Colorado Rockies news and links for Tuesday, November 5, 2024
If you’re a fan of the 1986 film classic Highlander, you know the first rule: Only one Immortal can survive.
Oddly enough, this Russell Mulcahy cult favorite was on my mind when watching the Gold Glove awards on Sunday night, an evening that recognized Colorado Rockies Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle as winners.
However, it doesn’t end there. Now fans will get to vote on the AL and NL Platinum Glove awards with the winner revealed in a Gathering (pun intended) in New York on Friday. (You may vote here.)
In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a list of the 2024 NL Gold Glove winners:
- 1B – Christian Walker- ARI
- 2B – Brice Turang – MIL
- 3B – Matt Chapman – SFG
- SS – Ezequiel Tovar – COL
- LF – Ian Happ – CHC
- CF – Brenton Doyle – COL
- RF – Sal Frelick – MIL
- C – Patrick Bailey – SFG
- P – Chris Sale – ATL
- Utility – Jared Triolo – PITT
It’s an impressive list, and it’s also very cool that the Rockies have two winners. But only one can win the Platinum Glove.
Reader, I’m here to make a case for Brenton Doyle, and here’s why.
Stats don’t lie
Here’s what the defensive metrics, via FanGraphs, show:
FanGraphs
On one hand, it’s a seemingly impossible task to compare, say Chris Sale with Sal Frelick and Ezequiel Tovar. The positions are just too different. Still, the rules are clear on this one though the numbers do not make a clear case for any one player.
DRS: That goes to Turing (22) followed by Bailey (20) and Chapman (17). By this metric, Doyle comes in fifth (11) and Tovar is sixth (10).
UZR: The leader here is Happ (12.2), then Doyle (11.4) and Tovar (11.2). (By contrast, Turang comes in ninth at 1.6.)
OAA: Doyle comes in first here (16) closely followed by Tovar (15) and Walker (13). (Turang is fifth with six OAA.)
FRV: Patrick Bailey leads here (22) followed by Doyle (15) and Tovar (11).
Def: That goes to Bailey (37.0), and it’s not close. Tovar, then, is second (16.6) and then Doyle (12.4).
Errors: Chapman had the most (15) followed by Tovar (8) and Turang (7). Doyle had four, which ranks fourth.
Innings: Iron man Tovar wins this category (1375.2) followed by Chapman (1338.0) and Turang (1277.2). Doyle ranks fifth with 1242.2 innings. It’s also worth noting, however, than half of Doyle’s and Tovar’s innings came at Coors Field, the most challenging field in MLB.
There’s no clear leader, but Doyle places in the top three enough times that his underlying metrics show the elite caliber of his defense. (I realize it’s possible to make this case for Tovar as well, but Doyle’s scores are higher in enough categories to give him an edge.)
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
He’s always taken his defense seriously.
As he told me back in August: “It’s no secret, really. It’s just a lot of hard work. I don’t take practice out there very lightly when I’m trying to shag balls and get reads. I actually look at it as an advantage, being able to play at Coors Field for every single home game, just because it, honestly, makes other fields and other stadiums seem even smaller and allows me to cover more ground.”
That’s the philosophy of a Platinum Glove winner.
Those stunning catches
The number of Brenton Doyle eye-poppingly-good catches I could share here is, well, it’s a lot. So here are three.
How about a good, old-fashioned robbery:
There’s another one where Doyle makes a challenging catch look easy:
Maybe this one is my favorite:
Here’s Doyle dissecting that catch:
Ryan McMahon said of the play, “It was dead straight, man. I saw it clean out of his hand and I just stood there and didn’t move my glove, and it was straight at my chest.”
Yeah, that’ll play.
The excitement factor
A defensive award selected by fans should be awarded to a player with that “wow” factor. There’s a reason Nolan Arenado has six consecutive Gold Gloves: He’s not just a great defensive player, but he’s also an exciting one. Last year, the award went to Fernando Tatís Jr., which, again, makes sense given the excitement he brings to the field.
Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
Doyle’s swagger is different — it’s quieter, less ostentatious. But it’s absolutely there, and if you’ve seen him make one of those catches at Coors Field, you know exactly what I mean.
Reader, I voted for Brenton Doyle.
But perhaps I’m wrong
You’ve seen the data, and perhaps you’ve arrived at a different conclusion — say that Ezequiel Tovar should win the Platinum Glove. (Just so you know, I really struggled with this.)
If that’s the case, let me know in the comments.
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This week on the internet
It’s worth taking a second to watch the Rockies hype videos for both Tovar and Doyle
First, Ezequiel Tovar:
And Brenton Doyle:
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Kyle Karros earns Rawlings Gold Glove award | MiLB.com
There’s more Gold Glove news! High-A Spokane’s third baseman Kyle Karros also was recognized for his standout defense. The future looks bright!
Yankees’ 2024 free agents, trade targets, offseason guide after World Series loss | Bleacher Report
It’s the time of year for hot stove speculation! Joel Reuter suggests the Yankees might be interested in a trade for Brendan Rodgers: “He would team with Anthony Volpe to form one of the best defensive middle infields in baseball.”
Maybe, but I have trouble seeing this one.
2024 front office ratings: T-28, the Colorado Rockies | Call to the Pen
Call to the Pen is ranking MLB general managers. Bill Schmidt came in 28th, and Bill Felber explains why the Rockies GM received that score.
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