Cincinnati Reds: Will Joey Votto win his second Gold Glove?

Joey Votto won a Gold Glove back in 2011, but will the Cincinnati Reds first baseman take home his second award after this year’s defensive performance?

Joey Votto made the cut and is up against some stiff competition in his hopes to win his second Gold Glove. Votto took home the award in 2011, but Anthony Rizzo and Freddie Freeman will make it difficult for the Cincinnati Reds first baseman to take home the trophy for the second time in his career.

Votto, a member of the 2002 MLB Draft, goes up against some younger talent this season as he zeroes in on his second Gold Glove. Both Rizzo and Freeman are products of the 2007 MLB Draft. Rizzo was originally drafted by the Red Sox, while Freeman has been with the Braves organization his entire career. Rizzo won a Gold Glove back during the Cubs Championship season of 2016. Freeman has yet to win the elusive honor.

Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks has taken home the award among National League first basemen in three of the last five years. Rizzo was the winner of the award in 2016 and former Los Angeles Dodger, Adrian Gonzalez, took home the honors in 2014.

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Freeman bested both Votto and Rizzo in games played. Freeman played in every game for the Braves this season with 160 starts at first base. When you look at the fielding percentage of all three, they’re eerily close. Votto edges out his competitors by just one one-thousandth of a percentage point, .996 to .995.

Votto had only 5 errors this season while helping to convert 101 double plays. Freeman committed 7 errors while helping the Braves turn two on 116 different occasions. Rizzo matched Freeman with 7 errors on the season while besting the Atlanta All-Star with 128 double plays.

In total zone fielding runs above average (Rtz), Anthony Rizzo leads the way with a score of 9. Votto is right behind with 7 and Freddie Freeman has a total of only 4. This metric is the number above or below average that the player is worth based on fielding plays made.

Diving even deeper into the sabermetrics, Joey Votto was responsible for 9 defensive runs saved above average (DRS) according to FanGraphs. Rizzo accounted for only 4, while Freddie Freeman led the way with 12. When it comes to plus/ minus runs saved (rPM), both Votto and Freeman were neck and neck with 10 and 11 respectively. Rizzo, however, only scored a 1 in that metric.

As is the case every year, the National League managers are the ones casting their ballots for the Gold Glove Awards. Will Votto or Rizzo win their second Gold Glove or will Freeman take home the award for the very first time? Though it may not seem as though Votto had a spectacular season defensively, the metrics say otherwise. We’ll find out soon enough if the Cincinnati Reds first baseman can call himself a two-time Gold Glover.