MLB Gold Glove Winners: Who Got Snubbed in AL and NL Voting?

With the MLB announcing the 2011 Gold Glove winners today, at least one selection has left more than a few people scratching their heads as Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner was passed over in favor of Alex Gordon.

Statistically, Gardner posted one of the best defensive seasons in history but was passed over for a converted third baseman who is a slightly above-average fielder at best.

So here is a look at Gardner and the other players that I feel got snubbed when this year's Gold Glove awards were handed out.

2B Robinson Cano, New York Yankees

AL Second Base Winner: Dustin Pedroia

As far as the positions where I feel someone was snubbed, this one is by far the closest as both Cano and Pedroia have their advantages over one another as far as fielding goes.

In the end though, Cano holds a significant advantage as far as range is concerned as he had the best Range Factor of any AL second baseman and topped Pedroia 5.15 to 4.62.

Pedroia was not a bad choice, and certainly was a close second but I think that Cano deserved the honor thanks to his superior range considering everything else was so close between the two.

RF Jeff Francoeur, Kansas City Royals

AL Right Field Winner: Nick Markakis

The class of AL right fielders had no clear cut defensive stud, and the finalists came down to Francoeur, Markakis and Torii Hunter.

Of that group, I think that Francoeur and his rocket arm should have gotten the nod as he led the AL in outfield assists with 16 and finished second to Nelson Cruz with a Range Factor of 2.28.

As far as Total Runs Saved Above Average, Markakis was actually below-average with a mark of minus-4 compared to Francoeur's plus-6. All in all, of the three it seemed as though Markakis was the least deserving of the group.

3B Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants

NL Third Base Winner: Placido Polanco

While looking at Pablo Sandoval, it would appear as though his biggest drawback defensively would be his range as he is not a small man to say the least.

However, his Range Factor this season was 2.84, up from 2.36 last season and while that was behind Polanco it was not by much, as he led NL third baseman with a 2.90 mark.

Take that away, and Sandoval was the better third baseman in nearly every other statistical category. The simple fact that he rededicated himself to defense and how much he improved from last season should have earned Sandoval the award.

SS J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles

AL Shortstop Winner: Erick Aybar

Thanks in large part to the fact that he was playing in Baltimore, Hardy had a fantastic season that went largely unnoticed as he hit 30 home runs and posted a 4.1 WAR, earning himself a contract extension in the process.

It wasn't just his offense that was surprisingly good though, as he was also among the leaders in every defensive category among AL shortstops. He posted the best Range Factor and committed just six errors for a fantastic .990 fielding percentage.

Compare that to the .980 mark that Aybar posted, while displaying less range and it is hard to understand why he was the choice. In fact, a number of players could have been considered over Aybar and his Runs Saved Above Average number of zero tells the story.

CF Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers

AL Center Field Winner: Jacoby Ellsbury

The fact that Ellsbury went without an error in center field while playing in 154 games can't be overlooked, but aside from that fact, Austin Jackson was the better center fielder in nearly every other measure of defense.

Jackson made three errors, but the most telling stats was the runs saved above average total of the two players, as Jackson saved 22 runs compared to six runs saved by Ellsbury. That total of 22 tied Jackson with Brett Gardner for the highest total among all AL outfielders.

Thanks to tremendous range aided by his great speed, Jackson is among the best in the business going straight back on a fly ball, and while Ellsbury had a solid season Jackson deserved the Gold Glove honor.

1B Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

NL First Base Winner: Joey Votto

There are few first baseman with the range, athleticism and throwing arm of Albert Pujols and that was on display once again this season.

He posted a 0.9 defensive WAR, which was slightly higher than Joey Votto (0.7) who edged him out for the award, while posting the best Range Factor of any first baseman in baseball.

You could make an argument that Todd Helton was better than Votto as well, and while he does not have the range of Pujols or Votto he is as solid as anyone in the league. For 2011 though, Pujols was the one who deserved the award.

LF Brett Gardner, New York Yankees

AL Left Field Winner: Alex Gordon

This is one of the biggest snubs in the history of the Gold Glove award, which has never been an exact science but generally doesn't miss quite as bad as they did on this one.

With a defensive WAR of 3.2, Gardner not only led all of baseball in that stat, but posted the 13th best mark of any player at any position in baseball history.

Alex Gordon got the nod, thanks in large part to his 20 outfield assist which led baseball and was the highest total since Alfonso Soriano threw out 22 runners in 2006.

And that is exactly the point, as no one would ever confuse Soriano for a Gold Glove caliber outfielder despite what was a strong and accurate arm. Gordon should be commended for making a seamless transition from third base to outfield but he simply did not deserve the award over Gardner.