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Coming into Thursday’s announcement for the American League and National League Most Valuable Player Awards, the drama was not over who would win, but how large the gap between the Toronto Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson and Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper would end up being.

Donaldson and Harper were bestowed MVP honors for their brilliant 2015 campaigns, with the voting not particularly close in either league.    

According to William Ladson of MLB.com, Harper is the first player in Nationals/Montreal Expos history to win an MVP award. 

Harper’s season was historically great in 2015, as broken down by ESPN.com’s Eddie Matz:

Harper’s 9.9 WAR was the highest by an NL position player since Barry Bonds posted a 10.6 in 2004. For those that consider any Bonds number tarnished, then Harper’s 2015 WAR effectively becomes the highest by an NL position player since Joe Morgan notched an 11.0 in 1975. That’s what’s commonly referred to in history circles as “a really long time ago.”

As such, it’s hardly a surprise Harper was a unanimous MVP choice in the National League. ESPN’s Keith Law had a simple, appropriate reaction after the voting was announced:

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Harper became the fourth-youngest MVP winner in Major League Baseball history:

Washington’s superstar is the youngest unanimous winner of the NL award, per Brandon Wile of TheScore.com. Just as a reminder of how young Harper is, recently crowned NL Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant was born 10 months before him.

After being bestowed the honor, Harper said on the MLB Network broadcast (via MLB Network PR) that this was something he set out to do when the season started:

The traditional and advanced numbers show how superior Harper was to his fellow NL MVP candidates in 2015.

Even beyond the numbers, players who were on the other side of the field as Harper was putting up his tremendous year gave Washington’s superstar praise for what he did. 

Speaking to Matz in a separate report on ESPN.com late in the regular season, New York Mets third baseman David Wright talked about how Harper went from being an excellent young player to the MVP in 2015. 

“(Harper’s) starting to understand what pitchers are trying to do to him,” Wright told Matz. “He’s willing to take his walks in situations where pitchers are trying to make him chase and get himself out. That says a lot about going from how young he was to now you watch him play and he just looks like a veteran.”

A biased perspective on Harper’s MVP candidacy came from Matt Thornton, who pitched for the Nationals this season. The left-hander left no doubt about whom the Baseball Writers’ Association of America should vote for, per MLB Network Radio:

Fortunately, Thornton can still respect the BBWAA and its voting process, because Harper was rightly recognized for being the best player in the National League this year.

While not quite as dominant in the voting as Harper, Donaldson became Toronto’s first MVP winner since George Bell in 1987. The Bringer of Rain hit in the middle of the Blue Jays lineup, leading the franchise to its first postseason appearance since 1993. 

Donaldson and Mike Trout were locked in a virtual dead heat statistically, with Baseball Reference highlighting on Twitter three categories showing just how close the two stars were:

With no definitive separation between the two players, the fact Donaldson took his team to the playoffs certainly helped him. It’s not always the right way to decide an MVP, but in a close race like 2015, it can be forgiven this time. 

It also helps that Donaldson had a season reminiscent of the best Alex Rodriguez put up when he was winning MVP awards, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com pointed out in mid-August the possible moment Donaldson took control of the MVP race against Trout:

Trout entered Monday in a 10-for-57 funk in which he had struck out 19 times in 67 plate appearances while generating only four extra-base hits.

Juxtapose that against what Donaldson has done the past few weeks. Going back to July 29, he’s got a .324/.420/.706 slash line with seven homers, five doubles and 19 RBIs — a transcendent showing that has aided Toronto’s rapid rise up the AL East standings.

While small sample sizes don’t tell the whole story, Donaldson’s rise as Toronto took control of the division certainly helped his cause. 

This may not have been Trout’s year, but MLB Communications did note that he’s in pretty good company with his runner-up finish:

After the voting was announced on MLB Network, Donaldson was taken aback by the honor, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle:

When Donaldson was able to find the words, he told MLB Network how this season culminated in an MVP award, per MLB Network PR:   

Per Fox Sports MLB on Twitter, Donaldson’s MVP victory also puts him in a category with 2004 AL winner Vladimir Guerrero:

Given what Donaldson was able to accomplish in his first season with Toronto, the pressure is on the 29-year-old to find new ways of getting even better in 2016. 

