No, I’m not going to celebrate players who used steroids and then lied to Congress. Rafael Palmeiro famously won the Gold Glove at first base in 1999 while only fielding the position in 28 games.
In Palmeiro’s honor, I give you the best defensive players in each league, with a minimum of 28 games played at their position.
Fielding runs are from Justin’s +/- system. The first number is runs saved pro-rated to 150 games, the second is actual runs saved.
1B — Doug Mientkiewicz NYY (+47, +11)
1B — Rich Aurilia SFG (+52, +8)
Dougie’s a no-hit first-baseman still worthy of a roster spot — he better be a good fielder. But why not carry a no-hit shortstop as a late-inning replacement? That’s what the Giants did.
2B — Alex Cora BOS (+27, +5)
2B — Chase Utley PHI (+27, +21)
Who doesn’t like Alex Cora? He should be a late-inning staple during Boston’s playoff run. Chase Utley’s the best second-baseman on a per-game basis and he managed to play 85% of a season. He’s my Phillies’ MVP.
SS — John McDonald TOR (+31, +18)
SS — Adam Everett HOU (+39, +15)
Toronto definitely knows something about fielding that other teams don’t, and I don’t just mean the fact that Johnny McD can flash some leather. Adam Everett is as close as we have to a 2007 Ozzie Smith. Losing him for over half a season killed the Astros.
3B — Troy Glaus TOR (+27, +16)
3B — Craig Counsell MIL (+42, +9)
Troy Glaus is a slick-fielding, power-hitting third-baseman in a hitter’s park. Nice move, Ricciardi. Craig Counsell also wins the Tim Tuefel award for best fielder with a ridiculous batting stance.
LF — Johnny Damon NYY (+49, +9)
LF — Matt Diaz ATL (+40, +18)
Sure, these fielding numbers don’t include the effects of throwing like a you-know-what, but there’s still some serious defensive value in having a good center-fielder playing left field. Honestly, I know nothing about Matt Diaz other than the fact that he obviously doesn’t let Andruw Jones cover for him.
CF — Ichiro Suzuki SEA (+35, +33)
CF — Andruw Jones ATL (+35, +31)
Now that’s impressive. Both of these guys played a full season and totally dominated the position. Ichiro deserves some MVP McLovin’ (can I make that a verb?).
RF — Marlon Byrd TEX (+22, +5)
RF — Jayson Werth PHI (+34, +10)
Evidently it helps to have a strangely-placed “Y” in your name if you play right field. The second-best right-fielder in the Nationanl League was also a Phillie (Philly? Fill-e?) — Shane Victorino.
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Sky is a baseball fan and racket sport afficianado living in upstate NY. His favorite color is orange and is just about ready to give up on his life-long dream to become the next Magnus ver Magnuson (World's Strongest Man). His favorite baseball teams are the Yankees and Red Sox, proving that there's hope in the Middle East.