A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each fielding position in Major League Baseball (MLB) based on "statistical analysis, the eye test, and any other factors that [panelists] wish to utilize."[1] John Dewan and SIS (formerly Sports Info Solutions, and earlier, Baseball Info Solutions) conduct the annual selection process, which commenced in 2006.[2] The awards are voted on by a panel of 10 to 15 sabermetrically inclined journalists and bloggers.[3][1] The awards have historically been announced before the Gold Glove Awards, the traditional measurement of fielding excellence.[4] Dewan wrote that this award cannot equal the prestige of the Gold Glove, which started 50 years earlier, but it provides an alternative.[5]
Background
In 2006, John Dewan issued The Fielding Bible, a 241 page book,[6] based on analysis of every ball put into play in during the 2005 season, resulting in rankings at each defensive position for all regular players in Major League Baseball (MLB).[7] Dewan, with co-authors, has issued several additional volumes of the book, most recently The Fielding Bible, Volume V in 2020.[8] Dewan and other panelists have annually gone through a ranking process for each defensive position, with the players judged to be the best at each position being named the Fielding Bible Award winners for the MLB season in question.
Voting process
Lorenzo Cain was the first player recognized with a Fielding Bible Award in the multi-position category.
Dewan felt that statistics in addition to visual observation and subjective judgment are integral in determining the best defensive players. The Fielding Bible Award attempts to address the deficiencies Dewan saw with the Gold Glove Award, previously the only organized subjective judgment of fielding. The voting for the Fielding Bible Awards are for the entire MLB, and not separated between the National League and the American League; playing defense was not perceived to be any different between the two leagues. The voters select the best defensive player at each position with the best player given 10 points, the second best nine points and so forth.[9] From the award's inception, the specific outfield positions have been picked individually instead of choosing three generic outfielders,[10] a practice employed by the Gold Glove Awards from 1961 to 2010.[11] Each voter selects 10 players for each position. The candidates for each position are defined beforehand to eliminate the possibility of a vote going to a player who was not really playing the position.[9] (Rafael Palmeiro won a 1999 AL Gold Glove as a first baseman despite being primarily a designated hitter and appearing in only 28 games at first base that season.)[12] The voting for awards is summarized and published for each position, identifying who each panelist voted for. This aims to instill accountability among the voters and provide insight into the process to the public.[9]
In 2014, an award was added to honor a player who plays multiple positions (often referred to as a utility player), with a minimum of 600 innings played at any position but no more than 70 percent of those innings at a specific position.[13] Beginning with the 2023 awards, the announced list of winners now also includes one player named as an overall Defensive Player of the Year.[14]
Voters use sabermetrics to account for a defenders' range. The traditional standard of a high fielding percentage could be impacted by a player who does not make many errors but also does not get to many balls.[15]
There have been some major differences between the player selections made for the Fielding Bible Awards and the Gold Glove Awards.[19][20][21]The Boston Globe writer Peter Abraham said the Fielding Bible Awards "are far more accurate (and accountable)" than the Gold Glove awards since statistics are used along with the opinions of the expert panel. The Gold Gloves are selected by managers and coaches that may have seen a player as few as six times all season.[22] Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times said the votes for the Gold Gloves rely largely on a player's past reputation.[23] Jeff Wilson of The Southern Illinoisan believes that Gold Glove results are unduly influenced by a player's offensive prowess.[15]Derek Jeter, winner of multiple Gold Gloves, believes that many defensive factors cannot be quantified.[24] Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star noted that people "point out the primitive nature of defensive stats — even if that's more perception now than reality."[25]
In 2013, Gold Glove organizers partnered with the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) to add a sabermetric component to its vote. Afterwards, Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated wrote that the Gold Gloves "appear to have significantly closed the gap on their more statistically-driven counterparts."[26]
^Neyer, Rob (2010-11-09). "Gold Glove results mixed, as usual". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2010-11-10. Every year, John Dewan and Baseball Info Solutions conduct their own process, the Fielding Bible Awards.
^Gleeman, Aaron (2010-11-01). "Yadier Molina leads fifth annual "Fielding Bible Awards"". NBCSports.com. Retrieved 2010-11-10. Voted on by a 10-person panel that includes Bill James, Peter Gammons, Joe Posnanski, Rob Neyer, and John Dewan as well as the entire video scouting team at Baseball Info Solutions, the award sets out to recognize the best defensive player at each position, regardless of league.
^Hickey, John (November 1, 2010). "Ichiro wins third Fielding Bible award for defensive prowess". Seattle PostGlobe. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2010. The awards have historically been announced before the Gold Glove awards, which are the traditional barometer for fielding excellence.
^Dutton, Bob (2010-11-01). "No talks yet with Chen on new deal". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 2010-11-11. The three outfield positions are judged separately instead of simply choosing three outfielders.
^Kilgore, Adam (2010-11-09). "As award season dawns, more Silver and Gold for Zimmerman?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved 2010-11-10. And in The Fielding Bible Awards, a vote by various sabermetrically inclined journalists and bloggers, Zimmerman narrowly lost out to Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria (voters didn't differentiate between leagues).
^Levine, Zachary (2010-11-02). "On Giants, free agents, Bourn's award and bad predictions". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-11-11. From a news release, here's the makeup of the group that gave Bourn his award in a statistically-guided decision as Bourn is figured to have saved the Astros 16 runs.
^Wolfley, Bob (November 15, 2010). "Baseball voting all over the field". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 19, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2010. There is a profound disconnect between those who vote for the Gold Glove Awards, Major League Baseball managers and coaches, and those who vote for the Fielding Bible Awards, 10 expert baseball observers, some of whom favor a sabermetrics approach to the game.
^Abraham, Peter (2010-11-01). "Yadier Molina leads fifth annual "Fielding Bible Awards"". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2010-11-10. These awards are far more accurate (and accountable) than the Gold Gloves in that statistics are employed along with the opinions of a large panel of experts.
^Baker, Geoff (2010-11-01). "Mariners eye Durham, Datz for coaching positions; Ichiro wins Fielding Bible Award". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2010-11-11. Unlike the Gold Glove awards, chosen by coaches and based largely on reputation, the Fielding Bible Awards are picked by a panel of experts relying heavily on new-wave statistical analysis for defense.
^Kepner, Tyler (2010-11-10). "Jeter's Gold Glove an Error, Metric Indicates". The New York Times. p. B19. Retrieved 2010-11-10. Jeter — like many players — dismisses defensive statistics as meaningless because of the many factors that cannot be quantified.
