Right before the start of this season, former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Justin Barron placed on waivers by the Nashville Predators and claimed by the St. Louis Blues.
Barron being placed on waivers came after he had nine assists in 52 games during the 2025-26 season with the Predators. Overall, he had a quiet campaign last year, but he is now impressing after getting this fresh start with the Blues.
In 11 games this season with the Blues, Barron has also recorded two goals, six assists, eight points, and a plus-6 rating. With numbers like these, the former Canadiens defenseman is providing a new amount of offense for the Blues early on this season.
Barron is not showing signs of slowing down right now, either. He has recorded two goals and seven points over his last five games for St. Louis. This included him putting together a four-point game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 23.
With this, it is clear that Barron is fitting in very nicely with the Blues. It will be interesting to see if the former Canadiens defenseman can keep this kind of play up from here.
In 109 games over four seasons with the Canadiens from 2021-22 to 2024-25, Barron recorded 13 goals, 18 assists, 31 points, and a minus-11 rating.
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 23: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers looks on during a game against the New York Mets at Globe Life Field on September 23, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kai Kanzer/Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers infielder/outfielder Ezequiel Duran has been named the American League winner of the Gold Glove Award for the utility position. It is Duran’s first time winning a Gold Glove award.
Duran entered spring training fighting for a bench role on the major league roster before being an invaluable regular presence in the team’s 2026 lineup. Duran played all over the field, with 49 starts at shortstop, 41 at third base, 25 at second base, 14 in center field, nine in left field, seven in right field, and one at third base. His versatility led to his being dubbed “the Solution.”
Duran was one of four Gold Glove finalists on the Rangers, with Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter and Jacob deGrom being the other three.
The complete list of winners in the American League and in the National League can be found here.
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 23: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers looks on during a game against the New York Mets at Globe Life Field on September 23, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kai Kanzer/Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers infielder/outfielder Ezequiel Duran has been named the American League winner of the Gold Glove Award for the utility position. It is Duran’s first time winning a Gold Glove award.
Duran entered spring training fighting for a bench role on the major league roster before being an invaluable regular presence in the team’s 2026 lineup. Duran played all over the field, with 49 starts at shortstop, 41 at third base, 25 at second base, 14 in center field, nine in left field, seven in right field, and one at third base. His versatility led to his being dubbed “the Solution.”
Duran was one of four Gold Glove finalists on the Rangers, with Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter and Jacob deGrom being the other three.
The complete list of winners in the American League and in the National League can be found here.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 30: Masyn Winn #0 speaks with JJ Wetherholt #26 of the St. Louis Cardinals during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium on May 30, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Gold Glove winners for the 2026 season have been announced, but none of the St. Louis Cardinals finalists were chosen.
Second baseman JJ Wetherholt, shortstop Masyn Winn and pitcher Michael McGreevy were all finalists for the Gold Glove. Unfortunately, none of them were selected.
Here are the National League winners just announced by MLB:
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 30: Masyn Winn #0 speaks with JJ Wetherholt #26 of the St. Louis Cardinals during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium on May 30, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Gold Glove winners for the 2026 season have been announced, but none of the St. Louis Cardinals finalists were chosen.
Second baseman JJ Wetherholt, shortstop Masyn Winn and pitcher Michael McGreevy were all finalists for the Gold Glove. Unfortunately, none of them were selected.
Here are the National League winners just announced by MLB:
Flemings will sit out one game without pay after the league ruled that he intentionally elbowed New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens in the head during their matchup on Saturday, Oct. 31.
The rookie made contact with McGowens in back-to-back plays in the Hawks' 121-99 loss at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. With just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Flemings drove for a layup and his elbow hit McGowens in the face as the defender blocked the shot.
Trey Murphy III grabbed the rebound from Flemings' miss and tossed the ball to Zion Williamson. The two-time All-Star tossed it back to Murphy, who slammed home a dunk to make the score 119-93. In the background, Flemings threw an elbow at McGowens' head as they were following the play downcourt. The two teams scuffled at center court.
