New York Mets: David Wright Deserved To Win Gold Glove

Joe Camporeale – USATODAY Sports

MLB announced the winners for the Gold Glove Award on Tuesday, and Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies won the National League Gold Glove Award at third base as expected. All the defensive statistics pointed to Arenado winning the award, which is fine. But if the award were to be given to the best defensive third baseman, and not just the one with the best stats, then the award should have been given to New York Mets third baseman David Wright.

Wright took home the Gold Glove Award in both 2007 and 2008, and he’s only improved his defense at the hot corner since then. He may not get on highlight reels with spectacular catches, but he makes all the plays he’s expected to make, and plenty that you don’t expect him to make.

No other third baseman in baseball charges a slow ground ball to the left side of the infield the way Wright does, and his ability to make that play with ease should be enough to make him stand out above the rest of the third baseman in the league. Even though five years have passed since his last Gold Glove, there’s no doubt that remains one of the best third baseman in all of baseball.

While being a finalist this year does give Wright some of the recognition that he deserves, it’s a joke that he hasn’t won the award in five years, which is a testament to how meaningless the award has become. Wright missing more than six weeks of action most likely hurt him and could have cost him the award, but that shouldn’t have mattered.

If the award took into account the eye test and was decided based on watching games and not just stats, Wright would have stood out above the rest and won the award as he deserved to.

Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.