(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier was disappointed about not being considered for the 2020 Gold Glove Award and he has a fair point.
Three-time Gold Glove Award winner, Kevin Kiermaier was not very happy with the announcement of the center-field Gold Glove finalists in the American League. Kiermaier was left off the 2020 finalists list which included Byron Buxton, Ramon Laureano, and Luis Robert. One of these three center fielders will be selected on November 3rd at 5 pm PT / 7 pm ET.
#Rays CF Kevin Kiermaier said he is "very surprised, disappointed, and upset" to not be a Gold Glove finalist this year. "I believe they got it wrong," Kiermaier said, before pivoting to add, "We've got better things going on." That is, of course, the #WorldSeries. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 23, 2020
Kiermaier is competing in the World Series with the Tampa Bay Rays right now and has made several game-saving plays in the postseason. Many fans would agree that Kiermaier has been one of the better center fielders in the league the past five seasons.
The 30-year-old won his first Gold Glove Award in 2015, and also won the Platinum Glove in the same year. Kiermaier also won a Gold Glove in 2016 and in 2019. He has yet to make an All-Star appearance because his offense just has not been good enough. Kiermaier has a career .987% fielding percentage, and 135 defensive runs saved.
The only way to find out if Kiermaier’s comments are true is to compare his stats to the three 2020 finalists’ stats. Remember, the Gold Glove Award only considers the regular season so some of the plays Kiermaier has made in the postseason should have no effect. Let’s compare the finalists to Kiermaier and decide for yourself whether he was snubbed or not.