AL Gold Glove Awards

By Dan Rodgers

2009 AL Rawlings Gold Glove Awards Review:

C: Joe Mauer (MIN) - This guy is unreal. He just won the award in back-to-back seasons with a .996 fielding percentage this year. Mauer has had no less than a .991 fielding percentage in his career. Just in case you didn't know how insane he is, not to mention he is an MVP candidate.

1B: Mark Teixeira (NYY) - Not only is this guy a great hitter, but he only committed four errors all season long to acheive a .997 fielding percentage. Some of you might wonder where Kevin Youkilis is in this conversation; well Youk played just shy of 80 games at first due to the need for him to also spend time at third. So no need to doubt Teix's crediblity, not to mention he is also an MVP candidate.

2B: Placido Polanco (DET) - This might be a surprise to most people considering reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia received this award last year, but this season Polanco had only two errors to Pedroia's six. Polanco's fielding percentage was also .997 to Pedroia's .991 so obviously the voters know what they're doing.

3B: Evan Longoria (TB) - This kid is going to be a staple for this award for the next 10+ years, so you best get used to seeing his name here. While he did commit 13 errors this season, one more from last year, he played in 30 more games in 2009. Also, it must be taken into consideration that while his fielding percentage might only be .970, he plays arguably the toughest fielding position in the game.

SS: Derek Jeter (NYY) - One of the best shortstops of all-time, Jeter adds to his Hall-of-Fame resume with his fourth career Gold Glove. Not typically known for fielding, Jeter had a career-low eight errors and tied his career high with a .986 fielding percentage.

OF: Torii Hunter (LAA) - Winning his ninth consecutive Gold Glove, Hunter has continually proved himself to be a stellar defensive outfielder. Only committing one error this season, Hunter had an impressive .997 fielding percentage.

OF: Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) - Like Hunter, it was also Ichiro's ninth consecutive time winning the award. These two have continued to impress and don't show signs of slowing down anytime soon. Not quite up to Hunter's level, Ichiro still posted an impressive .988 fielding percentage having only committed four errors.

OF: Adam Jones (BAL) - Orioles rising star, Jones is on the fast path towards long term success in the majors. This kid can do it all, but most impressively won his first Gold Glove in only his second full season in the majors. He had five errors and posted a respectable .986 fielding percentage to go along with his nine outfield assists.

P: Mark Buehrle (CWS) - Not one of the biggest names in the AL, Buehrle continues to show his name belongs up towards the top. He had only one error this season to go along with a perfect game and tying the record for most consecutive batters retired at 45.

Just to clarify, the Rawlings Gold Glove Award is voted on by the Managers and Coaches of each team. However, one important thing to remember is that the coach a team can't vote for a player on their own team.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow night to catch a review of the NL winners.

Rodgers That