Minor League Baseball: 2016 Gold Glove Winners
By Josh Schwam
Matt Skole of the Syracuse Chiefs took home the Gold Glove as a first baseman. This award did not come easy to the 27-year old left-handed hitter. On a freak play at first base during the 2013 season, Skole injured his elbow and had to undergo Tommy John surgery; he missed the entire season.
He posted a .999 fielding percentage in 97 games with Syracuse. The sixth-year pro out of Georgia Tech University, Skole made only one error in 874 chances at first base. Skole was selected by Washington in the fifth round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.
Moving onto the second base gold glove winner, Joey DeMichele was the only repeat winner from last year. The Birmingham 2B registered a .990 fielding percentage in 122 games. The fifth-year pro out of Arizona State University recorded 579 total chances and was a part of 88 double plays. The 25-year old was selected in the third round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
DeMichele shows his real value in the field, as he did not hit well during 2016. His batting average was .233 with 11 home runs and 49 RBI. Even though he did not play well at the plate, fielding adds a massive amount of value to the Chicago White Sox prospect.