Yadier Molina wins 2012 Defensive Player of the Year GIBBY
From Jenifer Langosch at MLB.com on December 4, 2012:
Already a decorated award winner this offseason, Yadier Molina added another defensive honor to the list on Tuesday with a Greatness in Baseball Yearly Award for being voted the Majors’ Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.
Recipients of these GIBBY Awards, presented annually by MLB.com, are chosen through votes by media, front-office personnel, MLB alumni, fans at MLB.com and the Society of American Baseball Research.
Molina was one of 15 players from both leagues announced last month as a finalist for the top defensive honor, and he ended up beating out, among others, three 2012 Gold Glove winners to capture the title. Consider it just the latest feather in Molina’s cap this offseason, which followed a standout year on both the offensive and defensive ends.
Along with the GIBBY, Molina has added a Rawlings Gold Glove Award (his fifth straight), the National League’s Platinum Glove Award (his second), a Fielding Bible Award and the Wilson Sporting Goods defensive award to his growing collection this year.
Molina has been named St. Louis’ Baseball Man of the Year by the local chapters of writers and finished fourth in the voting for the NL’s Most Valuable Player Award.
“I take pride in everything I do,” Molina told MLB.com last month. “I worked hard to have a great year.”
Read the full article here: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121204&content_id=40514396&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
SABR members had the opportunity to play a key role in selecting the winners of the GIBBYs. The votes from SABR members were equal to each of the other four groups.
- SABR members (20%)
- MLB.com fans (20%)
- Front office personnel (20%)
- Retired players (20%)
- Media (20%)
In addition, the finalists in the Defensive Player of the Year category were selected by SABR, using traditional statistics and sabermetric analytics.
The winners were announced at a reception at the annual Baseball Winter Meetings on December 4, 2012, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Related link: Miguel Cabrera, Giants are big winners at 2012 GIBBY Awards
Originally published: December 4, 2012. Last Updated: December 4, 2012.