Harper and Donaldson had been favorites to capture the MVP long before the regular season ended. The voters rewarded their spectacular 2015 efforts appropriately. Both players are still well in their primes, so don’t be surprised if they end up back here next season. 

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As part of Major League Baseball’s 2016 schedule, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins will play a brief two-game series in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on May 30-31 to celebrate Roberto Clemente Day. 

The official announcement was made by MLB‘s public relations staff on Twitter:

Roberto Clemente Day was established by Major League Baseball in 2002 to honor the former Pirates superstar for his efforts on the field and his humanitarian work. The Hall of Famer was killed in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972 while trying to deliver supplies to Nicaragua following an earthquake.

Clemente, who was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, spent his entire 18-year MLB career with the Pirates and finished with exactly 3,000 hits. His legacy in the city of Pittsburgh continues, with Pirates manager Clint Hurdle telling Tom Singer of MLB.com last September his presence can still be felt. 

“There are many who would argue he is still alive and well here in Pittsburgh,” Hurdle said. “That heartbeat is there, the pulse of the city. When you perform as he did professionally and live as he did personally, the legacy continues. He’s still touching lives.”

Traditionally, Roberto Clemente Day has taken place in September but will get bumped up this year so the Pirates and Marlins can properly celebrate the man in his home country.

The Marlins have a history of playing games in Puerto Rico, previously doing it in 2003 against the Montreal Expos and 2010 against the New York Mets. 

While the teams will certainly be putting their best foot forward to win these two games at the end of May, Clemente will be the star of the show. He’s an icon in baseball history and deserves all of the honors he continues to get 43 years after his tragic death. 

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As the Philadelphia Phillies continue to build toward their future, breakout reliever Ken Giles is drawing interest on the trade market heading into December’s winter meetings. 

Continue for updates. 

Multiple Suitors Check on Giles

Thursday, Nov. 19

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Phillies have heard from the Houston Astros and Miami Marlins about Giles. He also acknowledged the team “could wait” until the trade deadline in July or next winter to move the right-hander. 

As far as why the Phillies would consider dealing Giles now, Rosenthal noted the team took notice of a recent deal for a prominent closer under contract for multiple years:

Speaking to MLB Network Radio about the possibility of trading the 25-year-old, Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said the team is “trying to add players like Giles,” but he did admit that “you have to be opportunistic” when a deal presents itself. 

Giles has been fantastic for the Phillies since arriving in 2014, posting a 1.56 ERA in 115.2 innings with 151 strikeouts and 36 walks. He’s still two years away from being eligible for arbitration, making him even more attractive because his salary will be near the league minimum until 2018. 

The Phillies realistically aren’t going to compete for a playoff spot until 2017, at the earliest, so there is no need to keep a prominent closer for the next two years knowing there could be a great deal that nets them a prominent minor league position player or starting pitcher. 

Klentak is smart to explore the options for Giles while his stock is at its highest, especially given how quickly relievers are prone to a decline. It may not be a popular move, but it is the right direction for the franchise at this point in its rebuild. 

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The long wait to find out the baseball writers’ choice for Most Valuable Player in the American League and the National League ends Thursday, though a scan of the numbers and narratives that often accompany this award has left little drama to unpack.   

Of course, there are surprises from time to time. Justin Verlander certainly wasn’t a consensus pick in 2011, but the Detroit Tigers’ right-hander became the first pitcher since 1992 to capture the honor. 

Before diving into the two players who will be named MVP, here are the three finalists from each league and how oddsmakers see things playing out. 

National League MVP

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America took out all of the suspense for National League MVP when it announced that all three finalists came from non-playoff teams. 

Being in the playoffs shouldn’t be a prerequisite for MVP anyway because a player is not more or less valuable based on the success of his team, though it is unusual for the baseball writers to examine individual players on their accomplishments with no illogical narrative tied in.     

With respect to Paul Goldschmidt and Joey Votto, who are undoubtedly two of the best players in the sport, Bryce Harper was the best and most valuable player in all of baseball this season. If there were a combined MVP award with the leagues not separate, the Washington Nationals’ superstar would win. 

By every traditional and advanced statistical measure, Harper was superior to his fellow MVP finalists in 2015. 

Harper led the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs and was more than two wins better than his competitors. Keep in mind we are talking about a player who, despite having been in the big leagues for four years, just turned 23 in October. 

