Introduction
Bill recently published a series of articles on the topic of players who are "overrated" and "underrated", taking the approach of comparing honors to accomplishments. My article is a bit of a spinoff of one of the points he touched on in that series.
So, the big question is…..what kind of "spinoff" will this be? Will it be "Frasier"? Or will it be "The Tortellis"? "Cheers" to you if you can predict the right answer.
Anyway, the spinoff in this case is based on Bill’s reference to the role that Gold Glove awards have played in bestowing honors on players, particularly in cases where a player gained such a strong defensive reputation that he won the award an inordinate number of times.
Here's one key excerpt (bold emphasis is mine):
But since the fans had no other regular frame of reference as to who was a good fielder until recent years, a Gold Glove was a semi-permanent endorsement of his defensive quality. If a player had a bad defensive year the next year. . .well, he’d probably win the Gold Glove again anyway, just because that was the way it was done. If he didn’t repeat as the Gold Glove winner, his reputation as defensive standout stuck with him anyway, at some level.
Another one:
But the Gold Glove voting, until about 2010, was just terrible. They would just hand out the ballots, and people could write in whoever you want. A certain number of the voters—let’s guess 30%--had not given the issue one second’s thought before the ballot was in their hand, and they would just write in whoever was obvious. After a player had won a couple of Gold Gloves, he became the obvious choice.
And another:
So Gold Glove voting, until about 2010, was very, very sloppily awarded, and was dominated by repeat winners.
The domination of Gold Glove by certain players was something that was in full force when I was a young fan. I started following baseball around 1969, and repeat winners were abundant in my youth.
For example, in the National League:
· Johnny Bench had established himself as a Gold Glove catcher starting in 1968, and he would proceed to win 10 in a row.
· Bob Gibson was honored 9 straight seasons from 1965-1973 as the best fielding pitcher.
· At first base, Wes Parker won 6 in a row rom 1967-1972.
· Doug Rader was just beginning a run of 5 straight awards from 1970-1974.
· In the outfield, the same 3 players won every award from 1963-1968: Curt Flood, Willie Mays, and Roberto Clemente. Flood ended up with 7 total honors in his career (all in consecutive seasons), while Mays and Clemente each ended up with 12 in a row as well.
In the American League, there was a lot of the same:
· Pitcher Jim Kaat ran off 14 in a row before hopping over to the National League to pick up 2 more.
· Al Kaline took the Gold Glove 10 times in 11 years (somehow they missed him in 1960), and Paul Blair won 8 times in 9 years.
· And, of course, Brooks Robinson won 16 straight times from 1960-1975.
And these were not isolated instances. Through the years, Greg Maddux, Ivan Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro Suzuki, Andruw Jones, Keith Hernandez, Mike Schmidt, Roberto Alomar, Ryne Sandberg, Bill Mazeroski, Vic Power, Omar Vizquel, Mark Belanger, Don Mattingly, Torii Hunter, and many others have had long stretches of domination in the awarding of Gold Gloves. Nolan Arenado currently has an active streak of 10 straight NL Gold Gloves (his first 10 seasons at that).
No doubt many of those honors (maybe even most of them) were deserved. But I have to believe that many cases (as Bill alluded to) were simply a result of voters reflexively honoring players who had established a reputation of outstanding defense, and the simplest thing to do was to just keep honoring the same ones again and again until someone new came along who demanded attention.
I think there are 2 underlying reasons that contributed to that dynamic:
1) There was a lack of defensive statistical standards of excellence
2) The notion that defensive performance is a "constant"
As to the first point, I believe part of the issue is something Bill has written about previously, and that is the power of statistics as a "language". On the offensive side of the game, we know what 40 home runs mean, or 100 RBI, or 50 stolen bases, or a .300 average, or a .400 OBP. These statistics tell us something about the player and everyone understands the numbers, even as statistical standards can change over time. We have a good idea of what they represent. We are relatively fluent in them.
In more recent years, I would also say that standards have been developing around WAR. For example, it’s working its way into baseball language that a season with 5 WAR is roughly an "All Star" level type of season, and a season with 8 WAR is getting you up into MVP territory. Not that those are hard and fast thresholds, of course, and not that awards would necessarily be bestowed just from that information alone. But I do think that it is achieving a bit of a "power of language" standard that fans are getting fluent in.
I would say defensive stats, however, still do not possess that, and they certainly didn’t over the bulk of the Gold Glove award’s history. I would also say defensive stats were also generally not well known. Did Gold Glove voters traditionally have easy access to even basic things like putouts, assists, and errors? Maybe yes, maybe no. I’m not sure. But I doubt that voters were armed with much ammunition, and probably didn’t put much effort in seeking it out. They defaulted into perception and reputation.
The second point, the idea that defense is a "constant", is something I remember hearing a very long time ago. With hitting and pitching, I would say that there is a general feeling that those could fluctuate significantly, and, again, because we had good statistics for measuring performance, a lot of that was visible and well-known if someone was having an off-year. But I think there was a prevailing opinion among many that defensive prowess was much more constant, more reliable. The general thought was, if you were a great fielder, you were always a great fielder, at least until you visibly slowed down.
Well, as you can probably tell from my tone, I think that’s hogwash. I probably believed it at some time when I was younger, but I stopped believing it a long time ago. I think defensive performance is not a "constant". A great defensive player can have ordinary or even poor years.
And the idea that even someone as brilliant as Brooks Robinson was the best defensive player at his position for 16 straight seasons? I’m not buying it. Can you think of an athlete who was the very best at a particular aspect of his sport for 16 straight years? Even if we’re talking about a narrowly defined, specific area like "best defensive third baseman in the American League", well, that just seems far-fetched to me.
The Human Vacuum Cleaner
The rest of the article will focus on Brooks Robinson, as he is my "test case", so to speak, for this approach. Now, I need to preface this with the fact that I am not disrespecting Robinson in any way. To the contrary, I think he is clearly the greatest defensive third baseman of all time. In fact, I think he has an argument as the greatest defensive player of all time, regardless of position.
I think there are 3 players with a solid argument as the greatest defenders in MLB history, taking into account both stats and reputation, and those are Brooks Robinson, Ozzie Smith, and Willie Mays. Maybe Roberto Clemente as well, but I think it’s one of those first three.
As a quick sidebar, this seems like a good time to give you my all-time defensive selections (leaving pitchers out of it) based on a combination of stats, awards, and reputation. I did First/Second/Third Team (Gold/Silver/Bronze), but since those are heavily represented with players from the last 60 years or so, I also came up with "Early 1900’s" (essentially 1900-1940, roughly), "Old-Timer" (meaning they were entirely or mostly in the years pre-1900), and "Recent Vintage" (players either active or very recently retired, and not already selected on another team).
|
Pos
|
Gold
|
Silver
|
Bronze
|
Early 1900's
|
Old-Timer
|
Recent Vintage
|
|
C
|
Johnny Bench
|
Ivan Rodriguez
|
Yadier Molina
|
Ray Schalk
|
Charlie Bennett
|
Salvador Perez
|
|
1B
|
Keith Hernandez
|
Vic Power
|
George Scott
|
Fred Tenney
|
Roger Connor
|
Anthony Rizzo
|
|
2B
|
Bill Mazeroski
|
Frank White
|
Joe Gordon
|
Frankie Frisch
|
Bid McPhee
|
DJ Lemahieu
|
|
3B
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Buddy Bell
|
Adrian Beltre
|
Lee Tannehill
|
Jimmy Collins
|
Nolan Arenado
|
|
SS
|
Ozzie Smith
|
Mark Belanger
|
Luis Aparico
|
Honus Wagner
|
Bill Dahlen
|
Andrelton Simmons
|
|
LF
|
Carl Yastrzemski
|
Barry Bonds
|
Alex Gordon
|
George Burns
|
Fred Clarke
|
Brett Gardner
|
|
CF
|
Willie Mays
|
Andruw Jones
|
Paul Blair
|
Tris Speaker
|
Curt Welch
|
Kevin Kiermaier
|
|
RF
|
Roberto Clemente
|
Al Kaline
|
Jesse Barfield
|
Harry Hooper
|
Pop Corkhill
|
Mookie Betts
|
I probably missed one or two or ten of your favorites, and some of the player designations could easily overlap into a different group, but that’s what I’m going with.