Atlanta Hawks guard Kingston Flemings has been suspended one game without pay for intentionally elbowing New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens in the head. He’ll serve his suspension tomorrow against the Indiana Pacers. pic.twitter.com/gLM3GPvcyp
Kingston Flemings drives to the rim, unintentionally elbows Bryce McGowens in the face, who still manages to block him, and Trey Murphy III soars for the alley-oop dunk off a lob by Zion Williamson, and a kerfuffle erupts.
Upon review, Flemings was given a technical foul and ejected from the game. The Pelicans' Julian Reese was also handed a technical foul "for not being a peacemaker during the melee."
Flemings, who is averaging 7.1 points per matchup in seven games off the bench, spoke to reporters after the loss and explained how frustration got the best of him.
"Upset we were losing the game, so definitely apologize for that," he said. "Gotta be smarter than that."
He will sit out the Hawks' road game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday, Nov. 2.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: Sam Hilliard #16 of the Colorado Rockies bats against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on June 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 Major League Baseball season is over with the Milwaukee Brewers (and Antonio Senzatela!) emerging as league champions. The off-season has officially started, and baseball is over for the long, dark winter. It might be over for even longer with a looming and potentially acrimonious lockout on the horizon within the next month.
However, baseball is only “over” if you don’t know where to look.
While the MLB championship may be called the World Series, there is still baseball being played outside of the continental United States.
In Asia, the Japanese Baseball season may be over—with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks emerging as champions—but the Korean Baseball Organization will kick off their own championship series on Tuesday. This year’s Korean Series features the Samsung Lions against the KT Wiz. The KT Wiz are lead by a very familiar face. In his first season playing Korean baseball, former Colorado Rockies outfielder Sam Hilliard is a leading candidate for league MVP after hitting .304/.374/.593 with 139 RBIs and 44 home runs.
Down south, la Liga Mexicana del Pacífico (LMP) in Mexico and Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana (LIDOM) in the Dominican Republic are in full swing for their winter seasons. Games from both leagues can be watched via your MLB.tv subscription. La Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) in Venezuela is also underway with Puerto Rico’s Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC) set to begin in just a few days.
And some Colorado Rockies will be playing Winter Ball, too. The table below shows which teams they’ll be with.
There’s also still baseball close to home. The Arizona Fall League—also available to watch on MLB.tv—has plenty left in the tank with a few more weeks left of play. The “Fall Stars” All-Star game will be played on Sunday, November 8th and feature the best of this year’s fall crop. One would assume slugging catcher Jack O’Dowd will be among those chosen to play. The Arizona Fall League playoffs will then begin on November 12th.
So, Purple Row readers, what winter baseball will you be watching? Let us know in the comments!
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: Sam Hilliard #16 of the Colorado Rockies bats against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on June 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 Major League Baseball season is over with the Milwaukee Brewers (and Antonio Senzatela!) emerging as league champions. The off-season has officially started, and baseball is over for the long, dark winter. It might be over for even longer with a looming and potentially acrimonious lockout on the horizon within the next month.
However, baseball is only “over” if you don’t know where to look.
While the MLB championship may be called the World Series, there is still baseball being played outside of the continental United States.
In Asia, the Japanese Baseball season may be over—with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks emerging as champions—but the Korean Baseball Organization will kick off their own championship series on Tuesday. This year’s Korean Series features the Samsung Lions against the KT Wiz. The KT Wiz are lead by a very familiar face. In his first season playing Korean baseball, former Colorado Rockies outfielder Sam Hilliard is a leading candidate for league MVP after hitting .304/.374/.593 with 139 RBIs and 44 home runs.
