The list actually came out last week. I didn’t address it at the time because my Rays were busy winning a pennant and playing in the World Series.
This award has at times in the past been notorious for awarding the undeserving based on reputation…often reputation with the bat and not the glove. In recent years an attempt to remedy that has been made by adding in a computer component. This year, apparently for this year only, the human voters got eliminated…so it’s just the computer. Nobody seems to know what goes into the computer algorithm—not the players, the managers, nor us fans.
I would like to know, though, because I have a gripe. Somehow a defense and pitching first team—the Rays—has zero players on the finalist list. That includes Kevin Kiermaier. He led all MLB center fielders in defensive runs saved (10), was second in assists (6), and was top 5 among all players defensively according to both Baseball Reference and Fangraphs. Yet the Rawlings Gold Glove Award computer apparently doesn’t rate him among the top 3 at his position in the AL.
Aaaaaannnnnddddd, here’s the winners:
Forgot to add a link for those who want to see the list
https://sabr.org/latest/2020-rawlings-gold-glove-award-finalists-announced/
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