In any case, I think Robinson, by any measure, is one of the all-time great defenders. He clearly deserved a high number of Gold Gloves.
But 16 in a row?
So, I decided to take a look and ask myself: how many did he deserve? Who would I have selected in the annual AL third base Gold Glove votes?
Approach
Here’s what I decided to do. Starting with the first Gold Glove award (1957, which was a combined Major League award rather than each league), I went back and reviewed the third base candidates based on the evidence, and determined who I thought would win if voters considered information that would be available today.
Now, this "retroactive" type of honor is not new to members on our site. I’ve talked before about our late friend and BJOL member Bob Gregory, who created our annual BJOL tradition known as the Gallery of Renown. Bob was also fond of heading up other member-participation efforts, including what he called "Retroactive Honors", which, as I recall, was conducted about a decade or so ago. The ideas behind these projects were to revisit annual awards, like MVP and Cy Young, and have our members vote on them anew, but armed with information we have now. And not just revisiting seasons that actually had those awards, but also conducting them for seasons prior to those awards being in existence.
I’m of two minds on this type of endeavor. One, awards represent a time and place, and it’s up to the voters of that time and place to vote honestly to the best of their abilities and with the best evidence they have available, and to honor deserving winners. I generally respect the decisions of prior generations of voters, whether it be for MVP, for Cy Young, or the Hall of Fame. Voters do the best with what is available. And besides, awards are not going to be re-assigned based on new information no matter what we suggest. They’re locked in. They’re done.
On the other hand…. it can be a fun and informative exercise to think about what might have been, especially given the fact that so many Gold Glove awards in particular clearly were not the result of serious contemplation, but rather the result of habit. So, I’m proceeding with that thought in mind, and I’m borrowing Bob’s phrase and applying it here to create what I’m calling "Retroactive Gold Gloves" or "RAGG" for short.
To help me with this, I leveraged the year-by-year "American League Third Base Fielding" pages on baseball-reference.com. Below is the data for the top third base contenders in the American League in 1957. I removed a few of the available columns to simplify it, but kept most of the data.
For each season, I placed a minimum of 700 innings played at third base (that’s a little less than 5 innings per scheduled game) just as a starting point to qualify. Players are sorted descending by innings played at third base since it was easier to just copy and paste the qualifiers that way.
1957 American League Third Base Qualifying Candidates:
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Frank Malzone
|
27
|
BOS
|
153
|
1,364
|
546
|
151
|
370
|
25
|
31
|
.954
|
10
|
3.44
|
3.41
|
|
Eddie Yost
|
30
|
WSH
|
107
|
937
|
332
|
109
|
207
|
16
|
18
|
.952
|
-11
|
3.04
|
2.95
|
|
Hector Lopez
|
27
|
KCA
|
111
|
877
|
367
|
117
|
227
|
23
|
20
|
.937
|
5
|
3.53
|
3.10
|
|
Bubba Phillips
|
29
|
CHW
|
97
|
799
|
332
|
91
|
227
|
14
|
18
|
.958
|
11
|
3.58
|
3.28
|
|
Al Smith
|
29
|
CLE
|
84
|
724
|
275
|
95
|
156
|
24
|
16
|
.913
|
-10
|
3.12
|
2.90
|
You probably know what most of the headings are, but just to spell it out, we have, from left to right, the "basic ones":
Name
Age
Team
Games Played
Innings Played in the Field at that Position
Chances (putouts+assists+errors)
Putouts
Assists
Errors
Double Plays
Fielding Percentage
Then the rest:
Rtot - Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Avg
The number of runs above or below average the player was worth based on the number of plays made.
RF/9 - Range Factor per 9 Innings
9 * (Putouts + Assists) / Innings Played
RF/G - Range Factor per Game
Putouts + Assists) / Games Played
As you can see by the 1957 example, in some years there are very few candidates, especially in years where there were only 8 AL teams. Only 5 third basemen met my minimum innings requirement that year. In most years, we’ll see more than that.
Who do I think would have been voted as the best defensive third baseman in 1957? Well, my basic approach to the annual reviews is that I am going to heavily rely on Total Zone Runs (Rtot). Now, I don’t know whether you’ve used it much, but it generally seems like a reasonable figure to go by. Based on what I’ve seen it’s similar to (but not exactly like) Rfield, which is the fielding component of WAR, and, as I understand it, it’s basically the estimated number of runs above or below average the player was worth based on the number of plays made, and it’s not position adjusted.
Both measures produce similar lists. Below are the top 10 third basemen as measured by career Rfield and career Total Zone Runs:
|
Player
|
Rfield (3B)
|
Player
|
Total Zone Runs (3B)
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
293
|
Brooks Robinson
|
293
|
|
Adrián Beltré
|
216
|
Adrián Beltré
|
168
|
|
Scott Rolen
|
175
|
Buddy Bell
|
167
|
|
Buddy Bell
|
174
|
Clete Boyer
|
163
|
|
Clete Boyer
|
159
|
Robin Ventura
|
154
|
|
Nolan Arenado
|
157
|
Scott Rolen
|
140
|
|
Robin Ventura
|
155
|
Graig Nettles
|
134
|
|
Graig Nettles
|
140
|
Gary Gaetti
|
132
|
|
Gary Gaetti
|
131
|
Mike Schmidt
|
129
|
|
Mike Schmidt
|
127
|
Evan Longoria
|
120
|
It’s basically the same top 10 except the order and the figures are a little different, with the only difference in players being that Arenado makes the Rfield list but just misses the Total Zone Runs list (he’s 11th with 101, and will probably crack the top 10 before he’s done), while Longoria makes the Total Zone Runs list at #10, but doesn’t quite make the Rfield list (he’s #16).
Most of the values are pretty similar – Robinson’s is exactly the same using either value, and Bell, Boyer, Ventura, Nettles, Gaetti, and Schmidt are almost the same regardless of which method is used.
I guess what I’m leading up to is that, if you were looking to identify the top 10 defensive third basement of all time, I think you could do worse that Total Zone Runs. That’s a pretty reasonable top 10 in my book. I’m comfortable that it’ll do a fairly good job of helping us recognize quality defensive performance when assessing individual seasons. Also, it’s on the annual fielding data page, so it’s nice and handy.
However, although I’ll rely heavily on it, I’m not going strictly by it. Generally speaking, I’m going to look first at Total Zone Runs (Rtot), but I’m going to look at performance in other areas as well, and make a judgement call. I’ll shade the Total Zone Runs column in gray to make it stand out.
Circling back to 1957, here’s that table again:
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Frank Malzone
|
27
|
BOS
|
153
|
1,364
|
546
|
151
|
370
|
25
|
31
|
.954
|
10
|
3.44
|
3.41
|
|
Eddie Yost
|
30
|
WSH
|
107
|
937
|
332
|
109
|
207
|
16
|
18
|
.952
|
-11
|
3.04
|
2.95
|
|
Hector Lopez
|
27
|
KCA
|
111
|
877
|
367
|
117
|
227
|
23
|
20
|
.937
|
5
|
3.53
|
3.10
|
|
Bubba Phillips
|
29
|
CHW
|
97
|
799
|
332
|
91
|
227
|
14
|
18
|
.958
|
11
|
3.58
|
3.28
|
|
Al Smith
|
29
|
CLE
|
84
|
724
|
275
|
95
|
156
|
24
|
16
|
.913
|
-10
|
3.12
|
2.90
|
Bubba Phillips and Frank Malzone were neck and neck with Total Zone Runs of 11 and 10, respectively, and given that Phillips played a lot less at third (he also played several games in the outfield), in some respect his defensive performance was more impressive. However, I think Phillips wouldn’t appear to enough voters as a "true" third baseman. Malzone led by a large margin in all the bulk categories (innings, putouts, assists, etc.), and I think he would have won the RAGG award, as indeed he did win in the actual Gold Glove voting.
