Dodgers Win One Gold Glove Award

The Dodgers put a premium on defense this offseason, getting rid of three of their worst defenders and adding players that have been good defensively in the past.

While the team defense was improved, if you judge defense by Gold Gloves it seems that the Dodgers did more damage than good. They traded Dee Gordon, who was a below average defensive shortstop/second baseman coming off a good, unsustainable offensive year. They got a haul for him, but he sustained that offense and improved his defense enough to win his first career Gold Glove.

The Dodgers had two Gold Glove finalists in 2015. Adrian Gonzalez had a chance to win the fifth of his career and his second straight, but he was beaten out by Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt. Zack Greinke, who was named a Cy Young finalist earlier in the day, beat out fellow Cy Young finalist Jake Arrieta and Pirates’ stud Gerrit Cole for his second career (and consecutive) Gold Glove.

Oct 3, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke (21) in the eighth inning of the game against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Greinke became the first Dodger to win back-to-back Gold Gloves since Steve Garvey per True Blue LA. Greinke led NL pitchers in Defensive Runs Saved and while it’s not all on the pitcher, Greinke only allowed seven stolen bases this season (Arrieta allowed 27, Cole allowed 25). A lot of that has to do with his ability to keep runners off base and having Yasmani Grandal behind the plate, but Greinke is widely accepted as one of the better athletes in baseball and has always been a great defensive pitcher.

Greinke is a finalist for the Cy Young, and should probably be in contention for the Silver Slugger award as the best hitting pitcher in baseball. He probably won’t win it, but he really can do it all on the field.

Tomorrow, MLB will announce the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year awards. While Rawlings Gold Gloves are voted on by managers and coaches (along with stats), Wilson awards “use a formula that balances scouting information, sabermetric analysis and basic fielding stats to determine the best players at each position overall, and the best individuals and teams“.

Next: Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke named Cy Young finalists