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How do Mariners White and Crawford stack up to their Gold Glove competition?

By Ryota Nishino |
Evan White of the Seattle Mariners runs to tag first for an out. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images)
Evan White of the Seattle Mariners runs to tag first for an out. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images)
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SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 28: Shortstop J.P. Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners jogs off the field during a game against the Oakland Athletics at T-Mobile Park on September 28, 2019, in Seattle, Washington. The Athletics won 1-0. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 28: Shortstop J.P. Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners jogs off the field during a game against the Oakland Athletics at T-Mobile Park on September 28, 2019, in Seattle, Washington. The Athletics won 1-0. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

Evan White and J.P. Crawford’s Gold Glove nominations are a great sign for the Mariners

Evan White and J.P. Crawford were selected as Gold Glove finalists for their respective positions recently. This is a great sign for the two young Mariners who only have five seasons of Major League baseball combined under their belts.

White, who is 24-years-old and just played in his first big league season, struggled at the plate but was able to make up for it with his glove. Crawford, who is a year older than White, made leaps on both sides of the game and proved to the organization he deserves a spot on the lineup every day.

The nominations for White and Crawford make it the first time since 2016 where two Mariners have been selected as Gold Glove finalists when Seager and Cano were nominated. Additionally, the last Mariners infielder to win a Gold Glove was Kyle Seager in 2014. Mike Leake also won a Gold Glove as a starting pitcher last season with the Mariners.

I am not surprised at all that the Mariners rookie first baseman is a Gold Glove finalist. He was a highlight reel at first base and there is a lot to look forward to in the coming years. White’s elite defensive ability coming out of college was one of the big reasons why Jerry Dipoto decided to offer a long term extension after performing well in the minor leagues.

The same can be said for Crawford who made “Sportscenter Top 10” like plays every month. The 25-year-old shortstop for the Mariners shined as the starting shortstop and is a Gold Glove finalist rightly so. Like White, Crawford showed off his athleticism.

It seems like it has been a while since the Mariners have had a solid defensive shortstop since Brendan Ryan. Mariners fans should be excited that Crawford is doing it at such a young age.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – SEPTEMBER 06: Evan White #12 and Ty France #23 of the Seattle Mariners have a conversation between the top and bottom of the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at T-Mobile Park on September 06, 2020, in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – SEPTEMBER 06: Evan White #12 and Ty France #23 of the Seattle Mariners have a conversation between the top and bottom of the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at T-Mobile Park on September 06, 2020, in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Evan White has a great chance of winning his first Gold Glove in 2020

White played in 54 games this season and impressively led all American League first basemen in defensive runs saved, scoops, and out of zone plays. White is competing against 36-year-old Yuli Gurriel and 26-year-old Matt Olson for the AL Gold Glove among first basemen. Olson has the best resume with two back to back Gold Gloves in 2018 and 2019.

But, Gurriel was also a solid first baseman in 2020. It is also interesting to note, that the three first base Gold Glove candidates are all from the AL West. To compare some of the important defensive metrics among the three, below is a list of metrics of each player. The winner of the category is bolded.

  • Defensive Runs Saved Above Average
    • White 7
    • Gurriel 2
    • Olson 5
  • Total Zone Fielding Runs Above Average
    • White 5
    • Gurriel 6
    • Olson -2
  • Fielding Percentage
    • White .998%
    • Gurriel .998%
    • Olson .998%
  • League Range Factor per Game
    • White 7.44
    • Gurriel 7.86
    • Olson 7.86
  • Plus/Minus Fielding Runs Above Average
    • White 5
    • Gurriel 2
    • Olson 3
  • Good Plays/Misplays Runs Above Average
    • White 2
    • Gurriel 0
    • Olson 1
  • Infield Range Runs Above Average
    • White 4
    • Gurriel 1
    • Olson 2
  • Infield Throwing Runs Above Average
    • White 1
    • Gurriel 0
    • Olson 1
  • Percentage of Balls Fielded That Resulted in Outs
    • White 96%
    • Gurriel 97%
    • Olson 92%
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 29: Yuli Gurriel #10 of the Houston Astros fields the ball hit by Jorge Polanco #11 of the Minnesota Twins during the second inning of Game One in the Wild Card Round at Target Field on September 29, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 29: Yuli Gurriel #10 of the Houston Astros fields the ball hit by Jorge Polanco #11 of the Minnesota Twins during the second inning of Game One in the Wild Card Round at Target Field on September 29, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

To make things clear, the metrics listed above were not picked to favor White by any means. These are some popular defensive metrics you hear often on television, and it gives a great snapshot of the first base Gold Glove race. White is in first place for six out of the nine metrics listed.