Age isn’t a factor in MVP consideration, but it’s still astounding that Harper might not be done developing his game. 

Taking Harper’s age and his numbers even further, Bill Ladson of MLB.com noted the historic accomplishments the former first-round pick pulled off in 2015:

Harper is the only player in Major League Baseball history with at least 42 home runs, 124 walks and 118 runs scored at age 22 or younger, and he is the youngest player in MLB history with at least 42 home runs and 124 walks in a season. The previous youngest was Babe Ruth, who hit 54 home runs and had 150 walks in 1920 at the age of 25.

Any time a player is doing something on the field better than Babe Ruth, it’s probably one of the best years in MLB history. 

As far as how this explosion happened, Washington hitting coach Rick Schu told Ladson there really weren’t any dramatic changes:

The No. 1 thing is that he stayed healthy. This past season, he was able to get comfortable with his hands. He was able to take the pitch that was given him. He was going line to line. I think his confidence really helped him with everything — pitch selection and taking his walk. He really slowed things down.

The Nationals may have underachieved in 2015, but that was due to injuries and poor managing by the since-fired Matt Williams. Harper did everything in his power to get Washington back to the postseason. It didn’t work, but he became the best player in the NL. 

That’s not a bad turnaround for a player who was voted by his peers as the most overrated before the season started. 

NL MVP Prediction: Bryce Harper

American League MVP

While the MVP race in the American League is much more compelling than the National League when things get broken down, the narrative of Josh Donaldson hitting in the middle of Toronto’s lineup as the Blue Jays returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1993 will carry him to victory. 

That’s not to say Donaldson is a bad or unworthy winner either. The gap between Toronto’s star third baseman and Mike Trout is small enough that if either player wins, you’d shake your head and go, “Yup, seems right.”

Lorenzo Cain, who got the last laugh on the five other finalists by winning a World Series with the Kansas City Royals, is an inspired third choice even though he is clearly the No. 3 option on the ballot. 

Unlike some previous MVP battles that have come down to “old” stats versus sabermetrics, the separation between Trout and Donaldson comes in on-base percentage. 

It may be an overly simplistic analysis to focus on one category as a divider, yet it’s the one that immediately jumps out because it’s also the most important. The purpose of baseball is for one team to score more runs than the other team, which is accomplished by getting on base and preventing runs. 

Donaldson was a superior defender to Trout at an important position (third base), but Trout’s five runs saved are even better because center field is a more vital position. Cain is at another level among this trio on defense, but his edge with the glove isn’t so substantial that his inferior offense closes the gap. 

With that argument, Trout’s 31-point advantage in on-base percentage is huge. It’s giving his team more opportunities to score runs and create chances, which is all a single player can do. Both players hit 41 home runs, but Donaldson had 33 more RBI simply because he had more chances. 

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports had the breakdown of “clutch” stats in 2015:

Here is Donaldson with:
Runners on: .335/.409/.601
Runners in scoring position: .358/.445/.627
RISP with 2 outs: .254/.382/.444

Now Trout:
Runners on: .319/.458/.559 
Runners in scoring position: .352/.512/.693
RISP with 2 outs: .314/.556/.371

Passan also noted that Donaldson came up with at least one runner in scoring position 206 times compared to 141 for Trout. That’s one reason to look away from RBI as a telling stat for awards. 

Despite these advantages for Trout, this award has been Donaldson’s since Toronto took off in the second half and he was the best player on the team. 

ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark summed up why Donaldson is going to be named AL MVP on Thursday:

Not everything about picking an MVP is rational. Or quantifiable. Can we all agree on that? OK, we can’t, I guess, since some people think everything is quantifiable. But when I went about trying to decide who the real American League MVP was — Josh Donaldson or Mike Trout — I plead guilty to concluding, in the end, there was more to this than leaderboards and spreadsheets. 

There are enough voters who think the way Stark does about the MVP award that Donaldson’s narrative and his performance are going to carry him to a victory. 

Trout, for the third time in four years, has to “settle” for being the best player in the American League without getting the MVP award. 

AL Prediction: Josh Donaldson

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The winners of hotly contested Cy Young Award battles in the American League and National League were revealed Wednesday, as the Chicago Cubs’ Jake Arrieta and the Houston Astros’ Dallas Keuchel took home the honors as the best pitchers in 2015. 

