Regardless of what happens with Yolmer Sánchez over the next month, he's made a lasting mark with the White Sox beyond self-administered Gatorade showers.
Sánchez became the first White Sox position player in 21 years to take home Gold Glove honors on Sunday, as Rawlings christened him the best second baseman in the American League. While the White Sox enjoyed dominance over the pitcher category in recent history with Mark Buehrle and Jake Peavy, the Sox hadn't had another defender win the honor since Robin Ventura in 1998.
As we've discussed before, Sánchez's candidacy was up for a philosophical debate. He had the best defensive metrics among a field that included DJ LeMahieu and Jose Altuve, but LeMahieu had a stronger per-game showing at second base. Sánchez had the advantage of playing just about all his games at second base, whereas LeMahieu played more than half his games at other infield positions.
The Society for American Baseball Research released its final SABR Defensive Index, which accounts for about 25 percent of the vote, and Sánchez was able to increase his end-of-year margin by a significant amount.
- Sánchez, 12.4
- LeMahieu, 7.7
- Altuve, 0.5
Sánchez also gave St. Louis' Kolten Wong a run for his money for the overall honors. Wong won the Fielding Bible Award for baseball's top second baseman, but he edged Sánchez by a fraction of a run in terms of SDI, 13 to 12.4.
SDI wasn't quite enough to propel Lucas Giolito to a Gold Glove. Mike Leake ended up winning the honors among American League pitchers, even though Giolito tied him atop the SDI list at 1.8 runs. Leake also finished atop the SDI list last year, though, so his reputation as a fine defensive presence is a little more established.
So Sánchez stands alone as the White Sox' lone Gold Glove recipient, and while he always sounds pleased, he seems especially so right now.
This might've been Sánchez's last best shot to win one, because even if he remains with the White Sox after the non-tender deadline, he likely wouldn't get enough playing time at one position to make an impact on awards races. Coincidentally yet poetically, Ventura's Gold Glove in 1998 was his last with the White Sox, as he signed with the New York Mets after the season.
These particular Gold Glove honors may be a little bittersweet, but after seeing Joe Crede's best days overshadowed by Eric Chavez and Adrian Beltre, Juan Uribe's best days fall prey to Derek Jeter's reputation, and Adam Engel beaten out by Jackie Bradley Jr. last year, the White Sox can't be picky about how -- and to whom -- it happened.
