Which Atlanta Braves player could win a Gold Glove in 2020?
By Steven Teal
The Atlanta Braves did not have a Gold Glove representative for the 2019 season for the first time in four seasons.
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners for the 2019 season were announced Sunday with no Atlanta Braves taking home one of their own.
For the most part, the winners all made sense to me. I don’t many of us expected Josh Donaldson, nor anyone else, to beat out Nolan Arenado who won his 7th consecutive Gold Glove at third base in the National League.
The one position that led me to scratch my head initially was Kolten Wong beating out Ozzie Albies for the second base position.
This was the first time since 2015 that the Atlanta Braves have not had a gold glove recipient.
#Braves have no Gold Glove Award winners this year for the first time since 2015. They had three last season (Freeman, Inciarte, Markakis). Inciarte wasn't a finalist this year after an injury-plagued season, had won 3 consecutive Gold Glove.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 4, 2019
We all know how good Albies was this past season for Atlanta so it was tough to not see him rewarded for his great defensive work. Albies only committed 4 errors in 154 games played with a .989 fielding percentage.
However, when you break down the stats side by side, it makes a lot of sense why Wong was ultimately chosen.
Kolten Wong: 14 DRS, 5.2 UZR, 3.6 range runs,1.7 dWAR
Ozzie Albies: 8 DRS, 2.2 UZR, -3.5 range runs, 1.0 dWAR
So, congratulations to Kolten Wong on his accomplishment. Here’s to hoping Albies can improve in the offseason and earn his first of many gold gloves starting in 2020.
Who is likely to be the next Braves gold glover?
Well, if I was a betting man, I’d put my money on Ozzie Albies. The kid just knows how to play defense and with Ron Washington still in Atlanta, I expect Ozzie to get even better.
Ozzie has excellent range at second base and makes difficult plays constantly look routine.
Other candidates would include Freddie Freeman, Ender Inciarte, and Ronald Acuna Jr.
Those are the three players that I’d expect to be considered next to Albies thanks to their defensive abilities.
If Ronald Acuna Jr. is the starting right fielder for Atlanta in 2020, I think he has an excellent shot at winning the award next year. He has the arm strength and range suited to be an above-average defensive player in right field.
I don’t have to explain why Freddie Freeman or Ender Inciarte (assuming he is still with Atlanta) will be on that list.
We all know what they can do defensively in the field. Two of the elite defenders in all of Major League Baseball reside in Atlanta.
Next. Save the Date. dark
Who do you think will shine defensively for Atlanta and bring home some hardware in 2020?