By the way, since 1957 was a combined Gold Glove, National Leaguers were eligible too, but there really weren’t any strong contenders (the only qualifying candidates were Eddie Mathews of the Braves, Don Hoak of Cincinnati, Willie Jones of Philadelphia, and Eddie Kasko of Cincinnati, and none of them would have been a better option than Malzone).
Anyway, that’s an example of how this will work.
Annual Review
Below is a grid that I’ll fill in with my "retroactive" winners as we go, and I’ll periodically display the running updates. I populated the "Gold Glove" column with the winners from 1957 (the first year of the Gold Glove) through 1977, Brooks Robinson’s final year.
*1 award was given for the Major Leagues in 1957
|
Year
|
Gold Glove (GG)
|
Retroactive Gold Glove (RAGG)
|
|
*1957
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1958
|
Frank Malzone
|
-
|
|
1959
|
Frank Malzone
|
-
|
|
1960
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1961
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1962
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1963
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1964
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1965
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1966
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1967
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1968
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1969
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1970
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1971
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1972
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1973
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1974
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1975
|
Brooks Robinson
|
-
|
|
1976
|
Aurelio Rodriguez
|
-
|
|
1977
|
Graig Nettles
|
-
|
I’ll pick up with 1958, and for each year I’ll provide a "setup" of the American League third base field just to set the stage, and then present the data for the qualifying contenders, then some analysis/conclusions.
1958
Setup
Robinson takes over as Baltimore’s full-time starter at 3B as George Kell retires. Malzone is elected to the All Star team and is the only primary third baseman on the roster.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Frank Malzone
|
28
|
BOS
|
155
|
1,380
|
544
|
139
|
378
|
27
|
36
|
.950
|
10
|
3.37
|
3.34
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
21
|
BAL
|
140
|
1,119
|
447
|
151
|
275
|
21
|
30
|
.953
|
7
|
3.43
|
3.04
|
|
Eddie Yost
|
31
|
WSH
|
114
|
942
|
306
|
109
|
186
|
11
|
20
|
.964
|
-5
|
2.82
|
2.59
|
|
Billy Goodman
|
32
|
CHW
|
111
|
855
|
284
|
67
|
204
|
13
|
16
|
.954
|
1
|
2.85
|
2.44
|
|
Andy Carey
|
26
|
NYY
|
99
|
794
|
306
|
99
|
195
|
12
|
22
|
.961
|
5
|
3.33
|
2.97
|
Analysis
Total Zone Runs are close, as Robinson has a solid season with the glove, but Malzone looks a little better overall, so I think in this case I’d have to vote for him. He’s 2-for-2:
1959
Setup
From 1959-1962, two All Star Games are played each season. Harmon Killebrew is elected as the AL third baseman, and Malzone makes the team as well. They are the only 2 primary third basemen who made the team(s) that year.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Frank Malzone
|
29
|
BOS
|
154
|
1,364
|
515
|
134
|
357
|
24
|
40
|
.953
|
1
|
3.24
|
3.19
|
|
Harmon Killebrew
|
23
|
WSH
|
150
|
1,319
|
484
|
129
|
325
|
30
|
18
|
.938
|
-8
|
3.10
|
3.03
|
|
Eddie Yost
|
32
|
DET
|
146
|
1,267
|
444
|
168
|
259
|
17
|
21
|
.962
|
1
|
3.03
|
2.92
|
|
Bubba Phillips
|
31
|
CHW
|
100
|
791
|
307
|
90
|
202
|
15
|
13
|
.951
|
6
|
3.32
|
2.92
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
22
|
BAL
|
87
|
723
|
292
|
92
|
187
|
13
|
25
|
.955
|
13
|
3.47
|
3.21
|
Analysis
Malzone slips a little defensively but starts and plays every game. Robinson has the clear Total Zone Runs advantage, but barely qualifies for my threshold with 723 innings as he played the first couple of months in the minors (Baltimore sent him there to start off the season after his mediocre offensive showing in 1958).
This one’s a bit of a tough call. Do you go with the 2-time defending winner in Malzone who played a full year, or the young gun Robinson who was likely better defensively but only got in a little more than half the season?
I’m going to go with Robinson despite not playing a full season, and the legend begins, as he actually wins one retroactively in a year in which he didn’t win in real life. We have our first "disagreement", and I’ll highlight those in yellow:
|
Year
|
Gold Glove (GG)
|
Retroactive Gold Glove (RAGG)
|
|
*1957
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1958
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1959
|
Frank Malzone
|
Brooks Robinson
|
1960
Setup
Clete Boyer emerges as the primary third baseman for the Yankees, although he also plays a fair amount of shortstop (33 games). Andy Carey is traded from the Yankees to the Athletics for Bob Cerv, and he becomes KC’s primary third baseman.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
23
|
BAL
|
152
|
1,354
|
511
|
171
|
328
|
12
|
34
|
.977
|
17
|
3.32
|
3.28
|
|
Frank Malzone
|
30
|
BOS
|
151
|
1,326
|
503
|
159
|
318
|
26
|
36
|
.948
|
-3
|
3.24
|
3.16
|
|
Eddie Yost
|
33
|
DET
|
142
|
1,181
|
389
|
155
|
208
|
26
|
18
|
.933
|
-17
|
2.77
|
2.56
|
|
Gene Freese
|
26
|
CHW
|
122
|
1,043
|
371
|
88
|
263
|
20
|
29
|
.946
|
5
|
3.03
|
2.88
|
|
Reno Bertoia
|
25
|
WSH
|
112
|
960
|
334
|
94
|
227
|
13
|
19
|
.961
|
0
|
3.01
|
2.87
|
|
Clete Boyer
|
23
|
NYY
|
99
|
782
|
332
|
102
|
219
|
11
|
24
|
.967
|
15
|
3.69
|
3.24
|
|
Andy Carey
|
28
|
KCA
|
93
|
780
|
282
|
95
|
180
|
7
|
26
|
.975
|
1
|
3.17
|
2.96
|
Analysis
We have a relatively deep field in that 7 of the 8 teams have a qualifying third baseman. In what will be the first of many head-to-head battles between two of the greatest defensive third basemen ever, Robinson and Boyer duke it out. Robinson has a slight edge in Total Zone Runs (17 to 15), but also played 53 more games. Boyer’s stats are more impressive relative to playing time, but I suspect that Boyer’s time at shortstop, even though that in itself implies a strong defensive ability, would probably work against him in the voting. I think Robinson would probably get the nod here, which is the same result as the actual Gold Glove voting.
