Baltimore Orioles: Gold Glove and other Postseason Awards

Jun 3, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis (21) makes a sliding catch in the second inning against the Texas Rangers at Global Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

A part of having had such a successful season as was enjoyed by the Baltimore Orioles is the collection of a growing number of awards and accolades from all corners of the sports media world.

While recognition is nice and is the product of a lot of things having been done well, and while it is better to be in the discussions for such hardware rather than being ignored because of poor performance, a great deal of winning these awards is a bit like being nominated for the homecoming court in high school. The most popular and beautiful have the best shot at winning, even if their character and lives don’t especially deserve it.

So I have a measure of antipathy toward either enthusiasm for such, or angst when my Baltimore Orioles boys don’t win. And when they don’t, I find myself reading the news, saying to myself “Well, that’s sad,” and looking quickly for something more interesting to read.

For example, there’s no need for annoyance that Buck Showalter did not garner the recent “Manager of the Year Award.” It was a vote among the managers as to who would win it! At least 14 of the American League managers participated, whereas only like about six did in the National League. My guess is that while Buck is respected, his attention to every detail before, during, and after a game may well irritate a few opposing skippers. I don’t know; just guessing there. But Buck was clearly not grieved at not winning; he seemed almost relieved.

Gold Glove Awards

It does seem to me that a Rawlings Gold Glove Award carries some gravitas. The top three vote getters have been announced (there are not actually nominees), and the winners will be declared on November 4th on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m.

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The voting on these awards has already been completed and accounts for 75% of the total, whereas the remaining 25% factors varied sabermetric calculations.

Last year the Orioles had six finalists and garnered four awards. Of course, the big three who were out much of the year – Manny Machado, Matt Wieters, and Chris Davis – were not included this year.

For the 2014 season the Baltimore Orioles have three finalists in Nick Markakis, J.J. Hardy, and Adam Jones. I listed them in my order of deserving recognition, though their chances are more likely in the reverse order (see homecoming comment above).

What are their chances?  …..

Nick Markakis – The man has not committed an error since 2012! Give the man the stinkin’ Gold Glove and be done with it. How many times did we see Nick either dive head first and stretched out for a catch, or see him crashing into a wall while getting the out? I suppose there is some defensive dWAR stat that critiques his range or something like that. As much as I love statistics, I have a difficult time putting faith in WAR sabermetics.

The other nominees/finalists are Kole Calhoun of the Angels and the Kevin Kiermaier of the Rays.

That chart makes it look pretty clear as to who should win, doesn’t it?

J.J. Hardy – He is the winner the past two seasons. After a stretch where he made five errors in only four games in early June (including three in one game against Texas), along with an occasional error here and there, I would have assumed he was pretty much out of the running.

The other two candidates are Alcides Escobar of the Royals and Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox. We know from watching Hardy make all the plays nightly that he is outstanding, but so are these guys in a similar fashion. I remember being immensely impressed with both during the season.

Adam Jones – If he were to win, it would be his third consecutive and fourth total, having first won in 2009. Jones makes some great plays, and we have seen some incredible assists from him. To be fair, his reputation may be a bit larger than life, and that will help him, though there is no doubt he is among the best in the business.

The other two finalists are Jackie Bradley of the Red Sox and Adam Eaton of the White Sox.