Golden Bat
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by user Redsoxfaithful38
There used to be a time when the Gold Glove Award meant something. When it was an honor to receive it. What happened during the course of baseball history to change this and alter its value? I can tell you that 1992 was the last time this award meant something. Why, you may ask. Ozzie Smith won the award as a SS for the St. Louis Cardinals. What made this year the final year? Is there anybody who can honestly tell me that the Gold Glove is based solely on fielding. If you can, you are lying. You know something is wrong when the best fielding shortstop in all of baseball has never won ONE Gold Glove. I grantee very few of you can name him. If you can you are one of the select few. His name is Alex Gonzalez. This award has just lost so much value. If you look at the winners each year, almost all of them are top hitters at there position. They need to find a solution to this award. You can tell me Andruw Jones is a great fielder and you would be absolutely right, but hitting wins him that award. They need to find a new formula to solve this problem. Somehow combine fielding percentage with a subjective vote. The voting is required because there are those players that cover so much ground to get to a ball but just can't make the play and get called for an error, while the people who can't even get to the ball do not get an error.
I once read about an idea called the plus/minus system. It occurs when someone charts every time a ball is put in play. Players get a point for making a play on an event that at least one other player did not make. They also lose a point if they do not make a play that at least one other player did. It is a very interesting concept and I would be interested in seeing who has the most points.
Here is a list of the plus/minus winners for 2006:
- P-Johan Santana
- 1B-Albert Pujols
- 2B-Jose Valentin
- 3B-Brandon Inge
- SS-Adam Everett
- LF-Dave Roberts
- CF-Corey Patterson
- RF-Randy Winn
Yes this system may be flawed, but still it is better than our present system. There is only one played on this list that won a Gold Glove. If you don't know this you obviously have not payed attention. Yes, it is Albert Pujols. Why? Because he hits. That is what the Gold Glove has become.