The first metric, defensive runs saved is one of the most important and White has seven. As mentioned earlier, White also leads the American League in scoops. Gurriel is in first place for four out of the nine metrics, while Olson is in first place for just three.

We can also take away that White was much more versatile and athletic at first base because of his high infield range runs, plus/minus fielding, and good plays/misplays runs above average. Just from watching his 2020 performances, the 24-year-old made numerous diving plays, catches along the camera tunnel, and ranged out to right field to make over the shoulder catches.

Some of you may be asking whether White’s offensive woes would potentially influence the Gold Glove selection. Technically it is not supposed to, but in the past, it seemed like it did. But, in 2020, all three of the first basemen have not particularly hit well. Olson and Gurriel underperformed in the regular season offensively. So, it really will come down to the best defensive metrics.

Our rookie first baseman has some tough competition, but White proved his defensive capabilities and I have confidence that he will win his first Gold Glove. Jon Olerud is the only Mariners’ first baseman to win a Gold Glove (2000, 2002, and 2003) and I expect White to join him.

PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 18: J.P. Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners fields a ball hit by Elias Diaz #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates (not pictured) during the seventh inning at PNC Park on September 18, 2019, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 18: J.P. Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners fields a ball hit by Elias Diaz #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates (not pictured) during the seventh inning at PNC Park on September 18, 2019, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

J.P. Crawford competes against Niko Goodrum and a very good Carlos Correa, which will make it tough for the Mariners shortstop

Crawford does not have an easy shot at his first Gold Glove as he has two other young players in the pool. Carlos Correa is bidding for his first Gold Glove alongside Niko Goodrum from Detroit.

Let’s find out what these three did in the 2020 regular season and how they stack up against each other.

  • Fielding Percentage
    • Crawford .986%
    • Correa .995%
    • Goodrum .991%
  • Defensive Runs Saved Above Average
    • Crawford 6
    • Correa 8
    • Goodrum 3
  • Total Zone Fielding Runs Above Average
    • Crawford 7
    • Correa 3
    • Goodrum 5
  • Range Factor per Game
    • Crawford 4.11
    • Correa 3.70
    • Goodrum 3.74
  • Total Zone Infield Double Play Runs Above Average
    • Crawford 2
    • Correa 1
    • Goodrum 3
  • Plus/Minus Fielding Runs Above Average
    • Crawford 4
    • Correa 5
    • Goodrum 3
  • Good Plays/Misplays Runs Above Average
    • Crawford 0
    • Correa 2
    • Goodrum -1
  • Infield Range Runs Above Average
    • Crawford -2
    • Correa 2
    • Goodrum 2
  • Infield Throwing Runs Above Average
    • Crawford 6
    • Correa 3
    • Goodrum 2
  • Percentage of Balls Fielded that Resulted in Outs
    • Crawford 92%
    • Correa 93%
    • Goodrum 92%
  • Double Plays Turned
    • Crawford 31
    • Correa 35
    • Goodrum 17
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 19: Niko Goodrum #28 of the Detroit Tigers during the game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on August 19, 2020, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 19: Niko Goodrum #28 of the Detroit Tigers during the game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on August 19, 2020, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

When looking at the numbers, unfortunately, it looks like Crawford is not the favorite candidate for the Gold Glove award. Crawford led the three in range factor, zone fielding, and infield throwing runs above average. I expected Crawford to have a higher range runs above average and good plays/misplays runs above average because of Crawford’s ability to range well to the forehand and backhand but the numbers do not say so.

Correa undoubtedly has the best throwing arm among the three and showed his consistency with his standout fielding percentage as a shortstop in 2020. Goodrum only led in two of the defensive metrics listed above and Correa has the bulk of the metrics.

We have seen a huge improvement from last year which is exciting. Crawford had a .970 fielding percentage, and -5 defensive runs saved above average last season. The young Mariners shortstop will only improve from here and has such a high ceiling as a 25-year-old. Crawford also leaped in terms of his offense.

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Crawford finished 2020 with a .255 batting average. In 2019, he finished with a .226 batting average. His power numbers are still low, but he was able to get on base at a good rate which is what we want from a defensively-minded shortstop who can hit at the top of the order.

Sad to say, but Crawford will not be winning the Gold Glove this season. But it would be no surprise to me if he is a Gold Glove finalist again next season.

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