New York Mets’ Juan Lagares Should Absolutely Win Gold Glove In 2014

By Bryan Zarpentine @BZarp on October 9, 2014

After being unjustly denied the chance to even be a finalist for the Gold Glove award last season, New York Mets center fielder Juan Lagares should absolutely win the award this season. Granted, the Gold Glove is the most overrated award in baseball and doesn’t always go to the most deserving player, but there’s no way Lagares should be denied the award in 2014.

Voting for the Gold Glove tends to come down who is statistically the best defensive player at each position, and in that sense Lagares has a good chance of winning. He finished first among National League outfielders in range factor, which measures put outs per inning, and he also had a defensive WAR of 3.37, which is second in all of baseball behind only Andrelton Simmons.

But the Gold Glove award shouldn’t just be about numbers; it should be about judging with one’s own eyes who is the best defensive player, and in that sense, there are few in the game today that should be regarded as highly as Lagares. In nearly every game he’s played this year, Lagares has made an outstanding defensive play that few players are capable of making, completely mesmerizing onlookers, and his ability to make the spectacular play should count for a lot when it comes to the Gold Glove.

If there’s one thing that could hurt Lagares it’s the fact that he’s had three separate injuries that forced him to miss a meaningful period of time, including the final two weeks of the season. However, those injuries should not take away from what he did while he was healthy. In fact, being limited to 116 games this year makes his 3.37 defensive WAR all the more impressive and is just another reason why he’s deserving of the Gold Glove.

Obviously, there are a lot of good candidates for the National League Gold Glove in center field, giving Lagares plenty of competition for the award. But if you watch Lagares play, even for just a short period of time, it’s obvious that he has unbelievable range, an arm base runners shouldn’t test and routinely makes difficult plays look easy. He’s the best defensive outfielder in baseball, and he should absolutely win the Gold Glove in 2014.

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.

Related links:

10 Things That Cost the New York Mets in 2014

Grading the New York Mets 2014 Season

New York Mets’ Juan Lagares On His Way To Winning Gold Glove in 2014