Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi has been named a Gold Glove finalist for the second consecutive season; a recognition for being at least top-three defensively at your position in your respective league.
Year in and year out, some head-scratchers make the Gold Glove finalist board in the MLB. However, this one is just one I can’t wrap my head around at all.
Benintendi accumulated 1,193.2 innings in the outfield this season and was able to tally nine outfield assists (tied for 10th in the MLB). However, that number is incredibly misleading considering Benintendi plays in front of the Green Monster for half of his games during the season.
Even with the outfield assists, there’s nothing particularly attractive about Benintendi’s defensive prowess. Let’s take a look at how Benintendi ranks defensively among qualifying American League left fielders.
Defensive runs saved (DRS): -3 (fourth out of six)
Range rating (RngR): -3.2 (fifth)
Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR): 1.4 (third)
UZR/150: 0.2 (fourth)
Outs Above Average* (OAA): -10 (tied for 85th out of 92)
Actual Catch percentage*: 78 percent (92nd)
Catch percentage added*: -5 (tied for 85th out of 92)
Outfielder Jump*: 27th percentile
(* = among qualifying MLB outfielders)
You get the point. Andrew Benintendi has been statistically in the bottom-tier amongst major league outfielders for the duration of the season. How he got a Gold Glove nomination over Tommy Pham of the Tampa Bay Rays is an utter joke on the part of Major League Baseball. They should be ashamed.
But hey, even in a disappointing season, the Red Sox have a chance to take home some hardware.
