Tigers' Polanco nabs Gold Glove honors

Tigers' Polanco nabs Gold Glove honors
Second baseman takes home second award in three years

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

11/10/09 3:30 PM EST

DETROIT -- Placido Polanco will hit the free-agent market with a nice addition to his resume. The Tigers second baseman won his second Gold Glove Award in three years, beating out Boston's Dustin Pedroia for the American League honor in an announcement made Tuesday.

Polanco was the Tigers' lone Gold Glove winner this year following a season in which defense was one of Detroit's strengths and a big reason why the Tigers stayed in contention. The Tigers were shut out of the Gold Glove Awards last year, reflecting a defense that they tried to remedy during the last offseason. Major League managers and coaches vote on the honors each year.

While Detroit's upgrades around the infield last winter made a difference, Polanco made a statistical improvement of his own. Though he couldn't duplicate his errorless 2007 season, his error total fell from eight last year to two this past season. Working alongside shortstops Adam Everett and Ramon Santiago, along with Brandon Inge at third, Polanco helped turn a career-high 112 double plays. His .997 fielding percentage easily led all AL second basemen, while his 731 total chances and his range factor of 5.1 putouts plus assists per nine innings ranked near the top.

The more specialized fielding stats were more favorable on Polanco than one might expect for a middle infielder who turned 34 years old last month. While Polanco ranked lower among AL second basemen on zone rating, a statistic created by STATS Inc. to measure the rate of outs converted in a player's defensive zone, his ultimate zone rating of 11.4 led all Major League second basemen.

Statistically, this should bolster his case on the open market this winter. While the Tigers could conceivably bring him back on a short-term contract, he's expected to draw enough interest from other clubs to have his share of choices. Team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said last month that prospect Scott Sizemore was ready to step in at second if he can't re-sign Polanco.

Still, if Polanco leaves, he'll do so with his mark set in Detroit. He becomes the third Tigers infielder to win multiple Gold Gloves, joining the double-play duo of Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker. The Gold Glove Award dates back to 1957.

Other Tigers fell short in their Gold Glove bids. Gerald Laird's league-leading 42-percent rate of throwing out baserunners couldn't earn him the nod at catcher over Minnesota's Joe Mauer. Brandon Inge's abundance of highlight plays couldn't overshadow his error total at third, where Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria captured his first Gold Glove. Curtis Granderson couldn't crack the AL Gold Glove outfield mix of longtime standards Torii Hunter and Ichiro Suzuki plus newcomer Adam Jones.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Last Updated: November 10. 2009 3:57PM
Tigers' Placido Polanco wins second Gold Glove
The Detroit News

Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco, who made just two errors in 2009, won his second Gold Glove in the last three years.

He was the only Tiger honored with an American League Gold Glove.

Polanco is the third Tigers infielder to win multiple Gold Gloves, joining Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker. The Gold Glove was first awarded in 1957.

Polanco played defensively in 1,289 1/3 innings this season. He had 290 putouts and 439 assists in 731 chances. His fielding percentage was .997 -- above his career percentage of .993.

This season's AL Gold Glove winners:

C Joe Mauer, Minnesota

1B Mark Teixeira, New York

2B Placido Polanco, Detroit

3B Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay

SS Derek Jeter, New York

OF Torii Hunter, Los Angeles

OF Adam Jones, Baltimore

OF Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle

P Mark Buehrle, Chicago