Gold Gloves Are Bunk!

[jodamiller]

Catcher comparison of Martin vs Y. Molina

PlayerGPAttempts% CSInn/SBFld %Martin15412333.315.3.988Molina107305437.4.991

In what areas was Martin better? He did have only 5 passed balls (1 every 250 innings) vs. Molina's 7 (1 every 123 innings), but Martin had a much better pitching staff to work with. On the flip side, Martin's errors were highest in

Comments

[flashfire]

You can make a case for the Matheny comparison, but if you're going to use the aberration of Palmeiro getting a GG I'll have to throw that part out.

I can see the cases for Molina - clearly people don't run on him as much because of his reputation, which is earned - but I have to think the time missed due to injury hurt him in this situation.

[jodamiller]

The Palmeiro number was directed towards the absurdity that can come up in the Gold Glove awarding. The Matheny number is for this comparison.

But still, the Gold Glove isn't an Ironman award as weighting games played so much would make one think.

[ichbineinbrlinr]

I think offense has some subconcious effect on the voters. (All this info is from memory because I'm too lazy to look it up): Last year, Mark Ellis made only 2 error (setting some record, could be fielding percentage) and lost to Mark Grudzielanek (sp?). Grudzie hit over .250, Ellis didn't, and I saw a stat that there had only been like 2 gold gloves awarded to people w/ a BA under .250. I think it's BS, but that's how it is.

[jodamiller]

Then we can get rid of the Silver Slugger award and the Gold Glove and have Bronze Position Player award.

[fsfwannabe]

The Gold Glove awards are illogically given out and tend to factor in offense.

This isn't news.

[jodamiller]

I know. Whenever I have number to back up a rant, I usually can't help myself.

[arrowintwolakes]

I don't think you realize how huge a difference 47 games is, especially for a catcher. It's not just that Martin caught more games than Molina, it's that he was 1st in the league in innings caught where Molina was 14th, with a difference of 393.1 innings. A difference of nearly 400 innings is immense

[jodamiller]

There's precedent on the shorter season in voting for a GG catcher. Also, to me, the cather need to block bad pitches and throw out runner. Molina was just so dominate at that and I can't get over the difference between him and Martin. I'm also having to pull out the, most likely, unconscious inclusion of batting stats when people vote on the Gold Glove.

[arrowintwolakes]

That may be so (for reference, please see every GG Jeter has ever won), I'm simply saying that, excluding the stats I mentioned above that prooves Yadi's proficiency with any pitching, even terrible pitching, their numbers are not so distant from one another. If you have two players with very similar defensive numbers, and one played 30% more than the other, should not he receive more regard for his performance? Had Yadi had a full season, he would have had more CS than Martin, sure, but the fact is Martin did have more CS than any other catcher in the NL. His CS/9 may be lower, but you can't say that he didn't throw out his share.

[sarahonlife]

Batting gets factored in somehow, consciously or subconsciously. I mean (and yes, I may be slightly bitter,) how else would Wright get it over Zimmerman?

[arrowintwolakes]

I was rating to my friend the level of shaftedness each deserving player had in the NL gloves and I said that every NL 3B was shafted by Wright getting the glove. Of all NL 3B with 100 or more chances, Wright was 12th of 22 in FP; of the 10 NL 3B with 1000 or more innings, Wright was 6th. Of the 10 with 1000 innings, Wright was 5th in RF.

[mrbaseball127]

This is going to sound like me being a Mets' homer, but Wright blew away the field in "plays out of his zone" at 3rd base. Wright is not the best choice, but he wasn't a horrible choice.

[mrbaseball127]

And more critically, drivingalone is right. Gold Gloves are crap. :P