Dewan: Did Adam Jones and Torii Hunter deserve Gold Gloves?

Of course. If not…the amokian Judson Burch Society wouldn’t exist.

Interestingly, there is one area where Hunter and Jones are the absolute best in baseball. And an important area it is, as it is the most valuable defensive play a player can make: making home-run saving catches. Torii Hunter has the most in baseball over the last three years with five. Adam Jones had the most this past season with four. Based on our methods, Hunter saved eight runs over the three years on these plays and Jones saved six in 2009.

That’s impressive. It’s an important part of the defensive profile of an outfielder, but it is only a part. We also measure two other areas of defense for outfielders, their ability to cover ground and the strength/accuracy of their throwing arm.

Let’s look at their throwing arms first. Based on our methods, Torii Hunter is nearly the exact definition of average. Over the last three years he did not hurt or help his team and had exactly zero defensive runs saved, based on how many runners he threw out and how many runners advanced extra bases on plays to center field. In 2009, Hunter had one defensive run saved. But Adam Jones is a different story. This is another area where he excelled. Jones saved 12 runs with his arm and was the best in all of baseball in 2009. Again. The best outfielder in all of baseball at making home run saving catches and the best outfield throwing arm. No wonder he won a Gold Glove. But should he have?