Down south, la Liga Mexicana del Pacífico (LMP) in Mexico and Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana (LIDOM) in the Dominican Republic are in full swing for their winter seasons. Games from both leagues can be watched via your MLB.tv subscription. La Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) in Venezuela is also underway with Puerto Rico’s Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC) set to begin in just a few days.
And some Colorado Rockies will be playing Winter Ball, too. The table below shows which teams they’ll be with.
There’s also still baseball close to home. The Arizona Fall League—also available to watch on MLB.tv—has plenty left in the tank with a few more weeks left of play. The “Fall Stars” All-Star game will be played on Sunday, November 8th and feature the best of this year’s fall crop. One would assume slugging catcher Jack O’Dowd will be among those chosen to play. The Arizona Fall League playoffs will then begin on November 12th.
So, Purple Row readers, what winter baseball will you be watching? Let us know in the comments!
Former wicketkeeper Ian Healy says Test coach Andrew McDonald is “in the gun” after Australia’s series defeat in South Africa, which he believes should cost chief selector George Bailey his job.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 25: Cody Bellinger #35 of the New York Yankees catches a fly ball during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, September 25, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Award season is underway, and the 2026 Gold Glove Awards are the first batch of major hardware being handed out this offseason. The Yankees had three finalists worthy of the honor: Austin Wells as one of the AL’s top catchers, Cody Bellinger as the frontrunner for the left field candidates, and José Caballero in the utility role playing around the diamond. Ultimately, Bellinger found himself as the lone Yankee walking away with a trophy, earning his second-ever Gold Glove win after first winning it with the Dodgers back in his MVP 2019 season.
Bellinger has always been a capable fielder, and he was well-regarded last season when he posted seven Defensive Runs Saved but he took his game to another level in 2026. His 21 DRS tied him with Tampa Bay’s Taylor Walls and Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela (both also Gold Glove winners tonight) for the third most in the majors, and his eight assists was tied for 10th among all outfielders. Bellinger managed to ratchet up the velocity on his throws to 93.3 mph, good for 94th percentile arm strength, and he also clocked in with 91st percentile range covering the spacious Yankee Stadium left field grass. With Aaron Judge out for most of the season, the Yankee outfield needed someone to step up as center and right field were both liabilities glove-wise — Bellinger more than did his part to anchor the outfield corps.
As for the Yankees’ other candidates, Wells had an outside shot as one of the best pitch framers (95th percentile) in the league. His 10 Fielding Run Value was also good for the 91st percentile, but the award went to Detroit’s Dillon Dingler for the second straight year after leading the pack with a 17 Fielding Run Value. Caballero, meanwhile, got off to a solid start in 2026 holding down shortstop in Anthony Volpe’s absence where he accrued 13 DRS and was a net positive at second and third base as well. The award wound up going to Texas’ Ezequiel Duran after a season where he was plugged into every position except catcher and pitcher for the Rangers.
Here’s the full list of who walked away with a Gold Glove from both leagues, as well as how many times in their career they’ve earned the honor:
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 25: Cody Bellinger #35 of the New York Yankees catches a fly ball during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, September 25, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Award season is underway, and the 2026 Gold Glove Awards are the first batch of major hardware being handed out this offseason. The Yankees had three finalists worthy of the honor: Austin Wells as one of the AL’s top catchers, Cody Bellinger as the frontrunner for the left field candidates, and José Caballero in the utility role playing around the diamond. Ultimately, Bellinger found himself as the lone Yankee walking away with a trophy, earning his second-ever Gold Glove win after first winning it with the Dodgers back in his MVP 2019 season.
Bellinger has always been a capable fielder, and he was well-regarded last season when he posted seven Defensive Runs Saved but he took his game to another level in 2026. His 21 DRS tied him with Tampa Bay’s Taylor Walls and Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela (both also Gold Glove winners tonight) for the third most in the majors, and his eight assists was tied for 10th among all outfielders. Bellinger managed to ratchet up the velocity on his throws to 93.3 mph, good for 94th percentile arm strength, and he also clocked in with 91st percentile range covering the spacious Yankee Stadium left field grass. With Aaron Judge out for most of the season, the Yankee outfield needed someone to step up as center and right field were both liabilities glove-wise — Bellinger more than did his part to anchor the outfield corps.
