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| Yolmer Sanchez |
Sanchez was expected to be a finalist, and he may even win the award. With 12 defensive runs saved this season, he has the edge over fellow finalists DJ LeMahieu (5 defensive runs saved) of the New York Yankees and Jose Altuve (-2 defensive runs saved) of the Houston Astros.
I'm thinking Altuve is a finalist for this award because he's a terrific hitter on a great team. What does that have to do with the Gold Glove, a defensive honor? Absolutely nothing, but we've see guys win Gold Gloves because of name recognition and offensive prowess before.
LeMahieu is a terrific overall player, but he made only 66 starts at second base. Because of his versatility, the Yankees used him all over the diamond. He played first base in the playoffs, so from that perspective, I'd be a little surprised if he gets an award for his defense at second base.
So, yes, I think Sanchez has a very good chance.
I'd be a little more surprised if Giolito wins the award. I didn't expect him to be a finalist, but hey, the guy who usually wins the Gold Glove for pitchers in the AL (Dallas Keuchel) pitches in the National League now. Somebody else has to win.
Giolito joins Seattle's Mike Leake and Minnesota's Jose Berrios as finalists. I don't necessarily think of Giolito as being great at defending his position, but if I had to make a case for him, there is this: Only six base runners attempted to steal against him in 2019, and three of them got thrown out. By way of comparison, 26 of 30 base runners were successful in attempting to steal against Giolito in 2018.
He really cleaned his game up when it came to holding runners close and not allowing guys to just take another 90 feet at will. Giolito improved in several facets in 2019, and that is one. We'll see if it translates into Gold Glove votes.
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