He was one of the biggest snubs among Dodgers.
The MLB announced the finalists for the NL and AL Gold Glove Awards on Thursday. The Dodgers had two finalists — SP Tyler Anderson and RF Mookie Betts — but the bigger story may be about the guys who weren’t named finalists.
Will Smith was one of the best catchers in baseball this season, both as a hitter and as a backstop. Behind the plate, Smith had a near-perfect fielding percentage of .997, and had seven defensive runs saved above average.
He may not have won the award, as Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto had an incredible defensive season behind the plate. But in 109 games behind the plate for the Dodgers, Smith was one of the better catchers in baseball, and at least deserved the recognition as a finalist.
Mets C Tomas Nido had a .994 fielding percentage and eight defensive runs saved above average, while Braves C Travis d’Arnaud had a .998 fielding percentage and six defensive runs saved above average.
Realmuto had a .993 fielding percentage and 11 defensive runs saved above average.