Voting was expected to be tight in both leagues, and the final point totals showed that that held true:

The National League race was the main event, with three titans in Arrieta, Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw all deserving. Ultimately, Arrieta became the Cubs’ first Cy Young winner since Greg Maddux in 1992. 

Arrieta didn’t have the best season from start to finish, but his closing act in 2015 was one of the best Major League Baseball has ever seen, per MLB Communications:

Keuchel joined Mike Scott (1986) and Roger Clemens (2004) as the only pitchers in Astros history to win a Cy Young Award. He had a comfortable edge over David Price in first-place votes to secure the honor.

ESPN Stats & Info highlighted some of the reasons why Houston’s star left-hander came out on top:

The statistical separation between Keuchel and Price was close, even going into advanced metrics. Per FanGraphs, Price had a slim edge in WAR (6.4) thanks to a slightly better strikeout rate (9.19 to 8.38) and walk rate (1.92 to 1.98), but Keuchel’s edge in home run rate (0.66 to 0.69) and expected fielding independent ERA (2.75 to 3.24) helped put him over the top.

Sticking with stats for Arrieta and Keuchel, per Daren Willman of BaseballSavant.com, exit velocity this season was a huge indicator of overall success:

Always humble in victory, Keuchel said on the MLB Network broadcast (via MLB Network PR) he wasn’t anticipating this moment:

Sticking with his humility, Keuchel was quick to give credit to the players around him, per MLB Network PR:

That’s an underrated component with the Cy Young Award. Even though there are metrics now to show us how good or bad a pitcher is, getting help from the defense is always going to be integral because one or two runs saved here and there can dramatically change an ERA.

While Keuchel was great on his own at generating strikeouts with 216, he was a ground-ball-heavy pitcher (61.7 percent), and the Astros finished fourth in baseball with 30 defensive runs saved.

This season also marked the culmination of what has been a dramatic turnaround for Keuchel and to a greater extent Arrieta, as noted by ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield:

That struggle to put everything together was something Arrieta talked about after he received the NL Cy Young, per MLB Network PR:

Keuchel gradually evolved into one of MLB’s best pitchers, posting a 5.15 ERA in 2013 before breaking out with a 2.93 mark in 2014 and his Cy Young season this year.

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe also provided some words of advice to teams in the future after Keuchel captured the award:

It is hard to find anyone else like Keuchel because he dominates despite throwing a fastball that averaged 89.6 mph this season. It’s a testament to his command, movement and pitch sequencing that he put up the numbers he did in 2015.

Going back to last year, when the Cleveland Indians’ Corey Kluber won the AL Cy Young, and now with Keuchel and Arrieta getting their day in the sun, things can change rapidly in Major League Baseball. Some of next year’s best pitchers may not be on your radar right now, but there is ample evidence they are coming.

Stats courtesy of FanGraphs.

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After winning Manager of the Year two times with the Tampa Bay Rays, Joe Maddon brought his magic to the Chicago Cubs and was named 2015 National League Manager of the Year. 

MLB Network provided the news:

Maddon won the award over New York Mets skipper Terry Collins and St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. Here is a look at the voting results:

With this win, Maddon joins Buck Showalter, Lou Piniella and Dusty Baker as three-time winners of the award. Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox are the only four-time winners. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he is the seventh manager to win the award three times and the sixth to win it in each league. 

Taking over a Cubs team that won 73 games in 2014 and had five consecutive losing seasons, Maddon was faced with a daunting task. 

Never one to shy away from a challenge, though, Maddon said at his introductory press conference in Chicago last November that he was thinking big right away, per CBS Sports’ Dayn Perry:

We’re going to set our marks high. So I’m going to talk playoffs, and I’m going to talk World Series. This year. I promise you. And I’m going to believe it. And I’m going to see how all this is going to play out. It’s within our future, there’s no question about that. I don’t know exactly when that’s going to happen, but in my mind’s eye, we’re going to the playoffs next year. That’s how I’m going to approach next season.

Everyone was aware the Cubs were building something interesting in the minors, with talent like Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Jorge Soler poised to make an impact of some kind in 2015, but even the most optimistic fans were calling Maddon crazy at the time. 

