Not Everyone Is Against Derek Jeter Winning A Gold Glove

Joe Posnanski, one of the country's best columnists and a forward-thinking baseball type, has a somewhat unique opinion on the American League Gold Glove awards: he really isn't all that upset about Jeter winning.

I’m really not at all perturbed about Derek Jeter winning the Gold Glove this year. Do I think Jeter was the best defensive shortstop in the American League? No, not really. But unlike Gold Gloves past, I think that Jeter had a good defensive year. I don’t know if it was better positioning or, as reported by good friend Ian O’Connor, that Jeter really increased his flexibility by working out with a new trainer. But whatever the case, I picked up from the statistics*, from scouts and from my own meager scouting skills that Jeter was significantly better defensively in 2009.

*Jeter, for the first time, had a positive Dewan plus/minus. [+5]

Jeter also, for the first time, had a positive UZR [+6.6]

OK, so, he was better than his normal below-average self, but certainly there were other, better choices, right?

And, to be honest about it, there wasn’t a real obvious shortstop choice for Gold Glove shortstop in the American League — there has not been for years, which is why Jeter has won four Gold Gloves now. There is no widely accepted American League defensive genius the way there was when Omar Vizquel played short or Tony Fernandez or Mark Belanger.

Oh, well then. Hey, what about Texas' Elvis Andrus? He's a pretty good shortstop.

The best defensive shortstop in the American League in my view was Texas’ Elvis Andrus. He had great defensive numbers and scouts gushed and he had that “he seems awesome” factor. If you watched him play a couple of times, chances are you saw him make a dazzling defensive play.*

*The “He seems awesome” factor can trick you — the first couple of years I thought Yuniesky Betancourt had it. He made enough great plays that people in other towns who only caught a fleeting glance would think, “This guy is a great defensive player.” He was not great even then, and of course he is not even average now. But it was easy to fall into that trap.

Andrus could have won the Gold Glove — I would have voted him the Gold Glove — but to be fair he was just a rookie, and he did make 22 errors, and you can understand why the managers and coaches went with Jeter.

So, in conclusion: Jeter was a fine choice. Which is on par with describing a nice pair of slacks.

He wasn't a bad pick ... but he certainly was a great pick ether.