1961
Setup
The AL expands from 8 to 10 teams, adding the Los Angeles Angels and the "new" Washington Senators, with the old one relocating to Minnesota. Steve Boros takes over at 3B for Detroit. Robinson is the fan’s choice as the AL starter, with Killebrew as the backup.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
24
|
BAL
|
163
|
1,459
|
496
|
151
|
331
|
14
|
34
|
.972
|
15
|
2.97
|
2.96
|
|
Frank Malzone
|
31
|
BOS
|
149
|
1,312
|
463
|
136
|
304
|
23
|
45
|
.950
|
3
|
3.02
|
2.95
|
|
Bubba Phillips
|
33
|
CLE
|
143
|
1,273
|
453
|
188
|
246
|
19
|
23
|
.958
|
-6
|
3.07
|
3.03
|
|
Clete Boyer
|
24
|
NYY
|
141
|
1,200
|
521
|
151
|
353
|
17
|
36
|
.967
|
30
|
3.78
|
3.57
|
|
Steve Boros
|
24
|
DET
|
116
|
1,007
|
322
|
115
|
192
|
15
|
15
|
.953
|
-5
|
2.74
|
2.65
|
Analysis
Despite expanding to 10 teams, it’s a fairly small qualifying field with only 5 players, although all 5 exceed 1,000 innings. Robinson had an impressive defensive season, but Boyer blows away the field with a monster Total Zone Runs figure of 30, the highest by a third basemen to that point in time. Even though the metric only applies to 1953 or later, it’s a staggering figure. He’s a runaway winner, and we have our second disagreement:
|
Year
|
Gold Glove (GG)
|
Retroactive Gold Glove (RAGG)
|
|
*1957
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1958
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1959
|
Frank Malzone
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1960
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1961
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
1962
Setup
Stability reigns as 9 different players end up exceeding 800 innings on the year. Rich Rollins takes over for the Twins, and Ed Charles takes over for the A’s. Rollins nabs the fan vote as the AL starter, with Robinson as the backup.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
25
|
BAL
|
162
|
1,445
|
513
|
163
|
339
|
11
|
32
|
.979
|
18
|
3.13
|
3.10
|
|
Rich Rollins
|
24
|
MIN
|
159
|
1,415
|
489
|
137
|
324
|
28
|
33
|
.943
|
0
|
2.93
|
2.90
|
|
Clete Boyer
|
25
|
NYY
|
157
|
1,397
|
605
|
187
|
396
|
22
|
41
|
.964
|
28
|
3.76
|
3.71
|
|
Frank Malzone
|
32
|
BOS
|
156
|
1,389
|
483
|
154
|
313
|
16
|
32
|
.967
|
8
|
3.03
|
2.99
|
|
Bubba Phillips
|
34
|
CLE
|
145
|
1,272
|
428
|
175
|
243
|
10
|
16
|
.977
|
2
|
2.96
|
2.88
|
|
Ed Charles
|
29
|
KCA
|
140
|
1,201
|
446
|
145
|
285
|
16
|
27
|
.964
|
7
|
3.22
|
3.07
|
|
Felix Torres
|
30
|
LAA
|
123
|
1,038
|
384
|
110
|
250
|
24
|
20
|
.938
|
-2
|
3.12
|
2.93
|
|
Al Smith
|
34
|
CHW
|
105
|
849
|
279
|
76
|
185
|
18
|
8
|
.935
|
-3
|
2.77
|
2.49
|
|
Steve Boros
|
25
|
DET
|
105
|
837
|
275
|
105
|
151
|
19
|
15
|
.931
|
-12
|
2.75
|
2.44
|
Analysis
Similar to 1961, 1962 witnessed another strong performance by Robinson that was bested by Boyer, as he outgunned Robinson by 10 runs and took home his second consecutive retroactive award.
1963
Setup
A whopping 9 players exceed 1,000 innings at third base. Newcomers include Max Alvis for Cleveland and Pete Ward for Chicago. Malzone wins the fan vote for the All Star team, with Robinson backing him up.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Max Alvis
|
25
|
CLE
|
158
|
1,420
|
483
|
170
|
285
|
28
|
32
|
.942
|
-3
|
2.88
|
2.88
|
|
Ed Charles
|
30
|
KCA
|
158
|
1,414
|
488
|
153
|
310
|
25
|
19
|
.949
|
4
|
2.95
|
2.93
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
26
|
BAL
|
160
|
1,414
|
495
|
153
|
330
|
12
|
43
|
.976
|
12
|
3.07
|
3.02
|
|
Pete Ward
|
25
|
CHW
|
154
|
1,386
|
496
|
156
|
302
|
38
|
27
|
.923
|
-8
|
2.97
|
2.97
|
|
Frank Malzone
|
33
|
BOS
|
148
|
1,324
|
450
|
151
|
283
|
16
|
18
|
.964
|
6
|
2.95
|
2.93
|
|
Clete Boyer
|
26
|
NYY
|
141
|
1,243
|
497
|
165
|
309
|
23
|
32
|
.954
|
14
|
3.43
|
3.36
|
|
Rich Rollins
|
25
|
MIN
|
132
|
1,163
|
402
|
121
|
255
|
26
|
22
|
.935
|
3
|
2.91
|
2.85
|
|
Felix Torres
|
31
|
LAA
|
122
|
1,035
|
360
|
101
|
237
|
22
|
29
|
.939
|
5
|
2.94
|
2.77
|
|
Bubba Phillips
|
35
|
DET
|
117
|
1,014
|
356
|
116
|
226
|
14
|
26
|
.961
|
-1
|
3.03
|
2.92
|
Analysis
Yet another 2-way battle between Robinson and Boyer, but this one’s a lot closer. Robinson played a little more often and committed a lot fewer errors, but in the end I’m giving Boyer the slight edge for his third straight award.
|
Year
|
Gold Glove (GG)
|
Retroactive Gold Glove (RAGG)
|
|
*1957
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1958
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1959
|
Frank Malzone
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1960
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1961
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1962
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1963
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
1964
Setup
Don Wert takes over at third base for the Tigers, John Kennedy for the Senators, and Billy Moran splits time with the Angels and Indians. Robinson takes the fan vote for the All Star team, with Malzone backing him up.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
27
|
BAL
|
163
|
1,454
|
494
|
153
|
327
|
14
|
40
|
.972
|
17
|
2.97
|
2.94
|
|
Rich Rollins
|
26
|
MIN
|
146
|
1,302
|
455
|
134
|
297
|
24
|
17
|
.947
|
4
|
2.98
|
2.95
|
|
Ed Charles
|
31
|
KCA
|
147
|
1,293
|
416
|
138
|
259
|
19
|
25
|
.954
|
-11
|
2.76
|
2.70
|
|
Don Wert
|
25
|
DET
|
142
|
1,227
|
424
|
126
|
283
|
15
|
30
|
.965
|
10
|
3.00
|
2.88
|
|
Pete Ward
|
26
|
CHW
|
138
|
1,225
|
454
|
126
|
309
|
19
|
24
|
.958
|
18
|
3.19
|
3.15
|
|
Frank Malzone
|
34
|
BOS
|
143
|
1,225
|
417
|
141
|
259
|
17
|
24
|
.959
|
0
|
2.94
|
2.80
|
|
Clete Boyer
|
27
|
NYY
|
123
|
1,076
|
409
|
118
|
278
|
13
|
28
|
.968
|
15
|
3.31
|
3.22
|
|
Max Alvis
|
26
|
CLE
|
105
|
912
|
287
|
83
|
191
|
13
|
18
|
.955
|
-8
|
2.70
|
2.61
|
|
John Kennedy
|
23
|
WSA
|
106
|
758
|
306
|
97
|
191
|
18
|
14
|
.941
|
3
|
3.42
|
2.72
|
|
Billy Moran
|
30
|
TOT
|
89
|
742
|
247
|
81
|
153
|
13
|
9
|
.947
|
-4
|
2.84
|
2.60
|
Analysis
Several good Total Zone Runs performances – Ward leads with 18, followed closely by Robinson with 17, Boyer with 15, and Wert with 10. Any one of the top 3 could have won it, but Robinson played every game and led all the bulk categories, plus this was Robinson’s MVP season (Ward finished a strong 6th). I have to believe Robinson would have won, and he thus breaks Boyer’s three-year run.
