The Pittsburgh Pirates went 0-for-3 in the Gold Glove awards tonight, with Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen, and Russell Martin all losing at their respective positions.
Starling Marte lost to Carlos Gonzalez in left field. This is a typical Gold Glove choice, giving the award to someone who was a good hitter and has a recognizable name. Marte had a 20.1 UZR/150 this year, which was the best mark of all MLB left-fielders in baseball with 700+ innings. Gonzalez had a 9.5 UZR/150. Gonzalez also missed half the season with an injury.
Andrew McCutchen lost to Carlos Gomez in center field. This one made sense, as Gomez was clearly the best defender. He had a 27.2 UZR/150, while McCutchen was at an 8.4 UZR/150. McCutchen showed improved defense this year, but Gomez was better. Rawlings said the award was close.
Closest #RawlingsGoldGlove Award non-pitcher race? AL SS, followed by NL CF. Some major blowouts at other positions.
— Rawlings Baseball (@RawlingsSports) October 29, 2013
Russell Martin lost to Yadier Molina behind the plate. Martin won the award in 2007, and Molina has won every year since. Based on the FanGraphs defensive ratings, Martin was the best catcher. He was worth nine runs in preventing stolen bases, compared to two runs from Molina. Martin was worth 4.5 runs in blocking pitches, with Molina worth 5.9 runs. The caught stealing numbers were a big reason why Martin was rated better defensively. Molina had a better percentage, at 43% compared to 40% from Martin, but Martin dealt with almost double the amount of attempts (89 vs 46).
