Astros: Correa, Gurriel, Tucker named Gold Glove finalists

Houston Astros players Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel and Kyle Tucker were named finalists for Gold Glove Awards.

Rawlings announced its finalists for the 2020 Gold Glove Awards on Thursday, and three Astros were among the possible winners. Shortstop Carlos Correa, first baseman Yuli Gurriel and left fielder Kyle Tucker were the three Houston players in the running, which means there were a couple of possible snubs as well.

Typically, managers and coaches will vote for Gold Glove winners, but that is not the case this year given that teams played only within their specific geographic area. The awards will, instead, be given out solely based on defensive metrics, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out this year.

Shortstops

Correa had no shortage of highlight reel plays and frequently showed off his cannon for an arm in 2020, so it’s no surprise that he’s a finalist. His competition does not include Andrelton Simmons or Francisco Lindor, two players who have combined to win the last four AL Gold Glove Awards at shortstop. The other two finalists are Seattle’s J.P. Crawford and Detroit’s Niko Goodrum, neither of whom has won the award previously.

Correa led the AL in fielding percentage among shortstops (.995), committing only one error all year, and compiled eight defensive runs saved per Baseball-Reference. Crawford made three errors for a .986 fielding percentage and compiled six defensive runs saved. Goodrum made 30 of his 41 starts at short, making one error for a .991 fielding percentage and totaling three defensive runs saved. These numbers suggest Correa should be the favorite.

First Base

Gurriel is a finalist for the second straight year after losing to Oakland’s Matt Olson in 2019, who is the two-time reigning winner at the position. Olson is again a finalist, and the two are joined by Mariners rookie Evan White.

On the season, Gurriel made one error, totaling a .998 fielding percentage, and compiled two defensive runs saved. Olson made one error for a .998 fielding percentage and tallied five defensive runs saved. White also had one error and a .998 fielding percentage, but led the group with seven defensive runs saved. Given these numbers, Gurriel is not likely the favorite to win.

Left Field

Somewhat surprisingly, Tucker is a finalist in his first full season in the majors. He started 46 games in the outfield, with 40 of those coming in left field. He has stiff competition in seven-time winner Alex Gordon, along with Gurriel’s younger brother, Lourdes Gurriel, Jr.

Tucker made one error for a .987 fielding percentage in left, but totaled three defensive runs saved. Gordon did not make an error in 48 starts, but totaled just one defensive run saved. Gurriel made one error for a .990 fielding percentage but totaled minus-3 defensive runs saved. If managers and coaches voted, I’d give the edge to Gordon thanks to his reputation and the fact that he is retiring. But if it’s only numbers, Tucker has a legitimate shot here.

Greinke Snubbed

Zack Greinke, who has won six consecutive Gold Gloves, was not named a finalist this year. He played error-free ball but tallied only one defensive run saved, making this the first season he’s compiled fewer than four defensive runs saved since 2007. Should he have made it ahead of the three finalists?

The Angels’ Griffin Canning made one error for a .938 fielding percentage but totaled three defensive runs saved. Minnesota’s Kenta Maeda had one error for a .923 fielding percentage with one defensive run saved. Cleveland’s Zach Plesac made no errors and compiled two defensive runs saved in only eight starts. I would argue Greinke had a better year than Maeda, but Canning and Plesac have legitimate claims to the award.

No Machete?

Martin Maldonado was the heartbeat of the Astros defense this year, not just for his catching and throwing but also for his handling of the pitching staff and his durability. Unfortunately those last two don’t really factor into the mix here, but how did he do numbers-wise? In 46 starts, he made two errors for a .995 fielding percentage, tallied zero defensive runs saved and threw out 32 percent of base stealers.

Chicago’s Yasmani Grandal made 32 starts, committed two errors for a .993 fielding percentage, tallied five defensive runs saved and threw out 46 percent of base stealers. Chicago’s James McCann made 27 starts, committed four errors for a .985 fielding percentage, totaled five defensive runs saved and threw out 33 percent of base stealers. Cleveland’s Roberto Perez did not make an error in 30 starts, totaled six defensive runs saved and threw out a whopping 71 percent of base stealers, which was the best in the major leagues.

So from a sheer numbers standpoint, Maldonado wasn’t going to win. You could make a case he’s more deserving than McCann due to the extra errors, but Perez looks like a shoo-in to win his second consecutive Gold Glove. Still, that doesn’t take away from what Maldonado means to this Astros team.