50th Anniversary of Gold Glove ballot

[Guest KC]

Rawlings unveiled a ballot today for fans to vote on the best gold glovers of
all time to commemorate the awards 50th anniversary.

You can vote here.

I haven't looked at who's on the ballot or anything, but it may make for a good
thread. I heard it discussed on Mike and Mike in the Morning show today and
just remember.

[Guest cooby]

Link doesn't work, but I'd vote for Keef and Rey

[Guest cooby]

Sorry, now it does

[Guest KC]

Mays (cup o' coffee), Alomar (ug), and Keith are the Mets on the ballot.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Pitcher: Kaat, Jim

Catcher: Bench, Johnny

First Base: Hernandez, Keith

Second Base: Mazeroski, Bill

Third Base: Robinson, Brooks

Shortstop: Smith, Ozzie

Outfield: Blair, Paul

Outfield: Clemente, Roberto

Outfield: Maddox, Garry

Yeah, I voted for two centerfielders. Sue me. The outfield portion of the ballot was full of centerfielders.

I feel goofy participating, because I think the GGs are pretty farcical. But can I stand there and watch the box get stuffed with Mattingly votes? I cannot!

[Guest OlerudOwned]

If Derek Jeter wins this, I'm burning down the internet.

[Guest Edgy DC]

		Agee
Gilkey				HIdalgo
	Ordoñez		Flynn
Ventura		McDowell		Hernandez
		Grote

[metsmarathon]

jeter makes the ballot over trammel, fernandez, and larkin?! i'd be happier even with arod or ripken!

[Guest Edgy DC]

Or Mike Bordick. Or Rey Ordo�ez. Or Buddy Harrelson. Or a dozen other peeps who didn't even play for the Mets.

If the vote should be total defensive win shares (lower case, so you can measure dws however you want), then the winner is usally going to be whoever spent the longest at that postion. But I don't thik that's what Rawlings wants. At least, I hope not. because that's going to reward a batsman almost every time.

The top defensive player at his position can keep his job for a few years if he doesn't hit, but not much longer.

[Frayed Knot]

Nate Silver over at Baseball Prospectus gives a big ol 'LOL' at the inclusion of Mr. Jeter on the GG ballot and finds that their measure of his 'Fielding Runs (saved) Above Average' [FRAA] leaves him just a bit outside of a few others in the Gold Glove era.

[MFS62]

Pitcher: Kaat
Catcher: Bench
First Base: Hernandez
Second Base: Mazeroskil
Third Base: Robinson
Shortstop: Smith
Outfield: Flood
Outfield: Clemente
Outfield: Mays


Yep, I voted for two centerfielders, too.

It was interesting that Vic Power was on the ballot, but Gil Hodges wasn't. Both were at one time considered the "best righty fielding first baseman" of their time.

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Power won seven Gold Gloves, and Hodges three. Now, that's all contextual, and a large chunk of Hodges' era didn't overlap the Gold Glove era, and the one year there was only one award given for both leagues --- 1956 --- Gil won, but I strongly suspect that what mattered most when coming up with a ballot was that one guy won seven and the other guy three.

And getting Jeter onto the ballot, I guess. Amazing.

[seawolf17]

If Keith Hernandez doesn't win the first base award, I'm buying the special internet gasoline for OO.

FIRST BASE GOLD GLOVES
11. Keith Hernandez
9. Don Mattingly
8. George Scott
7. Vic Power
7. Bill White
6. Wes Parker
6. J.T. Snow
4. Steve Garvey
4. Mark Grace
3. Todd Helton
3. Gil Hodges
3. Eddie Murray
3. John Olerud
3. Rafael Palmeiro
3. Joe Pepitone
2. Cecil Cooper
2. Andres Galarraga
2. Derrek Lee
2. Jim Spencer
2. Mark Teixeira

[MFS62]

Thinking Back:

The comparison between Power and Hodges is like the comparison between Smith and Belanger.
Power was the first "flash and dash" first baseman (or fielder at any position I can recall) - what we call a "hot dog" today. And he won his gold gloves in an era when the job description for a first baseman was "he can drill the ball 400 feet". So when it came to fielding, his exploits stood out. But Hodges was steadily excellent. And with both came the caveat "for a right handed first baseman". But Hernandez was the best I ever saw, and that's why I voted for him.

At short, Belanger was steadily excellent, without the flash and dash of Ozzie. But Ozzie made plays that I feel Belanger might not have, and for that reason the WIz got my vote.

Later

[Guest ABG]

P: Maddox
C: Bench
1B: Keith
2B: Alomar
SS: Smith
3B: Robinson
OF: Andruw
OF: Clemente
OF: Mays

My ballot is biased towards guys I have seen. Andruw, for instance, was the best defensive player I've ever seen (he's since fallen off). I freakin' hate that guy, but how can I not vote for him?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think Andruw Jones' period of brilliance was a lot shorter than his period of Gold Gloves.

[metirish]

I just can't or refuse to take seriously any ballot that has Jeter as an all time great glove man at SS...for fucks sake he's barely above average at SS.

[Guest ABG]

Edgy DC wrote: I think Andruw Jones' period of brilliance was a lot shorter than his period of Gold Gloves.

I grant that. I'd say he was at his apex from about 1997 through 2002. That's still six years of unparalleled excellence. And I still think his last three or four GG's are well earned and not merely reputational.

[stevejrogers]

The problem with Jeter is the same problem with alot of these fan voted Anniversary things.

Who ever is running these things want to honor "legendary players" no matter if they really do deserve to be on the ballot.

Omar Vizquel was cleaning up the SS Gold Gloves in the AL while the Troika (Nomar, ARod, Jeter) were getting all the press in the late 1990's but will many people vote for him? Other than "true" baseball fans and Cleveland fans, Seattle fans of the pre-ARod years and current Giant fans, hardly anyone would know Omar Vizquel from Omar Minaya

Interesting, looking at the lists, doesn't seem like there are too many "bad jobs" though. SS GGs have been the weak spot in terms of big names on the winner list, so there you go with Jeter's name being on there.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think people not voting for Jeter is far less problemeatic than them not having a chance to vote for Ripken, Larkin, et al.

[Guest SI Metman]

It'd be a travesty if Jeter won over Ozzie.

First base is going to come down to Met vs Yank.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Well, we know who A-Rod is voting for.

http://www.aolsportsblog.com/2007/02/26/alex-rodriguez-knows-how-new-yorkers-feel-about-him/

Bergen Record wrote: Jason Giambi picked Mattingly for sentimental reasons � "Donnie was my favorite player" � while Alex Rodriguez was on the verge of choosing Hernandez because, as a die-hard Met fan growing up, "I watched every single Met on WOR for four straight years. I saw so much more of Mex than I did Donnie." A-Rod didn't officially choose Mattingly, however, because as he said with a rueful smile, "Yankee fans already hate me."