Perrotto: Campaign Manager Not a Job for Ke’Bryan Hayes (+)
BRADENTON, Fla. — For years, the theory has been posited that a good defensive player needs to hit enough for Gold Glove voters to notice.
The thinking goes that defensive-first players tend to get overlooked. After all, defensive statistics aren’t put on the scoreboard or the back of baseball calls.
However, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton believes the baseball world has changed in that regard. He feels the rise of defensive metrics over the past 10-15 years means that teams place more emphasis on good fielding than ever before.
Thus, Shelton does not believe Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes fell short of winning a National League Gold Glove in 2022 because he had a subpar season at the plate.
“I really feel that the game is starting to look at that as a defensive award,” Shelton said Wednesday as the Pirates opened spring training. “The offensive stuff doesn’t play into it at all.”
Perhaps.
Call me old school on this matter. I still think being a good offensive player makes a difference in the Gold Glove voting, which is done primarily by major league managers and coaches.
While a sabermetric component is also part of the selection process, it still hasn’t been enough to get Hayes his first Gold Glove.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado won his 10th in a row last season. Arenado is certainly still an above-average fielder and perhaps the greatest defensive third baseman of all time – including Brooks Robinson.
Yet Hayes had a better defensive season in 2022.
Hayes’ 24 defensive runs saved was the most by any major league player, regardless of position. That translates into him being responsible for 2.4 wins last season solely based on his glovework.
Arenado had 19 DRS, which also represents an outstanding season. Yet it was a step below Hayes.
Shelton was bothered to see Hayes miss out on the award.
“I think he should have won it,” Shelton said. “I realize and respect that Nolan won it. He’s won it many years. He’s an elite third baseman. Probably one of the best I’ve ever watched.
“I thought in Key last year — and I’m always going to defend our own guy — it was a situation where he should have won it. Maybe I can start the campaign for the ’23 season now. He’s an elite defender. The things that we can prove in the game now prove that. The metrics prove that.”
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However, Hayes is not yet an elite hitter. In 2022, Hayes batted just .244/.314/.345 with seven home runs in 136 games while bothered much of the season by a lower back strain, though he did have 20 stolen bases.
On the other hand, Arenado hit .293/.358/.533 with 30 homers in 148 games. He finished third in the NL MVP voting while helping the Cardinals win the National League Central while the Pirates finished last in the division for a fourth straight year.
Hayes understands why voters would lean to Arenado despite the numbers. After all, Arenado is starting to position himself as a solid Hall of Fame candidate.
“At the end of the day, you want to be known as an all-around player,” Hayes said. “He had a great season. He was in our division, so we got to see it pretty much every two weeks or so. He’s an unbelievable player. He’s been doing it a decade – obviously, he’s won 10 of them. He’s a great guy. I’ve been watching him since I was 10 years old. Since I’ve been in the league, he’s always been a great dude to me, just talking to me about defense whether it be whenever I’m on base and get to third or vice versa.
“I obviously want to be an all-around player. I want to hit better, obviously, and be able to steal bases – I want to steal even more bases, if I can, this year. So I just want to improve every year at all facets of my game. As far as that, being how you win a Gold Glove and all of that, I’m sure there’s way more stuff that goes into it with how you win. I don’t really equate it.”
Maybe not but I’m guessing Hayes’ Gold Glove odds would improve proportionately to rises in batting average and home runs. That’s just how this thing works in any era.
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