Josh Donaldson a Gold Glove Finalist
By Jason Burke
Sep 19, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman
Josh Donaldson(20) makes a play against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Today, Rawlings announced their finalists at each position for the Gold Glove Award. Among the finalists at third base was the Oakland Athletics’ Josh Donaldson.
Donaldson has never won a Gold Glove, and will have some stiff competition. Adrian Beltre, who has four awards, and Kyle Seager are also nominated. All three players reside in the AL West.
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Of the three, Donaldson has the worst fielding percentage (95.2%, compared to Seager’s 98.1% and Beltre’s 96.7%), but his dWAR is the highest of the trio at 2.7. Seager had a dWAR of 1.7, while Beltre ranks third with a 1.4 in 2014.
Josh Donaldson also committed the most errors of the threesome, with 23, but this could be glossed over due to the number of putouts (131, Seager with 87, Beltre with 144) assists (328, Seager with 327, Beltre at 206) and double plays turned (43, Seager with 36, Beltre with 25).
Obviously, as an A’s fan, I think that Josh Donaldson has the best shot to win the award. He committed a slew of errors this season, but obviously having more chances to make those errors has an effect on those stats.
Kyle Seager is a relative unknown in these terms, much like Donaldson was last year. With two superb seasons under his belt, Donaldson’s biggest competition for the award will be Adrian Beltre.
Managers and coaches account for 75% of the vote, while statistical data accounts for the other 25%.
The winners will be announced on Friday, November 18th at 5 p.m. Pacific.