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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier thought he was snubbed for the Gold Glove

By Ryota Nishino

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 24: Kevin Kiermaier of the Tampa Bay Rays dives for a catch in the during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 24, 2020 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 24: Kevin Kiermaier of the Tampa Bay Rays dives for a catch in the during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 24, 2020 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Byron Buxton of the Twins makes a leaping grab against the center field wall.
(Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) /

Byron Buxton is seeking his second Gold Glove Award

The Twins center fielder, Byron Buxton, had a great 2017 when he won his first Gold Glove, a Platinum Glove, and Wilson Defensive Player of the Year. The speedy outfielder covers a lot of ground like Kiermaier and has the athletic ability to make acrobatic diving catches and rob home runs routinely.

Like Kiermaier, Buxton has proved his defensive capabilities but his offensive slacking has not rewarded him with an All-Star selection yet. Buxton did not play all 60 regular-season games due to injury, but he still managed to have impressive stats.

For one, Buxton played seven games less than Kiermaier in the regular season but Buxton had 11 defensive runs saved. Kiermaier had 10 defensive runs saved. Buxton had a dramatically higher plus/minus fielding runs above average compared to Kiermaier (8 vs. 2).

Although, Kiermaier had an outfield arm runs above average score of six, while Buxton only had a score of one. This comes with no surprise as Kiermaier has one of the best cannons in the American League.

  • Defensive runs saved above average
    • Kiermaier 10
    • Buxton 11
  • Plus/minus fielding runs above average
    • Kiermaier 2
    • Buxton 8
  • Outfield arm runs above average
    • Kiermaier 6
    • Buxton 1
  • Total zone fielding runs above average
    • Kiermaier -1
    • Buxton 8
  • Good plays/misplays runs above average
    • Kiermaier 2
    • Buxton 2
  • Fielding percentage
    • Kiermaier 1.000%
    • Buxton 1.000%
  • Assists
    • Kiermaier 6
    • Buxton 1
  • Range factor per game
    • Kiermaier 2.00
    • Buxton 2.69

The contest between Buxton and Kiermaier is close for sure. But it seems like Buxton still has an edge on the metrics shown above. This still does not answer whether Kiermaier was snubbed or not so let’s go to the second Gold Glove candidate to learn more.

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