As for the Yankees’ other candidates, Wells had an outside shot as one of the best pitch framers (95th percentile) in the league. His 10 Fielding Run Value was also good for the 91st percentile, but the award went to Detroit’s Dillon Dingler for the second straight year after leading the pack with a 17 Fielding Run Value. Caballero, meanwhile, got off to a solid start in 2026 holding down shortstop in Anthony Volpe’s absence where he accrued 13 DRS and was a net positive at second and third base as well. The award wound up going to Texas’ Ezequiel Duran after a season where he was plugged into every position except catcher and pitcher for the Rangers.
Here’s the full list of who walked away with a Gold Glove from both leagues, as well as how many times in their career they’ve earned the honor:
MIAMI, FL - SEPTEMBER 04: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs makes a leaping catch for the out in the sixth inning during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on Friday, September 4, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Kelly Gavin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Rawlings Gold Glove Awards were announced tonight and two Cubs players, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and third baseman Alex Bregman, came home with the trophies.
It was the second-straight win in center field for Crow-Armstrong. It also Bregman’s second Gold Glove, having previously won the award with the Astros in 2024. Bregman also became the first Cubs third baseman to win a Gold Glove since Ron Santo in 1968.
Josiah Hartshorn, the Cubs’ top prospect, also won a minor league Gold Glove as the top defensive first baseman across all of the minor leagues.
Crow-Armstrong beat the Dodgers’ Andy Pages and the Braves’ Michael Harris for the award in center field. Bregman topped the Dodgers’ Max Muncy and the Marlins’ Javier Sanoja for the honors at third base.
Three other Cubs were finalists for a Gold Glove, but came up short. Ian Happ, who has won the Gold Glove in each of the past four seasons, lost this time to the Brewers Jackson Chourio. Right fielder Seiya Suzuki was among the top three in right field, but the award went to the Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll. Shortstop Dansby Swanson, who won the award twice with Atlanta, lost out to the D-Backs’ Geraldo Perdomo.
MIAMI, FL - SEPTEMBER 04: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs makes a leaping catch for the out in the sixth inning during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on Friday, September 4, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Kelly Gavin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Rawlings Gold Glove Awards were announced tonight and two Cubs players, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and third baseman Alex Bregman, came home with the trophies.
It was the second-straight win in center field for Crow-Armstrong. It also Bregman’s second Gold Glove, having previously won the award with the Astros in 2024. Bregman also became the first Cubs third baseman to win a Gold Glove since Ron Santo in 1968.
Josiah Hartshorn, the Cubs’ top prospect, also won a minor league Gold Glove as the top defensive first baseman across all of the minor leagues.
Crow-Armstrong beat the Dodgers’ Andy Pages and the Braves’ Michael Harris for the award in center field. Bregman topped the Dodgers’ Max Muncy and the Marlins’ Javier Sanoja for the honors at third base.
Three other Cubs were finalists for a Gold Glove, but came up short. Ian Happ, who has won the Gold Glove in each of the past four seasons, lost this time to the Brewers Jackson Chourio. Right fielder Seiya Suzuki was among the top three in right field, but the award went to the Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll. Shortstop Dansby Swanson, who won the award twice with Atlanta, lost out to the D-Backs’ Geraldo Perdomo.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 18: Cole Young #2 of the Seattle Mariners before the pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on August 18, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tonight was the announcement of the 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. The Mariners, being one of the league’s worst-fielding teams, unsurprisingly had but one nomination: Cole Young at second base. That one nomination really counted, though, as Cole Young won, giving the Mariners their 45th Gold Glove award as a team, the first since 2024 (when they had two winners in Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh), and the first at second base for the Mariners since 2004, the last year of Brett Boone’s historic three-peat at the position (when Cole Young was one year old). Perhaps speaking to how haunted the second base position has been for the Mariners over the years, Young is just the third Mariner to win a Gold Glove at the position. He is also the second Mariners player to win a Gold Glove Award in his age-22 season or younger, joining Ken Griffey Jr. – not bad company to be in.
