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Who are the 2014 Fielding Bible Award / Gold Glove Contenders? (Part II)

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October 06, 2014

Last week, we looked at the leading candidates for both the 2014 Fielding Bible Awards and the Gold Gloves Awards at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and catcher. Today, we’ll do the same for pitchers and outfielders. As in the previous article, the numbers next to the player names in the tables are 2014 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) totals.

Left Fielders: Alex Gordon has won the last two Fielding Bible Awards in left field, and has 14 more Runs Saved than anyone else at the position in 2014. His 27 Runs Saved are the most ever by a left fielder. This makes him the heavy favorite to complete the hat trick. As is typical of the converted third baseman, Gordon really limited opposing baserunners. He had 9 Outield Arm Runs Saved for the season. That did fall short of Yoenis Cespedes, who saved 14 runs with his arm, but Gordon’s exceptional range set him apart. He saved 16 runs with his range while Cespedes actually cost his teams runs there.

With Gordon and Cespedes both in the American League, the NL Gold Glove could be an interesting race. A pair of rangy left fielders in Christian Yelich and Starling Marte lead the way there.

Favorite Other Contenders
Fielding Bible Award Alex Gordon (27) Christian Yelich (13)
Yoenis Cespedes (12)
AL Gold Glove Alex Gordon (27) Yoenis Cespedes (12)
Dustin Ackley (7)
NL Gold Glove Christian Yelich (13) Starling Marte (10)
Khris Davis (5)


Center Fielders: Entering 2014, there was some question of whether Juan Lagares’ impressive rookie season was something of a fluke. He saved 26 runs in 2013, second most among center fielders despite playing just 820 innings. Much of that success was the result of a position-leading 12 outfield kills, which is an unusually high total for a center fielder. Lagares emphatically answered any doubters with 28 Runs Saved in 945 innings this season. As expected, runners were less aggressive in attempting to take extra bases against him this season, which coupled with his five kills resulted in six Runs Saved with his arm. His range accounted for 22 more runs, 7 more than the closest center fielder to him.

Lagares may run away with the Fielding Bible Award and NL Gold Glove votes, but the American League will be another story. Four different players saved between 14 and 15 runs in the AL, including Leonys Martin, Jackie Bradley Jr., and teammates Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson. I lean slightly toward Martin as the favorite, but either Dyson or Bradley would likely take the Award if either had the opportunity to be a full-time starter.

Favorite Other Contenders
Fielding Bible Award Juan Lagares (28) Leonys Martin (15)
Jarrod Dyson (14)
AL Gold Glove Leonys Martin (15) Lorenzo Cain (14)
Jarrod Dyson (14)
NL Gold Glove Juan Lagares (28) Billy Hamilton (14)
Ender Inciarte (15)


Right Fielders: All three outfield positions have a clear favorite, and Jason Heyward is it in right field. Heyward not only led the position with 32 Runs Saved, but he also led all players at all positions. Heyward also has a tremendous track record, as he’s saved the Braves at least 15 runs in each of his five seasons. Like in center field, the AL Gold Glove battle will come down to the wire. The two leading candidates are Kevin Kiermaier and Josh Reddick. Kiermaier is a center fielder by trade and saved all of his runs because of his exceptional range. Reddick has great range as well, but he is a bit more balanced, with two Outfield Arm Runs Saved, as well.

Favorite Other Contenders
Fielding Bible Award Jason Heyward (32) Kevin Kiermaier (14)
Josh Reddick (13)
AL Gold Glove Josh Reddick (13) Kevin Kiermaier (14)
Michael Saunders (7)
NL Gold Glove Jason Heyward (32) Giancarlo Stanton (7)
Marlon Byrd (6)


Pitchers: R.A. Dickey ended Mark Buehrle’s four-year reign in the Fielding Bible Awards in 2013, and while both pitchers had solid defensive seasons again in 2014, Dallas Keuchel paced the position with 10 Runs Saved. Keuchel is a left-handed pitcher, and while he had just one caught stealing and did not pick off a batter, he allowed just one stolen base against him. In addition, he saved the bulk of his runs because of his great range and sure-handedness.

Dickey and Buehrle may still have the edge over Keuchel because of their reputations, especially in the AL Gold Glove voting. In the NL, Clayton Kershaw set the pace with seven Runs Saved, as if his pitching wasn't dominant enough on its own. His teammate Zack Greinke is not far behind with five Runs Saved, and Johnny Cueto is in the mix as well thanks to his pair of caught stealings and pickoffs against just six stolen bases allowed.

Favorite Other Contenders
Fielding Bible Award Dallas Keuchel (10) Clayton Kershaw (7)
Henderson Alvarez (6)
AL Gold Glove R.A. Dickey (5) Mark Buehrle (2)
Dallas Keuchel (10)
NL Gold Glove Clayton Kershaw (7) Johnny Cueto (6)
Zack Greinke (5)

 


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