1965
Setup
A lot of the same names, but Ken McMullen emerges as the regular for the Senators, and Paul Schaal takes over for the Angels. Robinson wins the fan vote for the All Star team, with Alvis as the backup.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Don Wert
|
26
|
DET
|
161
|
1,427
|
506
|
163
|
331
|
12
|
33
|
.976
|
9
|
3.11
|
3.07
|
|
Max Alvis
|
27
|
CLE
|
156
|
1,396
|
452
|
169
|
264
|
19
|
17
|
.958
|
-6
|
2.79
|
2.78
|
|
Paul Schaal
|
22
|
CAL
|
153
|
1,309
|
435
|
101
|
321
|
13
|
20
|
.970
|
4
|
2.90
|
2.76
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
28
|
BAL
|
143
|
1,298
|
455
|
144
|
296
|
15
|
36
|
.967
|
8
|
3.05
|
3.08
|
|
Clete Boyer
|
28
|
NYY
|
147
|
1,274
|
504
|
134
|
354
|
16
|
46
|
.968
|
8
|
3.45
|
3.32
|
|
Ken McMullen
|
23
|
WSA
|
142
|
1,203
|
476
|
155
|
299
|
22
|
29
|
.954
|
9
|
3.40
|
3.20
|
|
Pete Ward
|
27
|
CHW
|
134
|
1,166
|
437
|
97
|
319
|
21
|
22
|
.952
|
8
|
3.21
|
3.10
|
|
Ed Charles
|
32
|
KCA
|
128
|
1,108
|
413
|
150
|
251
|
12
|
28
|
.971
|
5
|
3.26
|
3.13
|
|
Rich Rollins
|
27
|
MIN
|
112
|
952
|
356
|
112
|
229
|
15
|
21
|
.958
|
9
|
3.22
|
3.04
|
Analysis
Total Zone Runs are as tight as can be, with Wert, Rollins, and McMullen all tallying 9 and Robinson, Boyer, and Ward coming in at 8, and even Charles and Schaal post positive numbers.
What to do? Lots of players have reasonable cases. It’s a bit of a free-for-all, and I’m tempted to go with Wert who was pretty solid across the board, but I think Boyer gets the nod by leading in assists, double plays, and range factor.
1966
Setup
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
10 players qualify. Joe Foy takes over for Boston, Don Buford shifts over from second base to third base for the White Sox, and Killebrew logs his highest number of games at third base since 1959. Robinson wins the fan vote, and Killebrew makes the All Star team as a backup.
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
29
|
BAL
|
157
|
1,431
|
499
|
174
|
313
|
12
|
26
|
.976
|
4
|
3.06
|
3.10
|
|
Max Alvis
|
28
|
CLE
|
157
|
1,418
|
480
|
180
|
280
|
20
|
24
|
.958
|
-3
|
2.92
|
2.93
|
|
Don Wert
|
27
|
DET
|
150
|
1,326
|
392
|
128
|
253
|
11
|
20
|
.972
|
-13
|
2.59
|
2.54
|
|
Joe Foy
|
23
|
BOS
|
139
|
1,244
|
450
|
150
|
279
|
21
|
28
|
.953
|
5
|
3.10
|
3.09
|
|
Ken McMullen
|
24
|
WSA
|
141
|
1,167
|
426
|
125
|
280
|
21
|
26
|
.951
|
7
|
3.12
|
2.87
|
|
Don Buford
|
29
|
CHW
|
133
|
1,096
|
425
|
98
|
301
|
26
|
24
|
.939
|
13
|
3.27
|
3.00
|
|
Paul Schaal
|
23
|
CAL
|
131
|
1,018
|
365
|
97
|
249
|
19
|
21
|
.948
|
-3
|
3.06
|
2.64
|
|
Harmon Killebrew
|
30
|
MIN
|
107
|
915
|
287
|
83
|
190
|
14
|
11
|
.951
|
-3
|
2.69
|
2.55
|
|
Ed Charles
|
33
|
KCA
|
104
|
882
|
297
|
85
|
201
|
11
|
21
|
.963
|
10
|
2.92
|
2.75
|
|
Clete Boyer
|
29
|
NYY
|
85
|
741
|
324
|
87
|
226
|
11
|
12
|
.966
|
11
|
3.80
|
3.68
|
Analysis
Another pretty tight race in the Total Zone Runs category, although Robinson has an off-year. Buford, who had been the primary second baseman for the White Sox the year before, leads the league with 13 Total Zone Runs, although it’s a close call over Boyer with 11 and Charles with 10.
Boyer had impressive per game stats (his Range Factor is very high), but he played a lot of shortstop as the Yankees tried to replace Tony Kubek, who had retired in January of that year. They tried a mix of Boyer, Horace Clarke, Bobby Murcer (who came up as a shortstop), Ruben Amaro, and Dick Schofield.
Not sure how the voting might shake out. Boyer played 59 games at shortstop, and, similar to 1960, I think that might discourage the voters. Buford had the highest Total Zone Runs figure, but not by a lot, and he made more errors (and had the lowest fielding percentage) of any of the candidates.
Something tells me that Robinson, despite not having one of his better Total Zone Run figures would be the voters’ choice, tying him with Boyer (for the moment) at 4 awards each. But I’m not real confident of it, and this might have been a good year for someone else like Buford or McMullen or Foy to get some recognition.
After 10 seasons, here’s the updated tally, with 5 seasons holding to form, and 5 having different projected winners:
|
Year
|
Gold Glove (GG)
|
Retroactive Gold Glove (RAGG)
|
|
*1957
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1958
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1959
|
Frank Malzone
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1960
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1961
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1962
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1963
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1964
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1965
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1966
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
1967
Setup
Mostly the same candidates as the year before, with Charley Smith taking over for Clete Boyer in New York as Boyer was traded to Atlanta. Robinson again wins the fan vote, and Alvis makes another All Star team as a backup.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Max Alvis
|
29
|
CLE
|
161
|
1,450
|
490
|
169
|
304
|
17
|
20
|
.965
|
-3
|
2.94
|
2.94
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
30
|
BAL
|
158
|
1,413
|
563
|
147
|
405
|
11
|
37
|
.980
|
32
|
3.52
|
3.49
|
|
Ken McMullen
|
25
|
WSA
|
145
|
1,312
|
519
|
153
|
348
|
18
|
38
|
.965
|
17
|
3.44
|
3.46
|
|
Don Wert
|
28
|
DET
|
140
|
1,193
|
401
|
112
|
280
|
9
|
21
|
.978
|
7
|
2.96
|
2.80
|
|
Joe Foy
|
24
|
BOS
|
118
|
988
|
340
|
109
|
204
|
27
|
13
|
.921
|
-10
|
2.85
|
2.65
|
|
Charley Smith
|
29
|
NYY
|
115
|
982
|
396
|
92
|
283
|
21
|
22
|
.947
|
5
|
3.44
|
3.26
|
|
Don Buford
|
30
|
CHW
|
121
|
918
|
364
|
95
|
250
|
19
|
16
|
.948
|
7
|
3.38
|
2.85
|
|
Rich Rollins
|
29
|
MIN
|
97
|
729
|
245
|
83
|
153
|
9
|
13
|
.963
|
-10
|
2.91
|
2.43
|
Analysis
McMullen has a nice performance, but Robinson dominates the field with a sizzling figure of 32 Total Zone Runs, the highest by a third baseman to date. His other data is strong too, with over 400 assists and only 11 errors. He’s a runaway winner.
