On Tuesday night, outfielder Kevin Kiermaier became the fifth Tampa Bay Ray to win a Gold Glove Award, joining third baseman Evan Longoria (who has two), outfielder Carl Crawford, first baseman Carlos Pena and pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.
Two components were used to determine the winner of the Gold Glove: a vote by American League coaches and managers, and a statistical element which consisted of a collaboration with the Society for American Baseball Research (or SABR).
Kiermaier collected a season of gravity defying catches, a pair of home-run robberies, and more than a few pinpoint accurate throws which allowed him to lead big-league centerfielders with 15 assists ― one assist shy of the franchise record set by BJ…urm, Melvin Upton Jr. in 2008. All told, The Outlaw measured well in all of the the different defensive categories, including a record setting 42 Defensive Runs Saved* (or DRS).
Kiermaier became just the seventh AL outfielder to win a Gold Glove in his first full season since 1957, when the awards were first presented, joining Josh Reddick (Oakland, 2012), Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle, 2001), Rick Manning (Cleveland, 1976), Fred Lynn (Boston, 1975), Tommy Agee (ChiSox, 1966) and Norm Siebern (New York Yankees, 1958).
I always knew I’ve been a good defender, Kiermaier said prior to the announcement, but to do it on the biggest stage and get the recognition I have from players and coaches throughout the game, I can’t put words to describe how good it makes me feel about myself and finally getting the recognition I feel like I deserve out there.
Longoria was also a finalist at third base, however, both he and Adrian Beltre lost out to Manny Machado.
*DRS measures the number of runs a player saved or cost their team on defense relative to an average player. Any positive number is above average, and the best fielders typically fall into a range of 15–20 for a season.
Noteworthiness
― In case you needed a reminder of why Kevin Kiermaier deserved a Gold Glove…