Kevin Kiermaier is regarded as one of the best defensive outfielders in Major League Baseball, but the selection process for the Gold Glove awards don’t agree.
Kiermaier was not a finalist for the award when they were announced Thursday. On Friday, he made clear that his defensive excellence is something he values — and he’s not happy that the award for it is ignoring him.
“I was very surprised,” Kiermaier said, via Jesse Rogers of ESPN. “And once that emotion left me, I was disappointed. I was upset. I feel like what I did out there, defensively, was underappreciated this year.
“I wasn’t flawless by any means, but I thought I was darn good out there, and not to be considered top three … I don’t know. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t upset about it.”
It’s worth noting that the Gold Glove nominees this year were determined solely by defensive metrics. Players and coaches typically have a vote, but due to the shortened schedule and lack of play against other divisions, that was eliminated for 2020.
Kiermaier is a three-time Gold Glove winner, so it’s not as if he’s lacking in hardware. It’s more about the respect level. Defense is Kiermaier’s calling card, after all.
How good is the Rays outfielder in the field? He volunteered to run some routes for Tom Brady. It would’ve been totally justified if Brady had taken him up on it.
