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Three Brewers Gold Glove finalists, including two outfielders

Posted on by Kennedy
Three Brewers Gold Glove finalists, including two outfielders

Three Milwaukee Brewers players were named one of three finalists at their position for a Rawlings Gold Glove, including second baseman Brice Turang, center fielder Blake Perkins and right fielder Sal Frelick.

The winners of each place will be announced on November 3rd.

The Gold Glove Awards annually honor the best defensive players at each point on the diamond. According to the official MLB website, winners are selected through a survey of 30 Major League Baseball managers and up to six coaches from each team, with voters free to select anyone not on their own team.

These votes account for 75% of the total selection, while the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) Defensive Index counts for the other 25.

SABR last released its numbers for the 2024 season in August, a release that seems to bode well for Turang's candidacy. His grade of 11.9 on that scale led all National League outfielders at every position and was nearly twice as high as the next second baseman on the list, Arizona's Ketel Marte (6.0).

Could Brice Turang win his first Gold Glove?

Turang's outstanding performances as a defensive second baseman have been well documented this season. According to Baseball Reference WAR, he posted 4.6 wins above replacement, which was second only to the Brewers and was impressive as he only managed an OPS of .665, with a well-below average OPS-plus of 85 (where 100 is the average).

But with defense playing a role in the WAR equation, Turang is still considered one of the most valuable players on the team.

His competition: Ketel Marte from Arizona and Bryson Stott from Philadelphia. Marte has a clear advantage in one area: offense. Of course, the award is for defense, despite the persistent perception that offense makes an inappropriate contribution to a player's candidacy.

Marte posted a .932 OPS and became a player who will likely receive votes as the league's Most Valuable Player.

Aside from the defensive stats that give Turang credit – he also leads all of baseball in Defensive Runs Saved – he has another advantage; None of the three finalists have previously won a Gold Glove and the reputation value that comes with it.

Sal Frelick and Blake Perkins also receive recognition for their outstanding defense

Turang's Brewers teammates have the same flaws as Turang; If offense becomes an insidious part of the equation, then Perkins and Frelick are the underdogs. But their defense was one of the main reasons the Brewers ran away from the National League Central.

Perkins was selected as a finalist at center field, along with Brenton Doyle of the Colorado Rockies and Jacob Young of the Washington Nationals. Doyle won a Gold Glove last season.

Frelick was selected in right field along with Jake McCarthy of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Mike Yastrzemski of the San Francisco Giants. All three finalists are gunning for a first Gold Glove.

According to DRS, Frelick leads all National League outfielders with a grade of 15 and ranks fourth overall in baseball. Jackson Chourio, who was never a finalist, has a grade of 12, which also puts him in the top 10. Perkins, on the other hand, has a mark of eight defensive runs saved, and he does it with less playing time than anyone before him in the National League. He is 15th among all outfielders and eighth in the NL.

According to SABR's latest update, Perkins had a rating of 7.3 (eighth among all National League outfielders, but behind his other two finalists). Frelick had a rating of 4.2 and the only right fielder in the NL who was higher than him was his teammate Chourio, who played limited right field.

Then there's the eye test: Perkins is belting five home runs this season. Frelick, for his part, stole two more, including one for the 27th out that saved a game in Anaheim. According to Sports Info Solutions Baseball, which has tracked such data for 21 years, the Brewers' 10 home run steals this season are the most of any team in the last two decades.

Perkins played in just 121 games that season and recorded 434 plate appearances, a lower mark for a starter. His inclusion here is a testament to how good his midfield defense has been. In comparison, Frelick played 145 games with 524 plate appearances.

Brewers have only had two Gold Glove winners since 1982

The Brewers have won just two Gold Gloves since 1982; Outfielder Carlos Gomez in 2013 and outfielder Lorenzo Cain in 2019. Robin Yount (1982) was the last Brewers infielder to be so honored.

The Brewers only had one finalist for a Gold Glove last year, and it was first baseman Carlos Santana, who was signed at the trade deadline. Christian Yelich was selected as a finalist in left field in 2023, as was pitcher Corbin Burnes.

Santana was again selected as a finalist at first base in the American League this year after his season with the Minnesota Twins. Marshfield native Daulton Varsho was listed as a finalist at center field for the Blue Jays. He's going for his first career Gold Glove. Former Brewer Mauricio Dubón was named a utility finalist with Houston, where one of his competitors is former Brewers minor leaguer Dylan Moore, now with Seattle.

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