San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford was named the 2017 National League Gold Glove Award winner at shortstop, selected ahead of Freddie Galvis of the Philadelphia Phillies, and Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This marks the third straight year that Crawford has won the award. It didn’t come as much of a surprise, as he led all qualified NL shortstops this season with a 13.2 Defensive Runs Above Average (DEF), a 7.0 Universal Zone Rating (UZR), and was second with an 8.4 UZR/150. Crawford’s .982 fielding percentage ranked third in the league among players at his position.
Seager had a great season defensively in regards to the metrics, as he was first in UZR/150 (9.5), and second in DEF (12.7) and UZR (6.7). His .979 fielding percentage was good for fifth. He also had a WAR of 5.3, which led all NL shortstops, although that accounted for offense, where Seager excelled.
Even being a finalist for the award is a big accomplishment for Seager, as the knock on him has been his 6’4″ frame and whether it allows for him to play a capable shortstop. Seager was limited in some part defensively in 2017, because of elbow and back injuries.
Had he won the award, Seager would’ve become the first Dodgers shortstop to earn a Gold Glove since Cesar Izturis in 2004. Unlike Seager, the smooth-handed Izturis was more renowned for his defensive prowess than bat.
The last Dodger to win a Gold Glove Award was Zack Greinke, who took it home in back-to-back years in 2014 and 2015.
