Time to air my gold glove grievances. Well, grievance. As most of you already know, Ryan Braun got no love for his glove this season. The three NL outfielders who did win were Carlos Beltran, Shane Victorino, and Nate McLouth.What do they all have in common? Each of them patrols center field. And here I thought our country was leaning to the left. Sorry, bad joke. Couldn't resist... just like Matt Stairs can't resist a good cheesesteak. Wow... I'm 2 for 2.
While it's generally accepted that the center fielder is the "captain" of the outfield, that's still no reason to ignore the corner outfielders. If you applied the same logic to the infield, only shortstops and catchers would win gold gloves.
And while it's true that Milwaukee's scorekeeper was somewhat generous this year with Braun on some judgment calls, the fact remains he didn't commit an error all year. He also led all NL left fielders in putouts (275), was 2nd in the league in range factor (1.95), and was 4th in assists (9). Last year as a rookie, Braun left a lot to be desired at third base. And when I say "left a lot to be desired," what I really mean is he was atrocious. 26 erros in 112 games. Ouch. So contextually, what Braun did this season was really quite extraordinary.
And just so I can't be accused of being totally Jew-centric, I also think Hunter Pence should have won a gold glove in right field. He only made 1 error all season and led the NL in assists with 16. He may look like he's 12 years old, but the kid can play.
You're welcome to disagree, but I would advise against it. Because I will find you and flog you. Yep, 3 for 3.
1 comment:
The feats of strength; that would have also been good.
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