The Colorado Rockies are about to enter the final month of potentially the worst season in the history of the franchise, from a results standpoint.
They seem destined to finally lose 100 games for the first time ever, prompting a series of largely meaningless debates about whether or not there will be massive changes in the front office moving forward, or even maybe a sale of the team. There won’t be.
One thing we might get at the end of the year though, surprisingly enough for a club struggling so much, is a trio of Gold Glove nominations and a pair of wins.
If the decision-makers are paying attention, Ryan McMahon at third base, Brenton Doyle in centerfield, and Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop should all be recognized for their incredible contributions with the glove on their hands.
Tovar, who just turned 22, has spent most of the season as the youngest player in the Bigs, and has been among the steadiest defenders. His .987 fielding percentage is currently tied with former Rockie Troy Tulowitzki for the best mark for a rookie shortstop in Major League history.
With seven (7) Defensive Runs Saved he sits in fourth place in the NL behind Dansby Swanson (13) Miguel Rojas (12) and Francisco Lindor (9) largely because Tovar has not quite yet displayed the kind of top-end range that those players have.
His sure-handedness and reliability though give him an overall defense rating (according to Fangraphs) of 14.1 which is behind only Swanson. The Cubs infielder should probably walk away with the gold but Tovar should be on the podium.
Out in centerfield, there almost isn’t a case for anyone except for Brenton Doyle. He comfortably leads the National League in DRS (11) UZR (15.0) UZR/150 (21.7) arm (7.9) and overall defensive rating at 15.2.
The next closest in all of MLB is Luis Robert Jr. with 8.4.
The only outfielder in the NL you can argue has been better than Doyle is San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. who has accrued a staggering 23 DRS and a 10.4 defensive rating. He’s also done it with approximately 200 more innings of work and in a less demanding environment.
A quick look at his Baseball Savant page will reveal to you a player who is in the 99th percentile in speed, arm, and outs above the average. Considering how much ground he has to cover, Doyle has, in just 750 innings of work, proven himself to be a top three outfielder in the game alongside Tatis Jr. and Kevin Kiermaier who should win his fourth Gold Glove in the AL this season.
And then there’s Ryan McMahon.
This could arguably have happened two years ago when McMahon burst onto the scene and surprised most people by leading all of MLB in DRS. One problem with that? Nolan Arenado has been hogging all the Gold Gloves for over a decade.
In 2021, Arenado was still near the top of his game and the statistics, while favoring McMahon, were close enough for legitimate claims for extra non-measurable things that the former Rockie does could win out in the end. You could make the case either way.
But this year, there is no case for Arenado. It’s time for someone else to be recognized as the best defender at the hot corner during a calendar year.
Arenado has put up 0 DRS for the Cardinals this year and ranks 8-12th in most categories. He might not even get nominated.
It should be a two-man race between McMahon (16 DRS) and Ke’Bryan Hayes of the Pittsburgh Pirates who has similarly been stuck in this dynamic.
McMahon has the better range and zone ratings but Hayes has the better arm and has committed only five errors on the season to McMahon’s 11. RyMac has played 76 more innings as of the writing of this article.
We’ve a month to go and it’s close enough that either of these two players could end up walking away with Gold but quite frankly it would be embarrassing to the concept if anyone else were to win it.
