Major League Baseball

Can Dodgers' Pederson become first NL rookie outfielder to win Gold Glove?

Published Jun. 17, 2015 7:39 p.m. ET

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After two spectacular plays last week, Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson may have cast himself as the favorite to be the National League Gold Glove winner in center. According to Dodger Insider’s Cary Osborne, no NL rookie outfielder has ever won the award. While Pederson may have a flair for the dramatic, he may not be as good as other center fielders based on a  couple of statistics.

Osborne points out that Pederson ranks fourth in Fangraph’s total defense metric behind Billy Hamilton, A.J. Pollock and Charlie Blackmon. Hamilton appears to be well ahead of everyone with a total defense rating of 11.8 compared to 4.2 for Pederson. Blackmon has a 4.8 in total defense. Meanwhile, in terms of defensive runs saved (DRS), Pederson’s 5 is second to Pollock’s 10.

Pederson’s disadvantage compared to these three may be speed. Hamilton, Pollock and Blackmon are all base-stealers who can cover a lot of ground in center. Though Pederson did steal 30 bases in Triple A last season, and he showed off his speed in the catch he made Sunday.

(h/t Dodger Insider)

Photo credit: Denis Poroy/Getty Images

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