Encina: For first time, sabermetrics to play a role in Gold Glove Awards
From Eduardo A. Encina at The Baltimore Sun on October 24, 2013, with mention of SABR President Vince Gennaro:
The winners of the annual Gold Glove awards, the benchmark for defensive excellence for nearly 60 years, have typically been decided by the discerning eye of those who are closest to the game. Most recently, the award has been selected by a vote of major league managers and coaches.
For the first time, a defensive analytic will play a role in deciding the award this year.
Rawlings Sporting Goods, which awards the Gold Gloves, collaborated with the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) to create an independent committee that devised the SABR Defensive Index (SDI), the new analytic that will account for 30 total “votes” — approximately 25 to 30 percent, depending on the number of ballots received from managers and coaches.
The Orioles had the best team fielding percentage in major league history (.991) this season, and six of the team’s players are contenders for 2013 Gold Gloves at their respective positions. Three finalists at each position will be announced Friday, and the winners will be unveiled 8 p.m. (ET) Tuesday on ESPN2.
Read the full article here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-gold-glove-finalists-1025-20131024,0,1801444.story
Related link: Watch: Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners to be unveiled on ESPN on October 29
Originally published: October 25, 2013. Last Updated: October 25, 2013.