Posnanski: Thoughts on the new Gold Glove Awards
From SABR member Joe Posnanski at Joe Blogs on August 19, 2013:
So here’s some good news … at least as far as this blog is concerned: The Gold Gloves are going all advanced metrics on us. For years and years now, the Gold Gloves have been the grumpy-old-man, get-off-my-lawn, in-my-day-we-would-walk-uphill-both-ways, they-call-this-music-it-all-sounds-the-same, how-do-you-program-this-VCR, I-can-tell-great-defense-with-my-eyes award, and it led to some pretty spectacular fiascos.
<snip>
The issue at the heart of the Gold Gloves, I think, has always been the issue of seeing. Let me give you an example. The other day, I mentioned — in passing — that one thing you might consider in the Trout-Cabrera discussion is that Trout plays in a devastating ballpark for hitters while Cabrera plays in a good ballpark for hitters (though not a good ballpark for home runs). Since then, I’ve heard from many, many people who are OUTRAGED that I would call Comerica Park a good hitters park. They know, absolutely know, that Comerica is a pitcher’s park. They know it because of the dimensions. They know it because of the history as a pitchers park. They know it because of what they see.
Comerica Park has a multi-year ballpark factor of 105 — with 100 being exactly neutral and everything over 100 favoring hitters. That’s not a one year thing — it has been a slight-to-moderate hitters park for three seasons now.
Read the full article here: http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-new-gold-gloves.html
- Related link: New sabermetric component, SABR Defensive Index, revealed for Rawlings Gold Glove Award
Originally published: August 20, 2013. Last Updated: August 20, 2013.