NewsFresh faces likely on AL Gold Glove squad
Injuries, retirement force turnover on defensive team
By Tom Singer / MLB.com
11/10/09 1:00 AM EST
Becoming a member of the Gold Glove team, an assemblage honored for fielding excellence, is somewhat akin to becoming a member of the Supreme Court. The seats are for keeps on both gilded nines, although that is not the rule in the baseball group. Just the trend. A defensive reputation is harder to lose than that wad of chewing gum stuck to the sole of your shoe. So no wonder there is great anticipation for the American League Gold Glove team that will be announced Tuesday and will feature a dramatic turnover. That is guaranteed, for an unassailable reason: Several incumbents simply aren't qualified to repeat. The pitcher on the 2008 AL Gold Glove squad, Mike Mussina, has retired. The shortstop, Texas' Michael Young, now plays third base. One of the outfielders, Grady Sizemore of the Indians, remains eligible in a technical sense, but various injuries limited him to 92 outfield appearances. The third baseman, Adrian Beltre, is subject to the same obstacle, especially since in his own injury-limited 111 games, he had as many errors (14) as he had in 220 more chances in 2008. But plenty of status quo should remain. Ichiro Suzuki and Torii Hunter have been co-mainstays in the other two-thirds of the outfield, both having earned eight consecutive Gold Gloves since 2001. During that time, they've shared the golden pastures with four different players (Vernon Wells, Mike Cameron and Darin Erstad prior to Sizemore) and may be welcoming a new neighbor. Gold Glove time could be an opportunity for Mark Teixeira's exceptional defense to re-emerge from the shadow of the AL RBI champ's bat. The first baseman is in line to add to the Gold Gloves collection he started in 2005-06 with the Rangers -- which would allow him to earn a unique awards-double, which probably does not get as much notoriety as deserved. The Silver Slugger Awards -- which will be announced Thursday night at 6 p.m. ET on the MLB Network -- recognize offensive standouts at each position. So, combined, Silver and Gold present an unbiased, objective look at the best at both ends of the game. Doubling in them isn't as rare as one might be led to believe, given the perception that baseball is increasingly a game of specialization. Teixeira himself has already earned both, in 2005. Likewise, 2008 Gold Glovers Joe Mauer and Dustin Pedroia also bagged Silver Sluggers at catcher and second, respectively. The Gold Glove Award reflects appreciation for true defensive excellence in an age overcome by a dizzying array of statistical data that merely befuddles people who know great leather when they see it. Stats reflect what you do with the balls you field, saying little about the speed, range, derring-do and glove-suction that enhances your chance to get to them. Even the barest statistic -- fielding percentage -- isn't entirely trustworthy. Two of the AL leaders at each position in 2009 have earned past Gold Gloves: Shortstop Derek Jeter (2004-06) and second baseman Placido Polanco (2007). The season's other leaders were first baseman Lyle Overbay, third baseman Joe Crede, outfielder Jason Bay and catcher Gerald Laird. The position in the center of the most mystery must be the one in the center of the infield. For one very plain reason: No currently active pitcher has ever won the award, with the exception of Johan Santana (2007), now in the other league. Mussina earned his seventh Gold Glove last season, then joined in retirement the two left-handers, who between them had taken home every other Gold Glove since 1990, Kenny Rogers and Mark Langston.Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, Change for a Nickel. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
