Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt thinks teammate Daulton Varsho was robbed in Gold Glove Award voting.
“The fact you can lead in defensive runs saved and not win a gold glove is pure stupidity only baseball can pull off,” Bassitt tweeted.
Varsho was a finalist in left field in the American League, but lost out to Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday for the defensive honour despite leading the majors in defensive runs saved. Austin Hays of the Baltimore Orioles was the other finalist.
Each team’s manager and up to six coaches on his staff voted for a pool of qualified players — and couldn’t vote for a player on their own team. The SABR defensive index counts for about 25 per cent of the selection total, while the managers’ and coaches’ votes account for the majority.
The Blue Jays acquired Varsho to help shore up their outfield defence in an off-season deal that sent outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and catcher Gabriel Moreno to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Varsho was a top-notch defensive player, but was inconsistent at the plate, slashing .220/.285/.389 with 20 homers and 61 RBIs. The Blue Jays were swept in the wild-card round by the Minnesota Twins.
Gurriel and Moreno, meanwhile, helped the Diamondbacks advance to the World Series.
Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios, third baseman Matt Chapman and centre-fielder Kevin Kiermaier won 2023 Gold Glove Awards.
The latter two players are eligible for free agency. Varsho could switch to centre field next year to take the place of Kiermaier.