Brewers Only Nab 1 Gold Glove Nominee…and no one is surprised

Not only should you not be surprised that the Brewers defense was not on the minds of all Gold Glove voters, but you should also not be surprised that it is Ryan Braun.  It’s a two-for one deal on lack of surprise gum (there’s no gum).

Ryan Braun, very quietly, had an almost flawless season in Left Field.  Braun was given 268 chances to not make a catch, or botch a ground ball.  The guy was so good this year that he only made 1 error.  His fielding percentage was the best in the Nationl League (.996)  Just some more stats to toss on the NL MVP fire.  By comparrison, Matt Kemp had 361 chances (10o more!!) and had 5 errors for a .986 fielding percentage.  Too show that I am not totally biased, I acknowledged how many more plays Kemp had to make.  Plus, Center Field is a much more difficult position to play.  Matt Kemp will probably win the Gold Glove for CF, as should Braun for Left Field.

The other two Left Field nominees are the D’Backs Gerardo Parra, and Matt Holliday of the Cardinals.  We can all pretty much agree that it will not be Holliday, right?  Not that he is a bad, but he made 3 errors and only had 4 assists.  Parra and Braun are the clear front-runners, besides Cardinals fans have the ultimate prize so Holliday should just graciously bow out.  He won’t, but he should.  Gerrardo Parra was an amazing outfielder this season.  The guy was not much of a hitter when we saw them in the NLDS, but he is an amazing fielder.  What seperates Parra from Braun is his number of assists.  Parra threw out 12 men from his post, while Brauny had 8.  Gerrardo also recorded 2 errors on the season, which puts his fielding percentage at .993.  Both are deserving, but usually they only give out one…and I think it is going to Braun.

Here is a list of the NL Nominees (my projections are in BLUE…if you care):

Pitcher: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers; Hiroki Kuroda, Dodgers; Kyle Lohse, Cardinals.

Catcher: Yadier Molina, Cardinals; Brian McCann, Braves; Carlos Ruiz, Phillies.

First base: Joey Votto, Reds; Gaby Sanchez, Marlins; James Loney, Dodgers.

Second base: Brandon Phillips, Reds; Neil Walker, Pirates; Omar Infante, Marlins.

Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies; Ronny Cedeno, Pirates, Alex Gonzalez, Braves.

Third base: Placido Polanco, Phillies; Daniel Descalso, Cardinals; Pablo Sandoval, Giants.

Left field: Parra, Braun, Holliday.

Center field: Matt Kemp, Dodgers, Shane Victorino, Phillies; Chris Young, Diamondbacks.

Right field: Andre Ethier, Dodgers; Carlos Beltran, Mets/Giants; Jay Bruce, Reds.

So, award season is underway and you should get used to articles like this.  Ryan Braun is going to be in…just about every conversation.  What a season he had.  I hope this becomes a routine, beacuse that would be sweet.