1968
Setup
Bobby Cox (yes, that one) takes over for Charley Smith in New York. Robinson is once again the fan’s choice, and Don Wert makes the team as the backup.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
31
|
BAL
|
162
|
1,435
|
537
|
168
|
353
|
16
|
31
|
.970
|
33
|
3.27
|
3.22
|
|
Sal Bando
|
24
|
OAK
|
162
|
1,414
|
477
|
188
|
272
|
17
|
27
|
.964
|
-1
|
2.93
|
2.84
|
|
Don Wert
|
29
|
DET
|
150
|
1,340
|
441
|
142
|
284
|
15
|
22
|
.966
|
7
|
2.86
|
2.84
|
|
Joe Foy
|
25
|
BOS
|
147
|
1,286
|
459
|
116
|
313
|
30
|
36
|
.935
|
2
|
3.00
|
2.92
|
|
Ken McMullen
|
26
|
WSA
|
145
|
1,255
|
500
|
185
|
296
|
19
|
26
|
.962
|
0
|
3.45
|
3.32
|
|
Bobby Cox
|
27
|
NYY
|
132
|
1,145
|
394
|
98
|
279
|
17
|
22
|
.957
|
0
|
2.96
|
2.86
|
|
Max Alvis
|
30
|
CLE
|
128
|
1,104
|
329
|
114
|
202
|
13
|
18
|
.960
|
0
|
2.58
|
2.00
|
Analysis
Second verse, same as the first. Robinson bests 1967 by a run by posting a total of 33 Total Zone Runs, the highest to that point. It will stand for 30 years, with Robin Ventura tying it in 1998, and Manny Machado upping it to 34 in 2013.
No need to look further. Robinson takes the award again, his third straight RAGG, 4th in 5 years, and 6th in his career.
|
Year
|
Gold Glove (GG)
|
Retroactive Gold Glove (RAGG)
|
|
*1957
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1958
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1959
|
Frank Malzone
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1960
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1961
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1962
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1963
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1964
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1965
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1966
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1967
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1968
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
1969
Setup
Expansion adds 2 more teams to both leagues, with the American League adding the Seattle Pilots and the Kansas City Royals. The vowel man (21-year old Aurelio Rodriguez) emerges as the primary third baseman for the Angels, and 23-year old Bill Melton takes over hot corner duty for the White Sox. George Scott, who was a Gold Glove winner at first base the 2 previous seasons, moves across the diamond for the Red Sox, as Joe Foy moves from Boston to Kansas City to play 3B for the expansion Royals. For the first time since 1963, Robinson does not win the All Star game fan vote, as Bando takes the honors, with Robinson as the backup.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Sal Bando
|
25
|
OAK
|
162
|
1,480
|
523
|
178
|
321
|
24
|
36
|
.954
|
2
|
3.03
|
3.08
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
32
|
BAL
|
156
|
1,392
|
546
|
163
|
370
|
13
|
37
|
.976
|
23
|
3.44
|
3.42
|
|
Aurelio Rodriguez
|
21
|
CAL
|
159
|
1,372
|
521
|
145
|
352
|
24
|
42
|
.954
|
8
|
3.26
|
3.13
|
|
Ken McMullen
|
27
|
WSA
|
154
|
1,331
|
545
|
185
|
347
|
13
|
35
|
.976
|
16
|
3.60
|
3.45
|
|
Bill Melton
|
23
|
CHW
|
148
|
1,236
|
456
|
112
|
322
|
22
|
36
|
.952
|
-11
|
3.16
|
2.93
|
|
Don Wert
|
30
|
DET
|
129
|
1,092
|
386
|
114
|
259
|
13
|
20
|
.966
|
5
|
3.07
|
2.89
|
|
Joe Foy
|
26
|
KCR
|
113
|
968
|
338
|
117
|
209
|
12
|
20
|
.964
|
-4
|
3.03
|
2.88
|
|
George Scott
|
25
|
BOS
|
109
|
934
|
324
|
106
|
203
|
15
|
29
|
.954
|
1
|
2.98
|
2.83
|
|
Harmon Killebrew
|
33
|
MIN
|
105
|
778
|
280
|
75
|
185
|
20
|
12
|
.929
|
-12
|
3.01
|
2.48
|
Analysis
McMullen has a terrific season defensively for the Senators, and Rodriguez shows his stuff for the Angels, but it’s another stellar performance for Robinson. He takes his 4th RAGG in a row.
1970
Setup
Seattle moves to Milwaukee and becomes the Brewers. Jerry Kenney takes over primary third base duties for the Yankees, the Paul Schaal era begins in Kansas City, and Rodriguez and McMullen trade teams (Rodriguez to the Senators and McMullen to the Angels). Graig Nettles is traded from Minnesota to Cleveland (in a trade that also included past and future star pitcher Luis Tiant) and becomes a force to be reckoned with at third base. Killebrew, fresh off his 1969 MVP, plays mostly at 3B in 1970 and again has a strong season, finishing 3rd in the MVP voting. He wins the fan vote for the All Star game, with Robinson and Tommy Harper (who finished 6th in the MVP voting while posting a 30 HR/30 SB season)
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
33
|
BAL
|
156
|
1,389
|
495
|
157
|
321
|
17
|
30
|
.966
|
5
|
3.10
|
3.06
|
|
Aurelio Rodriguez
|
22
|
WSA
|
153
|
1,374
|
513
|
118
|
377
|
18
|
41
|
.965
|
27
|
3.24
|
3.24
|
|
Sal Bando
|
26
|
OAK
|
152
|
1,327
|
436
|
158
|
258
|
20
|
22
|
.954
|
4
|
2.82
|
2.74
|
|
Graig Nettles
|
25
|
CLE
|
154
|
1,313
|
509
|
134
|
358
|
17
|
40
|
.967
|
21
|
3.37
|
3.19
|
|
Ken McMullen
|
28
|
CAL
|
137
|
1,200
|
479
|
154
|
306
|
19
|
39
|
.960
|
12
|
3.45
|
3.36
|
|
Tommy Harper
|
29
|
MIL
|
128
|
1,094
|
422
|
123
|
275
|
24
|
23
|
.943
|
7
|
3.27
|
3.11
|
|
Harmon Killebrew
|
34
|
MIN
|
138
|
1,075
|
328
|
108
|
203
|
17
|
14
|
.948
|
-9
|
2.60
|
2.25
|
|
Jerry Kenney
|
25
|
NYY
|
135
|
1,031
|
428
|
111
|
300
|
17
|
18
|
.960
|
10
|
3.59
|
3.04
|
|
Don Wert
|
31
|
DET
|
117
|
915
|
299
|
94
|
191
|
14
|
20
|
.953
|
-12
|
2.80
|
2.44
|
|
Paul Schaal
|
27
|
KCR
|
97
|
782
|
243
|
69
|
159
|
15
|
12
|
.938
|
-3
|
2.62
|
2.30
|
Analysis
Robinson has a bit of a down year (at least according to Total Zone Runs) while young guns Rodriguez and Nettles post impressive defensive seasons, both in the upper 300’s ion assists and both reaching 40 double plays turned. It’s close, but Rodriguez gets the nod to earn his first RAGG, breaking Robinson’s 4-year run.
Of course, Robinson does get a bit of a last laugh, as he puts on one of the most iconic World Series performances in history, including several jaw-dropping displays of defensive wizardry. My young, Red Machine heart was crushed.
