Stroman wins first AL Gold Glove Award

TORONTO -- The Stro Show has some new gold to add to his collection of hardware.
Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman picked up his first American League Gold Glove Award when Rawlings officially unveiled its list of winners on Tuesday night. Stroman earned the award over Boston's Chris Sale and Tampa Bay's Alex Cobb, while Kevin Pillar was named a runner-up in center field.
Stroman became the 10th Blue Jays player to win a Gold Glove Award and the first since R.A. Dickey in 2013. The former second baseman at Duke University ranked second among AL pitchers with five defensive runs saved in '17 and is known for his speed and athleticism while fielding off the mound.

This was a breakout season for Stroman, who established himself as the ace of a Toronto rotation that was decimated by injuries. While the Blue Jays had to make do without Aaron Sanchez for most of the year, Stroman did his part to chip in by going 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA, which ranked fourth in the AL. Stroman also surpassed 200 innings for the second consecutive year and did not miss a start despite a lingering blister issue.

Per Rawlings, the Gold Glove Award represents overall fielding excellence and is not an award based solely on fielding metrics and statistics, nor does it factor in offensive production. Managers and coaches vote on the award and are not permitted to select a player from their own team.
The SABR Defensive Index is also used to help pick the winners at each position. The Index draws on two types of defensive metrics, including those derived from batted-ball location-based metrics and those collected from play-by-play accounts, including Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR). Defensive metrics account for approximately 25 percent of the selection process.
Pillar was once again denied a Gold Glove Award despite being named a finalist in center field for the third consecutive year. Kevin Kiermaier won the award each of the last two years, and this season it was Minnesota's Byron Buxton who came out on top over Pillar and Kansas City's Lorenzo Cain.
Buxton led all AL center fielders with 24 DRS in center, with Pillar second at 15. Pillar also finished second to Buxton in UZR (6.0 vs. 9.9). He has yet to win a Gold Glove Award, but he was previously named Wilson's Defensive Player of the Year in 2015. The last Toronto position player to win a Gold Glove Award was Vernon Wells in '06.