A funny thing happened along the way: The Cubs were winning right out of the gate, leading to surprise early call-ups for Russell and Kyle Schwarber. The young nucleus that also included Anthony Rizzo and breakout pitching sensation Jake Arrieta led the franchise to 97 wins in the regular season and an appearance in the NLCS for the first time since 2003. 

The Cubs’ 24-win improvement from 2014 was the most in MLB, with Texas being the only other team to break the 20-win plateau. 

Maddon has been revered as one of the best managers in baseball since he took over Tampa Bay in 2006. His work with the young Cubs in 2015 has the franchise expecting greatness moving forward and resulted in his latest Manager of the Year triumph.  

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After leading the Texas Rangers to the American League West title and a 21-win improvement from 2014, Jeff Banister was named the 2015 American League Manager of the Year on Tuesday by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. 

The Chicago Cubs’ Joe Maddon won the National League award.

MLB announced Banister beat out fellow finalists A.J. Hinch of the Houston Astros and Paul Molitor of the Minnesota Twins to capture the award. According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the last Rangers manager to win the honor was Buck Showalter in 2004.

Banister is also the first rookie manager to win the AL award since the BBWAA started handing out the accolade in 1983, per John Blake, the Rangers’ executive vice president of communications.

Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle provided the voting breakdown:

Banister was tasked with taking over a Texas team that was coming off a 95-loss season in 2014. Things didn’t start well in 2015, as ace Yu Darvish was told in March that he needed Tommy John surgery, and the Rangers finished April with a 7-14 record. 

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News before Banister was officially named a finalist for AL Manager of the Year that the slow start may have worked in his favor.

“Everyone will look at the second half,” Daniels said. “But it may be the other way around. When we were outmanned and out-talented, he set the tone. The way he handled that and how he led guys—including me—was so impressive.”

There may be something to that, since the Manager of the Year is often determined by a team’s expectations before the season starts. The Rangers looked like a mess out of the gate, but they went 81-60 after April to reach the postseason for the first time since 2012. 

It’s easy to praise a manager when things are going well, but Banister had to navigate tricky waters in his first season on the job. He kept the clubhouse together and got the team to gel down the stretch. 

Even though Houston was the biggest surprise in Major League Baseball during the regular season, it was the Rangers who won the AL West, going 13-6 against their in-state foe. 

Hinch and Molitor were worthy challengers for Manager of the Year, but Banister was the no-doubt winner of the award. 

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Coming off his most productive season in years, Brett Anderson has decided to stick with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Anderson has accepted the Dodgers’ qualifying offer. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports confirmed that Anderson would be taking the one-year guarantee.

Under terms of the qualifying-offer system, per Doug Miller of MLB.com, players who accept will make $15.8 million in 2016.

Anderson has been one of the biggest cautionary tales in MLB for years. The left-hander has always shown great ability when healthy, but injuries had prevented him from making 20 starts in a season for five consecutive years before 2015.

Last year, starting a career-high 31 games for the Dodgers, Anderson proved that he has a lot left in the tank.

Even though Anderson doesn’t miss bats the way he used to, he has always generated a lot of ground balls, and last season was his best year in that regard. His 66.3 percent rate in 2015 was nearly 5 percent better than any other starting pitcher in the majors, per FanGraphs.

Speaking to Mark Saxon of ESPN.com in March, Anderson talked about why his ability to keep the ball on the ground is such a critical part of his game. 

“When I was younger and throwing harder, I’d strike more people out. Obviously, you have to evolve,” Anderson said. “As I’ve gotten older and had some of the injuries, I don’t throw quite as hard, but that’s part of pitching and part of being in the big leagues for a little while now.”

The Dodgers put Anderson in a situation where he doesn’t have to lead the rotation like he did in Oakland and Colorado because Clayton Kershaw is the staff ace. The team faces uncertainty behind Kershaw next season, with Zack Greinke opting out of his deal and Brandon McCarthy set to miss the start of 2016 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. 

The 27-year-old Anderson will continue to be a volatile pitcher until he builds a track record of staying healthy, but the Dodgers can expect another solid season after his work in 2015, securing much-needed rotation depth.

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Colby Rasmus reignited his career as a member of the Houston Astros in 2015, so it’s no surprise that the 29-year-old has decided to extend his stay with the franchise as the team confirmed on Friday.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, first reported Rasmus would accept the team’s qualifying offer for one year and $15.8 million. “Rasmus is the first free agent to ever accept a qualifying offer,” Rosenthal added. “All 34 players who received QOs the past three years rejected them.”

