You’d think after a season in which Darwin Barney was near the top of almost every defensive metric in baseball – not just at second base, but at any position – and in which he tied the MLB record for consecutive errorless games at second base, he’d be a lock to win the Gold Glove.
But we all know that the Gold Glove isn’t always award to the best defender. It’s frequently given to the biggest name who also plays good defense, or the reigning winner who didn’t suck, or the best bat who can kind-of-sort-of catch a ball. For that reason, it was fair to suspect that, although Barney had already won The Fielding Bible Award at second base, he might lose out on the Gold Glove to Brandon Phillips, who is the better offensive player, the bigger name, and the reigning winner.
But they got it right! Darwin Barney actually won the Gold Glove at second base this year in the National League, and, if he continues to work at it, and remains a starter, it could be the first of many.
Congrats, Darwin. A bright spot in an otherwise grim year.