Young edged out White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth and Royals second baseman Michael Massey to win the award. Both Meidroth and Massey had the edge via Outs Above Average (OAA), MLB’s in-house stat, and Meidroth led all AL second baseman with +10 Defensive Run Value (DRV). The official MLB writeup of the nominations listed Young as a distant third behind those two, tepidly noting “different metrics had considerably different opinions of Young’s defense in 2026.”
Where Young did shine was in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), a stat tracked by Sports Info Solutions; Young led all AL second basemen with 16 DRS – that’s the most by a Mariners second baseman in a season since SIS began tracking the statistic in 2003. Young’s .990 fielding percentage is the third-best single-season mark by a second baseman in Mariners history, trailing only Robinson Canó (.996 in 2016 and .991 in 2015).
Of course, anyone reading this has seen Young’s play for themselves, which speaks louder than any defensive metrics, which count for just 25% of the vote total – the rest of the vote comes from managers and coaches from each league. We’ve been writing about Young’s improved defense at second base since spring training, when it became immediately obvious that Young had improved on both sides of the ball. Young improved his footwork and positioning significantly, finally settling in at second base after working at shortstop for most of his playing career. While the arm action is unconventional, I encourage anyone evaluating Cole Young to look at his footwork first; range metrics don’t like him (hence the bad OAA mark), but he’s incredibly quick and light on his feet, almost dancer-like, something he drills every day with over-exaggerated hops during his infield work. Those quick feet help him get to the “plays in the box”, as infield coach Perry Hill preaches, with an incredibly high degree of reliability.
Young worked hard on his conditioning, too, keeping him on the field – no Mariner played more games than Young, who appeared in 160 games, more than all but nine other players in MLB. That’s especially impressive considering the jump in workload after Young appeared in just 77 games in 2025, ceding his second base job to Jorge Polanco during the postseason run. It was a running joke in the game threads whenever a ball was hit to Cole Young that I would type “you fool, you have hit it to our one (1) competent infield defender” – which undersells how good Young was over there but also speaks to how shaky the infield defense was all season, between injuries, rookies, and general inefficiency; it’s genuinely frightening to think of what the infield defense would have looked like without Young.
Another running joke that is now not a joke: early on in a post-spring training podcast, I was talking about Young’s improved defense and said off-handedly that I thought people would be pleasantly surprised by how much better he looked, but “it’s not like he’s going to win a Gold Glove or anything” – at which point one of my colleagues challenged me, and I said, foolishly, that if Cole Young won a Gold Glove I would get a tattoo commemorating it. (Current Kate tattoo count is zero, just FYI.) That throwaway joke became a very real threat as the season wound on and Young just kept making plays. It got to the point where I did tell Cole about it, who very nicely offered to let me out of the deal – obviously I declined, I am a woman of my word – but said earnestly that he really, really wanted to win the award, so “one of us is going to be unhappy.” I’m very happy it is me who is unhappy.
I’m also happy that Perry Hill, who coached Young, adds to his “Gold Glove Maker” reputation, especially after being a casualty of the coaching staff turnover. Perry, if you’re reading this, the offer to ghostwrite your book (part biography, part fielding instruction manual) still stands.
