How does this happen and not cause national outrage? Derek Jeter winning the AL Gold Glove at shortstop should have been welcomed with anger and vitriol usually reserved for mass murderers and Smashmouth reunion tours. Instead, most people wrinkled their noses like the guy in the next cube farted, and moved on. It’s as if people are resigned to the fact that the Yankee Empire is entitled to take whatever they want: all the top free agents, the World Series, and now even the most undeserved individual awards.
The Gold Glove awards are voted by the Managers and coaches in each league for the best defensive player at each position. There’s a guy named Elvis Andrus playing in Texas that should be sporting a Gold Glove right now. Jeter had the highest fielding percentage and fewest errors of all starting shortstops…but that really doesn’t tell the story.
Andrus had 690 total chances to Jeter’s 554, and Jeets even played about 20 more innings than Elvis. Put-outs: 261-206 in favor of Andrus. Assists: 407-340…Andrus. Range Factor: 4.86-3.90…do I even have to say it? What all this means is that Jeter makes the plays if the ball is hit right at him, but he just doesn’t get to as many balls (insert “other than the ones bouncing off his chin” joke here) as Andrus, or several other AL shortstops.
In my opinion, this is another blemish on Major League Baseball. Whether Jeter won the award because he’s a better hitter, because he’s more popular or simply because he wears pinstripes really doesn’t matter. What matters is a great young shortstop was screwed out of the award. The rich get richer and the Yankee entitlement continues.
