Tuesday Rockpile: Which Colorado Rockies will win Gold Gloves in 2024?

Colorado Rockies news and links for Tuesday, October 29, 2024

As the 2024 postseason enters its final week, Major League Baseball is easing fans into offseason activities, which means that it’s the beginning of awards season.

Given that the Rockies pride themselves on playing good defense, they generally have a player or two in the running to win a Rawlings Gold Glove, and this year is no exception. Ryan McMahon, Ezequiel Tovar, and Brenton Doyle are all finalists.

Given the the regular season is over and we have all the data, it’s worth considering how the finalists in these categories compare.

Third Base

When it comes to third base, recent finalists Nolan Arenado and Ryan McMahon return, this year joined by San Francisco Giant Matt Chapman. The arrangement itself is a reunion of old friends: Arenado and Chapman are both El Toro High School alumni while Arenado and McMahon are former teammates.

Of the three categories that include Colorado Rockies nominees, third base is probably the one with the clearest front runner. Here’s what FanGraphs shows:

FanGraphs

By pretty much all metrics, Chapman was the superior defender in 2024. He led in FRV, OAA, and DRS. He also led in innings played with a jaw-droppping 1338.0. While McMahon led in UZR, Chapman has the better UZR/150 ranking.

Here he is in action:

There’s just not a lot here to weigh. Chapman won the Fielding Bible award last week and will probably soon. add another accolade.

Should win: Matt Chapman

Will win: Matt Chapman.

Shortstop

We are living in a time of stunning shortstops, and that Ezequiel Tovar is being recognized as one of them is a testament to his skill.

This year, he is again a finalist with Chicago Cub Dansby Swanson as well as newcomer and St. Louis Cardinal Masyn Winn, who just won the Fielding Bible award.

Still, this contest looks much different than that for third base. Again, the data is taken from FanGraphs:

FanGraphs

In terms of FRV and OAA, Swanson has the advantage; when considering DRS, UZR, and UZR/150, Tovar has the better record (with Wynn having the most DRS of any finalist). Look again at UZR and UZR/150. Tovar isn’t just better than Swanson and Wynn: He is substantially better.

Add to that Ironman Tovar’s 1375.2 innings, which exceeds those of the other finalists. It could be argued that Swanson still had better scores in some category than Tovar did in 100-fewer innings. Still, it seems like durability should count in these matters.

Because you can never watch too many Ezequiel Tovar defensive gems, here’s one more.

Still, this will be a closer contest.

Should Win: Ezequiel Tovar

Will Win: Dansby Swanson (because Cubs)

Center Field

Last year, Brenton Doyle was one of the best defensive players in Major League Baseball as well as a Gold Glove winner. This season, he has already added a Fielding Bible award to his collection. The question is if he can repeat given that his defensive numbers have declined a bit since last year. (To paraphrase Ryan Spilborghs, playing center at Coors Field ages a player in dog years.)

His fellow finalists include Milwaukees Brewer Blake Perkins and Washington National Jacob Young. Here’s how Doyle compares to according to FanGraphs:

FanGraphs

To be clear, what a season for Jacob Young, who exceeded Doyle in innings played. He was also better as measured by FRV, OAA, and DRS though the totals are close. When considering UZR, Doyle is the clear winner, both by UZR and UZR/150.

It’s also worth noting that Doyle patrols center in Coors Field, the most challenging ballpark in MLB. And the man does love himself a good robbery:

Should win: Brenton Doyle

Will win: Brenton Doyle

So those are my predictions. Leave yours in the comments.

We’ll have the final answer next week. The winners will be unveiled during a one-hour, special-edition of ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. MT.

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This week on the internet

I’m not sure if you’ve been following this closely, but the Arizona Fall League has been testing out a checked-swing review system. Sure, Automatic Balls and Strikes has been getting all the attention, but check this out:

Just so you know, Brent Rooker is all in with a 45-degree angle as the cutoff.

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MLB Team Sponsorship Revenue Soars To Nearly $1.9 Billion In 2024 | Forbes

This article from Maury Brown is worth your time. As he writes, “Revenues in Major League Baseball continue to climb, with sponsorships providing a significant portion of them.” One source of that revenue? Uniform patches. “In 2023, 53% of the league had seen jersey patch deals,” Brown explains. “That grew to 73% in 2024 with the addition of the Orioles, Cubs, Phillies, Giants, Rangers, Royals, and Pirates. That grew sponsor patch revenues by 59% for 2024 over last season.”

The Rockies do not yet have a uniform patch.

One other noteworthy point? Sponsorships grow when a team is good and plays in the postseason. To quote Brown, “[I]t’s clear that successful clubs that invest in winning reap the long term rewards.”

This is just another way in which the Rockies’ continuing to field marginal teams costs the team revenue.

Todd Helton’s glittery milkshake − topped with cake − hits the sweet spot at Sam & Andy’s | Knoxville News

There’s a new dessert named after Todd Helton — and it contains edible glitter! Try it out the next time you’re at Sam & Andy’s in Knoxville.

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