Will Andrelton Simmons fend off Gold Glove rivals?
— -- BOCA RATON, Fla. -- When the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards are announced Tuesday night, Atlanta Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons has every reason to expect good news. He's pocketed the past two National League awards and built a reputation as the gold standard at the position.
But the gap between Simmons and his NL shortstop peers has closed. And sure hands notwithstanding, Simmons' grip on the award might have to be downgraded from "sure thing" to "tenuous."
Amid a focus on advanced defensive metrics and a shift away from the "eye test," the Gold Gloves have lost some luster in recent years. MLB coaches and managers, who vote for the awards, have shown a nettlesome inclination to factor offense into the equation. Critics also have difficulty getting past the 1999 voting fiasco, when Rafael Palmeiro of the Texas Rangers captured the AL award at first base despite starting only 28 games at first and 128 games at designated hitter.
Still, the awards have retained their cachet among players, who value the recognition and cherish the hardware.
Simmons is competing with San Francisco's Brandon Crawford and Miami's Adeiny Hechavarria as one of three NL shortstop finalists in the Gold Glove balloting, which will be revealed on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Throw Arizona's Nick Ahmed, Cincinnati's Zack Cozart and Addison Russell of the Chicago Cubs into the equation, and the level of defensive play at shortstop in the NL is extremely high right now. Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa, a two-time Gold Glove winner known for his devotion to fundamentals, raves about the current crop's athleticism and attention to detail.
"I like to watch shortstops pregame when we go out on the road," Bowa said. "All these guys have great work ethics. They take a lot of pride in their ground balls, and they respect every ground ball. I use that word a lot. I've seen guys who treat a two-hopper as something routine, and then -- clank. But these guys are always ready for a bad hop or a bad throw.
"They never drop their heads when they're going out as cutoff men. They're always one step ahead and thinking ahead: 'Who's running? What's the score? Is this a double-play ball?' These guys never make mental mistakes, like throwing to the wrong base or trying to turn a double play when they shouldn't and throwing the ball six rows into the stands. They're well grounded, and they're on top of their games."
Marlins infield instructor Perry Hill, regarded as one of the best in the game at his craft, is similarly high on the new wave.
"Remember when [Derek] Jeter, A-Rod and [Nomar] Garciaparra were all together about 15 years ago?" Hill said. "It's kind of like that now on the flip side -- on the defensive side."
Some advanced defensive metrics help bring context to where the NL's elite shortstops stand in the game's pecking order:
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