2015’s Fielding Bible defensive awards have been announced. The National League had 6 winners, the American League 3.
No real surprises anywhere on the list
First Base – Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
Second Base – Ian Kinsler, Detroit Tigers
Third Base – Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies
Shortstop – Andrelton Simmons, Atlanta Braves
Left Field – Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates
Center Field – Kevin Kiermaier, Tampa Bay Rays
Right Field – Jason Heyward, St. Louis Cardinals
Catcher – Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
Pitcher – Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros
Multi-Position – Ender Inciarte, Arizona Diamondbacks
ScoutsEdit for Words and added Featured Image
The NL actually had seven award winners, since apparently FB does a multi-position award.
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Well, I’ve proved that not only didn’t I read the whole article, but that I can’t freakin count either.
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I knew Kinsler was decent at second, but looking it up he is actually an elite defender at the position and has been since 2009 or so.
Happy that these awards appear to be going towards actually good defenders rather than ‘flashy’ defenders or big bats like the GG.
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Kiermaier!! If offense bled into this award, Trout and Pillar would have a big edge on Kiermaier.
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Goldschmidt and Posey are kinda weird…not sure i’d put them in the top 3 for either position. Seem like cases of offense bleeding into perception of defense. I’d probably have voted for Martin and Belt for those positions.
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Posey, yeah definitely. Goldy had a higher RF than anyone except Adrian Gonzalez, and the highest dWar (0.9) among 1st basemen and Gonzalez ( 0.1) is the only other one with a positive dWar
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Baseball ref’s defensive metrics are both funky and subjectively determined. They regularly make no sense whatsoever.
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These awards seem pretty fair to me. No gross injustices, unlike the GG.
Posey, per SABR, had the highest SDI (an aggregation of various defensive metrics) of any catcher. Seems like he was fairly awarded:
http://sabr.org/sdi/2015-09-13 (9/13 was the last time they released rankings.)
Goldy had the 2nd best SDI, with Belt being the best. I know defensive metrics are flawed, but they’re the best we have.
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I agree, I just looked up Posey on the season and he was pretty damn good this year. He’s not typically someone I think of as an elite defender, but for 2015 he was. Martin was actually well below his historical norms.
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Interesting to note that based on SDI Yelich was actually the 3rd best LF in the game defensively. I have read a lot of stuff about how Yelich should be at first and that he’s not a very good defender, but the reality appears to be that he’s actually a good defender, and people seem to forget that he is capable of playing CF as well.
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I’m infuriated that Kyle Schwarber didn’t win for both LF and C.
Complete snub.
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Obviously rigged.
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Kinsler!
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Hope you and stex and socratic are all staying safe in the bad weather over there.
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I had a dickens of a time getting home last night. They are doing highway construction and the concrete barriers are like retaining walls to keep the water on the highway. Everyone was going 30 mph through it — in TEXAS!
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Didn’t think anybody in Texas knew how to drive that slow. Glad y’all are all safe tho.
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The heaviest of the rain didn’t come up in my corner of Texas;. We got about an inch and a half, not much more. Hist, are you down in Helltown, in Austin, or where?
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Up in the northern quarters of the Metroplex.
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No longer an Okie?
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Not for a good year now (and never an “Okie” — thanks for the insult).
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Ahh, Dallas, the New York City of Texas, eh Hist? Uttered by many native Texans as an insult, but, in reality, a compliment, of course. I lived in the Metromess most of the previous decade, and have bounced around a bit in the newspaper world since. I’m currently in Uppah Deep East Texas.
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On Heyward, this certainly adds more spice to his pending free agency, and Mozeliak needing to put a crowbar in his wallet.
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