Our Gold Glove analysis for each decade on MLB Monday returns today with a look at the 2010s. Sabermetrics really began to take hold in this decade when it came to awards voting—to the point of ridiculousness, sometimes. We’ve always used sabermetrics as the structural framework for our evaluations, but we’ve also used common sense when needed, as frameworks aren’t fully ironclad.
Álex González, SS: Yes, it’s that guy. We will always love him, but he also deserved a Gold Glove for the 2010 season when he led the majors with 3.8 dWAR. He did not win, mostly because he split the season between Boston (1.9) and Atlanta (1.9), and thus he wasn’t “good enough” to win in either league. Talk about a piece of bad luck! His 10.4 career dWAR included three seasons of at least 1.6 dWAR (2004, 2010, 2011).
Alexei Ramírez, SS: From 2009-2015, he compiled 11.1 dWAR without earning a GG vote win. From 2010-2012, specifically, he topped 2.0 dWAR every year for a combined, three-season total of 7.4 dWAR. He also won the Silver Slugger in 2010 with a 3.5 oWAR, so it’s odd his 3.1 dWAR that season was not recognized. He faded defensively after 2015, finishing his entire career with “just” 9.7 dWAR after that amazing stretch.
Sean Rodríguez, 2B: A somewhat forgettable career still produced 2.3 dWAR in 2010, when he played every position but catcher and pitcher for the Tampa Bay organization. His career 3.8 dWAR demonstrates that perhaps this season an anomaly, yet it still did happen. He primarily played second but was deployed all over the field to help the Rays win the AL East Division. His didn’t hit consistently, so that hurt him, too.
Austin Jackson, CF: In 2011, he topped the majors with 3.1 dWAR and did not win a Gold Glove. These moments in time are embarrassing to recognize, as it’s clear the voters were on another planet in an alternate universe. He did have a middling offensive season (1.9 oWAR), sandwiched between two stellar seasons (8.7 oWAR combined), but his team did win its division, so why didn’t the voters recognize him?!
Chris Young, CF: With 4.6 dWAR combined in 2010-2011, he certainly was deserving of a Gold Glove. He was named to the All-Star team in 2010, though, when he peaked with 3.6 oWAR, but his 2.7 oWAR in 2011 was not too far off. His team even won the NL West Division in 2011, but he didn’t get any credit for it. A few seasons later, he cratered, however, and he really never recovered the magic he had displayed in these years.
Brett Lawrie, 3B: For a guy who posted 4.3 WAR every 162 games he played, his career was quite short (six seasons). From 2011-2014, he compiled 5.8 dWAR, including 2.4 dWAR in 2012 alone. Alas, he didn’t win any Gold Gloves, and in his final two seasons, his defense took a dive in quality. His 2.5 oWAR in 2012 was a career best at the time, but it didn’t help him break into the consciousness of the GG voters, evidently.
Denard Span, CF: He only posted three seasons of positive defensive sabermetrics in whole career, but they all came in a row (2011-2013 for 4.7 combined dWAR). His best season was was 2012 with 2.3 dWAR, and he put up 3. o WAR that year as well, but his team finished fifth in the AL Central Division. That hurt his GG candidacy in what was probably his best shot at winning this specific trophy. It’s called bad luck.