|
Year
|
Gold Glove (GG)
|
Retroactive Gold Glove (RAGG)
|
|
*1957
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1958
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1959
|
Frank Malzone
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1960
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1961
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1962
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1963
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1964
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1965
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1966
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1967
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1968
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1969
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1970
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Aurelio Rodriguez
|
1971
Setup
Rico Petrocelli moves over from shortstop to third base for the Red Sox. Rodriguez moves from the Senators to the Tigers in a big trade (Ed Brinkman, Joe Coleman and Jim Hannan to the Tigers for Elliott Maddox, Denny McLain, Norm McRae and Don Wert). Dave Nelson takes over at third base in Washington. Robinson is back in the fan’s good graces and wins the All Star voting, with Melton making the team as a backup.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Ken McMullen
|
29
|
CAL
|
158
|
1,428
|
498
|
137
|
344
|
17
|
27
|
.966
|
6
|
3.03
|
3.04
|
|
Paul Schaal
|
28
|
KCR
|
161
|
1,407
|
470
|
107
|
335
|
28
|
31
|
.940
|
-8
|
2.83
|
2.75
|
|
Graig Nettles
|
26
|
CLE
|
158
|
1,403
|
587
|
159
|
412
|
16
|
54
|
.973
|
30
|
3.66
|
3.61
|
|
Rico Petrocelli
|
28
|
BOS
|
156
|
1,386
|
463
|
118
|
334
|
11
|
37
|
.976
|
3
|
2.94
|
2.90
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
34
|
BAL
|
156
|
1,371
|
501
|
131
|
354
|
16
|
35
|
.968
|
21
|
3.18
|
3.11
|
|
Sal Bando
|
27
|
OAK
|
153
|
1,368
|
420
|
141
|
267
|
12
|
22
|
.971
|
7
|
2.68
|
2.67
|
|
Aurelio Rodriguez
|
23
|
DET
|
153
|
1,322
|
491
|
127
|
341
|
23
|
33
|
.953
|
5
|
3.19
|
3.06
|
|
Bill Melton
|
25
|
CHW
|
148
|
1,270
|
503
|
116
|
371
|
16
|
26
|
.968
|
7
|
3.45
|
3.29
|
|
Jerry Kenney
|
26
|
NYY
|
109
|
818
|
321
|
69
|
237
|
15
|
20
|
.953
|
12
|
3.37
|
2.81
|
|
Dave Nelson
|
27
|
WSA
|
84
|
714
|
226
|
63
|
149
|
14
|
15
|
.938
|
-6
|
2.67
|
2.52
|
Analysis
Once again, an AL third baseman posts a Total Zone Runs figure of 30 or more, only this time it’s Nettles’ turn. Robinson posts a 21 figure that would be good enough to lead in most years, but Nettles’ 30 (not to mention more than 400 assists and an impressive 54 double plays) takes the prize.
1972
Setup
Washington moves to Texas and becomes the Rangers. Mike Ferraro takes over primary third base duties for the Brewers, but otherwise the top candidates are pretty stable. Robinson again wins the fan vote, with Bando making the team as a backup.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Graig Nettles
|
27
|
CLE
|
150
|
1,351
|
473
|
114
|
338
|
21
|
27
|
.956
|
9
|
3.01
|
3.01
|
|
Sal Bando
|
28
|
OAK
|
151
|
1,344
|
479
|
123
|
337
|
19
|
29
|
.960
|
11
|
3.08
|
3.05
|
|
Aurelio Rodriguez
|
24
|
DET
|
153
|
1,334
|
514
|
150
|
348
|
16
|
33
|
.969
|
12
|
3.36
|
3.25
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
35
|
BAL
|
152
|
1,323
|
473
|
129
|
333
|
11
|
27
|
.977
|
18
|
3.14
|
3.04
|
|
Rico Petrocelli
|
29
|
BOS
|
146
|
1,273
|
437
|
146
|
278
|
13
|
38
|
.970
|
-2
|
3.00
|
2.90
|
|
Ken McMullen
|
30
|
CAL
|
137
|
1,149
|
367
|
89
|
267
|
11
|
26
|
.970
|
4
|
2.79
|
2.60
|
|
Paul Schaal
|
29
|
KCR
|
123
|
1,078
|
340
|
77
|
245
|
18
|
16
|
.947
|
-4
|
2.69
|
2.62
|
|
Dave Nelson
|
28
|
TEX
|
119
|
1,005
|
348
|
107
|
222
|
19
|
25
|
.945
|
-5
|
2.94
|
2.76
|
|
Mike Ferraro
|
27
|
MIL
|
115
|
911
|
281
|
93
|
174
|
14
|
16
|
.950
|
-5
|
2.64
|
2.32
|
Analysis
Robinson is getting up there at age 35, but he has a nice bounce-back year defensively. Rodriguez, Bando, and Nettles all post decent figures, but Robinson gets back in the winner’s circle.
|
Year
|
Gold Glove (GG)
|
Retroactive Gold Glove (RAGG)
|
|
*1957
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1958
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1959
|
Frank Malzone
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1960
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1961
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1962
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1963
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1964
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1965
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1966
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1967
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1968
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1969
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1970
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Aurelio Rodriguez
|
|
1971
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Graig Nettles
|
|
1972
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
1973
Setup
There’s a whole lot of shaking going on at the hot corner. A whopping 11 players qualify for the innings played threshold. 21-year old Buddy Bell takes over at third base for Cleveland as Nettles moves to the Yankees. Don Money comes over from the National League to start for Milwaukee, while Steve Braun and Al Gallagher qualify for the Twins and the Angels, respectively. Once again, Robinson takes the fan vote and Bando is selected as a backup along with Buddy Bell of Cleveland, who is named to his first All Star team.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Aurelio Rodriguez
|
25
|
DET
|
160
|
1,394
|
484
|
135
|
335
|
14
|
30
|
.971
|
-1
|
3.03
|
2.94
|
|
Graig Nettles
|
28
|
NYY
|
157
|
1,369
|
553
|
117
|
410
|
26
|
39
|
.953
|
20
|
3.46
|
3.36
|
|
Buddy Bell
|
21
|
CLE
|
154
|
1,367
|
529
|
144
|
363
|
22
|
44
|
.958
|
12
|
3.34
|
3.29
|
|
Sal Bando
|
29
|
OAK
|
159
|
1,363
|
429
|
126
|
281
|
22
|
24
|
.949
|
-7
|
2.69
|
2.56
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
36
|
BAL
|
154
|
1,341
|
498
|
129
|
354
|
15
|
25
|
.970
|
18
|
3.24
|
3.14
|
|
Bill Melton
|
27
|
CHW
|
151
|
1,307
|
485
|
115
|
347
|
23
|
31
|
.953
|
-4
|
3.18
|
3.06
|
|
Don Money
|
26
|
MIL
|
124
|
1,106
|
346
|
112
|
224
|
10
|
24
|
.971
|
-8
|
2.73
|
2.71
|
|
Paul Schaal
|
30
|
KCR
|
121
|
1,027
|
344
|
77
|
237
|
30
|
14
|
.913
|
-12
|
2.75
|
2.60
|
|
Steve Braun
|
25
|
MIN
|
102
|
852
|
270
|
79
|
175
|
16
|
21
|
.941
|
-8
|
2.68
|
2.49
|
|
Rico Petrocelli
|
30
|
BOS
|
99
|
851
|
303
|
73
|
224
|
6
|
22
|
.980
|
10
|
3.14
|
3.00
|
|
Al Gallagher
|
27
|
CAL
|
98
|
771
|
255
|
59
|
186
|
10
|
13
|
.961
|
-1
|
2.86
|
2.50
|
Analysis
Bell, who had debuted in 1972 primarily as a right fielder/center fielder, moved to third base to replace Nettles, and he impressed defensively at third base right off the bat, giving a glimpse into the future success he would display as a multi-year Gold Glove winner for Texas. However, 1973 came down to another Nettles-Robinson duel. Nettles once again posted a 400+ assist total, while Robinson was more sure-handed. With Total Zone Runs being so tight, it came down to personal preference, and I’m giving the slight edge to Nettles.
