Nobody had any thought about "do I throw it" if it was a maybe play and it might be in the dirt. The infielders were able to just play and throw it when they got to it because the "Joe Wall" was there to make sure it wasn't a wreck.

  On 10/26/2017 at 7:41 PM, Seth Stohs said:

I think that the Gold Glove has become much better than what it was 15+ years ago. Then it almost was the same as the Silver Slugger. Now at least some thought goes into it. It's gotten better, but there are still some strange things. 

Remember when Mark McGwire won the Gold Glove over Hrbek?

Dozier won't win. Mauer at least had two close competitors, though he deserves to be a finalist.

Now, if Buxton doesn't win, that will be a very sad day for the Gold Glove Awards.

  On 10/26/2017 at 9:58 PM, Lee-The-Twins-Fan said:

Another reason Mauer was snubbed: Lack of errors. Mauer had two errors all season long - Hosmer had 4, Santana and Moreland 5 each. Mauer was robbed!

I wonder if his very conspicuous and very costly error in Yankee Stadium had an outsized influence. Is the voting group NY-heavy? Would more voters have been watching that game? 

(I admit to not knowing exactly who votes on these finalists.)

Moreland and Santana had better numbers. Hosmer has the reputation. Defensive metrics are interesting in that even over a season, we're largely dealing with small sample sizes. It really doesn't make sense that Hos would be elite 1 year and not the next.

That said, Mauer passed the eye test over the course of the season, but any single game, he rarely made spectacular plays. He was average chasing down foul pops. Often took safe routes on ground balls and took safe outs over double plays or getting the lead runner.

I believe Mauer has gotten better across the board at first base with the exception of chasing down fly balls. But I don't consider it robbery that he wasn't a finalist.

Hosmer has NEVER been a real quality defensive 1B.  Ever.  Where he got that rep is beyond me.  Has never deserved a GG.  Ever.

Should there even be two other finalists for American League CF?  They should just prestamp the next 10 with Buxton, Byron MIN on them

So the GG brain trust is 1-3 when it comes to the Twins, with what should be a sure thing, a blatant snub, and a total overrating of a second baseman. Such a misguided award, but it keeps getting notoriety. This award has been a joke for decades. Someone needs to create a new award to take over and make it right.

  On 10/27/2017 at 10:19 PM, Mr. Brooks said:

Ability would be fairly stable, sure. But performance wouldn't be. Why should it? These are humans, not robots. Defense could and should peak and valley just like pitching or hitting.

 

You've never seen a normally good fielder have a bad day? If they are capable of having a bad day, then they are capable of having a bad year.

I think your probably right. I think the issue Cheif and I have is that a bad day can really skew the metrics. I think Rosario had that this year. A few bad throws and drops negated a lot of solid play. If hee caught a few of the balls that he clamored after a long run, his metrics probably look much better. Sort of like a bad inning to a reliever.