Rasmus’ career arc has been unusual, to say the least. He arrived on the scene with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009, ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect by Baseball America. He put together a terrific 2010 season (.276/.361/.498) and seemed destined for stardom.

A feud involving Rasmus, Rasmus’ father and former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa reportedly led to the outfielder being traded to Toronto in 2011. He put together another strong season in 2013, hitting .276/.338/.501. But in 2014 he slashed .225/.287/.448 with 18 home runs, so 2015’s 25 homers and .789 OPS with the Astros put him back on track as a quality power hitter. 

“Inconsistent” is the word that immediately comes to mind with Rasmus, but the good years are often very good. Using FanGraphs‘ metrics, he’s had four seasons worth at least 2.5 wins above replacement and three years worth less than 1.0.

One thing Rasmus does provide is power, as he has ranked well among outfielders in homers and slugging percentage since 2010.

There will always be limits to Rasmus’ game, notably high strikeout totals. He has struck out at least 124 times in each of the last four seasons, but power is a commodity that every team is seeking. He was a big reason the Astros hit 230 homers last season (No. 2 in MLB behind Toronto’s 232) and made their first playoff appearance since 2005. 

With the Astros on the rise and building around a young core, having a solid veteran presence on the roster who plays at a high level will help the team stay in the playoff mix for years to come.

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One day after handing out Gold Glove awards to 18 of the best defensive players the sport has to offer, Major League Baseball took time to honor the best of the best with the Defensive Player of the Year awards. 

Unlike the Gold Glove awards, which MLB coaches and managers vote on, the Defensive Player of the Year Award has a specific criterion: Winners come from a formula that incorporates different metrics to determine the best glove magicians MLB had to offer in 2015. 

With that criterion in mind, here is the list of winners at each position and the team winner:    

Interestingly, only five of the nine names are duplicates from the Gold Glove awards. Atlanta Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who was also named the overall winner for Defensive Player of the Year, is one of the newbies. New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey and Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar were the other non-Gold Glovers to capture a trophy.

Of course, it’s not a surprise that Simmons captured this honor. It was more stunning that he was beat out by San Francisco’s Brandon Crawford, who is a fantastic defensive shortstop in his own right, for the Gold Glove. 

Upon seeing that he was named Defensive Player of the Year at shortstop, Simmons took to Twitter to express his excitement in emoji form:

It can be easy to take Simmons’ defensive wizardry for granted, especially now that he is in his fourth season, but whether it is through the eye test or metrics, the 26-year-old remains in a class all by himself at shortstop thanks to gems like this, per MLB.com:

As great as Simmons is at shortstop, it’s hard to argue with the entirety of the winners’ list. The only real gripe to be had is Pillar beating the Tampa Bay Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier in center field. 

Just using the criterion, Kiermaier was credited with an MLB-leading 42 defensive runs saved and five defensive wins above replacement.    

Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated summed up Kiermaier’s credentials nicely on Twitter when a fan questioned how Pillar could lose the Gold Glove:

Pillar’s numbers certainly don’t make him an egregious choice—just an odd one when there was another defender at the same position who graded out as superior. 

The most difficult call on paper had to be at third base between the Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado, who won the award, and the Baltimore Orioles’ Manny Machado. 

ESPN’s Mark Simon did post some numbers working in Arenado’s favor following Tuesday’s Gold Glove announcement:

Machado did finish slightly behind Arenado in defensive runs saved with 14 and defensive WAR with 1.9. Both players are elite defenders who would have made worthy winners, so there’s no argument against Arenado. 

On the team side, the Arizona Diamondbacks rated as the best in baseball this season with 71 defensive runs saved and finished third in UZR (23.8). Six players with at least 500 defensive innings had positive defensive runs saved totals, including four with at least 13 runs saved. 

Defensive metrics in Major League Baseball are still a work-in-progress, as any formula should be, but there’s no denying the power of glove work in the sport. Finding offense has become harder in MLB, so teams need to find ways to turn balls in play into outs. 

The nine players who took home Defensive Player of the Year honors would certainly pack an offensive punch with hitters like Posey and Paul Goldschmidt, but it would take a perfectly placed ball from the opposition to even think of getting a hit. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs. 

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