1974
Setup
Eric Soderholm takes over as the primary Minnesota third baseman and Lenny Randle handles the bulk of the playing time for Texas, but the big news at the position is the emergence of future Hall of Famer 21-year old George Brett for Kansas City. Robinson is again the fan favorite for the All Star team, with Bando and Money serving as backups
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
Aurelio Rodriguez
|
26
|
DET
|
159
|
1,390
|
542
|
132
|
389
|
21
|
40
|
.961
|
7
|
3.37
|
3.28
|
|
Don Money
|
27
|
MIL
|
157
|
1,382
|
472
|
131
|
336
|
5
|
42
|
.989
|
2
|
3.04
|
2.97
|
|
Graig Nettles
|
29
|
NYY
|
154
|
1,368
|
545
|
147
|
377
|
21
|
29
|
.961
|
13
|
3.45
|
3.40
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
37
|
BAL
|
153
|
1,362
|
543
|
115
|
410
|
18
|
44
|
.967
|
15
|
3.47
|
3.43
|
|
Sal Bando
|
30
|
OAK
|
141
|
1,197
|
423
|
113
|
287
|
23
|
28
|
.946
|
-4
|
3.01
|
2.84
|
|
George Brett
|
21
|
KCR
|
132
|
1,134
|
402
|
102
|
279
|
21
|
16
|
.948
|
-7
|
3.02
|
2.89
|
|
Eric Soderholm
|
25
|
MIN
|
130
|
1,113
|
390
|
100
|
273
|
17
|
19
|
.956
|
1
|
3.02
|
2.87
|
|
Bill Melton
|
28
|
CHW
|
123
|
1,079
|
396
|
100
|
272
|
24
|
29
|
.939
|
-7
|
3.10
|
3.02
|
|
Buddy Bell
|
22
|
CLE
|
115
|
1,011
|
401
|
112
|
274
|
15
|
31
|
.963
|
14
|
3.44
|
3.36
|
|
Rico Petrocelli
|
31
|
BOS
|
116
|
975
|
314
|
83
|
219
|
12
|
23
|
.962
|
0
|
2.79
|
2.60
|
|
Lenny Randle
|
25
|
TEX
|
89
|
751
|
277
|
92
|
167
|
18
|
23
|
.935
|
-3
|
3.10
|
2.91
|
Analysis
Same top 3 as 1973, but with Robinson (15), Bell (14), and Nettles (13) all clustered very close together in Total Zone Runs, with Bell managing to be right there with the other two despite only playing 115 games. I think the voters would narrow it down once again to Nettles and Robinson and take a look at the other categories to determine the winner. This time, I think they would give the slight edge to Robinson.
1975
Setup
All 12 AL teams have a qualifying third baseman. Roy Howell takes the reigns for Texas, while Dave Chalk is the primary third baseman for the Angels. 1975 would be Robinson’s final full time season as Baltimore’s third baseman, and would also be his final Gold Glove award. Robinson’s streak of 15 consecutive All Star seasons comes to an end, as Nettles wins the fan vote and Chalk is named as the backup.
Qualifying AL Third Base Contenders
|
Name
|
Age
|
Tm
|
G
|
Inn
|
Ch
|
PO
|
A
|
E
|
DP
|
Fld%
|
Rtot
|
RF/9
|
RF/G
|
|
George Brett
|
22
|
KCR
|
159
|
1,423
|
512
|
131
|
355
|
26
|
27
|
.949
|
7
|
3.07
|
3.06
|
|
Graig Nettles
|
30
|
NYY
|
157
|
1,389
|
533
|
135
|
379
|
19
|
31
|
.964
|
11
|
3.33
|
3.27
|
|
Sal Bando
|
31
|
OAK
|
160
|
1,371
|
451
|
122
|
314
|
15
|
36
|
.967
|
5
|
2.86
|
2.73
|
|
Buddy Bell
|
23
|
CLE
|
153
|
1,328
|
501
|
146
|
330
|
25
|
29
|
.950
|
1
|
3.23
|
3.11
|
|
Aurelio Rodriguez
|
27
|
DET
|
151
|
1,302
|
536
|
136
|
375
|
25
|
33
|
.953
|
7
|
3.53
|
3.38
|
|
Dave Chalk
|
24
|
CAL
|
149
|
1,295
|
452
|
108
|
333
|
11
|
30
|
.976
|
9
|
3.06
|
2.96
|
|
Brooks Robinson
|
38
|
BAL
|
143
|
1,223
|
431
|
96
|
326
|
9
|
30
|
.979
|
19
|
3.10
|
2.95
|
|
Bill Melton
|
29
|
CHW
|
138
|
1,190
|
470
|
131
|
313
|
26
|
23
|
.945
|
-10
|
3.36
|
3.22
|
|
Eric Soderholm
|
26
|
MIN
|
113
|
980
|
383
|
94
|
277
|
12
|
14
|
.969
|
14
|
3.40
|
3.28
|
|
Rico Petrocelli
|
32
|
BOS
|
113
|
975
|
327
|
85
|
229
|
13
|
13
|
.960
|
-3
|
2.90
|
2.78
|
|
Roy Howell
|
21
|
TEX
|
115
|
883
|
315
|
80
|
214
|
21
|
32
|
.933
|
-2
|
2.99
|
2.56
|
|
Don Money
|
28
|
MIL
|
99
|
813
|
288
|
95
|
179
|
14
|
22
|
.951
|
-7
|
3.03
|
2.77
|
Analysis
The ageless wonder strikes again. Robinson once again has the highest Total Zone Runs figure with 19, and he’s 5 ahead of Soderholm and 8 ahead of Nettles. Even though the fictional voters in this exercise acknowledge that errors aren’t all that important in the scheme of things, they do admit that Robinson’s 9 errors (a career low for him in a full season), combined with his league-leading Total Zone figure, was enough.
In 1976, Doug DeCinces overtook Robinson as the primary third baseman for Baltimore, and Robinson hung up the spikes after 1977. Here, then, is the Retroactive Gold Glove tally.
|
Year
|
Gold Glove (GG)
|
Retroactive Gold Glove (RAGG)
|
|
*1957
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1958
|
Frank Malzone
|
Frank Malzone
|
|
1959
|
Frank Malzone
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1960
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1961
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1962
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1963
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1964
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1965
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Clete Boyer
|
|
1966
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1967
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1968
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1969
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1970
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Aurelio Rodriguez
|
|
1971
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Graig Nettles
|
|
1972
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1973
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Graig Nettles
|
|
1974
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
|
1975
|
Brooks Robinson
|
Brooks Robinson
|
So, over the first 19 seasons of the award, I have 11 agreements and 8 disagreements with the Gold Glove results. I have Robinson winning the award in one season where he didn’t win in real life (1959, where he only got in a little over half a season) and 7 seasons where I have the award going to someone else. He nets out at 10 Retroactive Gold Gloves.
Which of course, is still damn impressive, and I think more realistic. It gives at least a little attention to some of the other standout defensive third basemen of that era, with Boyer winning 4 RAGGs, Nettles winning 2 (he would probably also have won in 1976 if we continued the analysis forward), and Rodriguez winning one. These 3 players did win Gold Gloves in real life, but Boyer’s was in the NL (1969 with Atlanta), while Rodriguez and Nettles won in the AL but only after Robinson stopped playing regularly (Rodriguez in 1976 with Detroit, and Nettles in 1977 and 1978 with the Yankees).
Over Robinson’s 17 seasons in which he qualified based on innings played, I awarded him 10 RAGGs. 3 of those I have as clear-cut decisions (1967, 1968, and 1972). In the other 7, I think he was the most logical choice after considering a spectrum of evidence, but there were other contenders who had reasonable cases. I also think there were 4 others (1958, 1963, 1965, and 1973) where Robinson was a reasonable contender but I went with someone else.
So, what does that mean? I awarded him 10, but the range was somewhere between 3 and 14. He was a pretty strong contender in most seasons. If we go with the approach of awarding him 3 for sure and then assume half of the other 11, that would imply maybe the right "expected" number is somewhere around 8 or 9, or maybe 7 if you want to be conservative. I gave him 10.
In summary, I think the following things are true:
1) Robinson is the greatest defensive third baseman ever
2) Being awarded 16 consecutive Gold Gloves was overkill, especially since there were several other deserving candidates as well.
3) There were many others who played during Robinson’s era who deserved at least occasional recognition for their defensive performances
4) Somewhere around 7 to 10 Gold Gloves feels a whole lot better to me.
Well, that’s it, and I hope you enjoyed taking this stroll. Again, I may try this with other positions and time frames, we’ll see how that goes.
Thank you for reading.
Dan