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) http://www.billjamesonline.com/who_are_the_2014_fielding_bible_award__gold_glove_contenders_part_ii/ |
With all due respect to Tommie Agee, Mike Cameron and Carlos Beltran, Juan out-fields them all. Best fielding Met CF ever.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen anyone here mention it, so I'd like to go off-topic for a minute and congratulate Jacob DeGrom for winning the Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year award. This isn't the big one, but I respect it because it was voted on by the players. Who better to know the value of an opposing player?
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