With Young having taken home the Gold Glove, you can now vote for him for the Platinum Glove award here. The complete list of winners is here.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 18: Cole Young #2 of the Seattle Mariners before the pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on August 18, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tonight was the announcement of the 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. The Mariners, being one of the league’s worst-fielding teams, unsurprisingly had but one nomination: Cole Young at second base. That one nomination really counted, though, as Cole Young won, giving the Mariners their 45th Gold Glove award as a team, the first since 2024 (when they had two winners in Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh), and the first at second base for the Mariners since 2004, the last year of Brett Boone’s historic three-peat at the position (when Cole Young was one year old). Perhaps speaking to how haunted the second base position has been for the Mariners over the years, Young is just the third Mariner to win a Gold Glove at the position. He is also the second Mariners player to win a Gold Glove Award in his age-22 season or younger, joining Ken Griffey Jr. – not bad company to be in.
Young edged out White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth and Royals second baseman Michael Massey to win the award. Both Meidroth and Massey had the edge via Outs Above Average (OAA), MLB’s in-house stat, and Meidroth led all AL second baseman with +10 Defensive Run Value (DRV). The official MLB writeup of the nominations listed Young as a distant third behind those two, tepidly noting “different metrics had considerably different opinions of Young’s defense in 2026.”
Where Young did shine was in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), a stat tracked by Sports Info Solutions; Young led all AL second basemen with 16 DRS – that’s the most by a Mariners second baseman in a season since SIS began tracking the statistic in 2003. Young’s .990 fielding percentage is the third-best single-season mark by a second baseman in Mariners history, trailing only Robinson Canó (.996 in 2016 and .991 in 2015).
Of course, anyone reading this has seen Young’s play for themselves, which speaks louder than any defensive metrics, which count for just 25% of the vote total – the rest of the vote comes from managers and coaches from each league. We’ve been writing about Young’s improved defense at second base since spring training, when it became immediately obvious that Young had improved on both sides of the ball. Young improved his footwork and positioning significantly, finally settling in at second base after working at shortstop for most of his playing career. While the arm action is unconventional, I encourage anyone evaluating Cole Young to look at his footwork first; range metrics don’t like him (hence the bad OAA mark), but he’s incredibly quick and light on his feet, almost dancer-like, something he drills every day with over-exaggerated hops during his infield work. Those quick feet help him get to the “plays in the box”, as infield coach Perry Hill preaches, with an incredibly high degree of reliability.
Young worked hard on his conditioning, too, keeping him on the field – no Mariner played more games than Young, who appeared in 160 games, more than all but nine other players in MLB. That’s especially impressive considering the jump in workload after Young appeared in just 77 games in 2025, ceding his second base job to Jorge Polanco during the postseason run. It was a running joke in the game threads whenever a ball was hit to Cole Young that I would type “you fool, you have hit it to our one (1) competent infield defender” – which undersells how good Young was over there but also speaks to how shaky the infield defense was all season, between injuries, rookies, and general inefficiency; it’s genuinely frightening to think of what the infield defense would have looked like without Young.
Another running joke that is now not a joke: early on in a post-spring training podcast, I was talking about Young’s improved defense and said off-handedly that I thought people would be pleasantly surprised by how much better he looked, but “it’s not like he’s going to win a Gold Glove or anything” – at which point one of my colleagues challenged me, and I said, foolishly, that if Cole Young won a Gold Glove I would get a tattoo commemorating it. (Current Kate tattoo count is zero, just FYI.) That throwaway joke became a very real threat as the season wound on and Young just kept making plays. It got to the point where I did tell Cole about it, who very nicely offered to let me out of the deal – obviously I declined, I am a woman of my word – but said earnestly that he really, really wanted to win the award, so “one of us is going to be unhappy.” I’m very happy it is me who is unhappy.
I’m also happy that Perry Hill, who coached Young, adds to his “Gold Glove Maker” reputation, especially after being a casualty of the coaching staff turnover. Perry, if you’re reading this, the offer to ghostwrite your book (part biography, part fielding instruction manual) still stands.
With Young having taken home the Gold Glove, you can now vote for him for the Platinum Glove award here. The complete list of winners is here.
