The worst Gold Glove selections

There were more than a few laudable Gold Glove selections this year, as announced on ESPN Tuesday night. Mark Buehrle, Matt Wieters, Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Beltre and Troy Tulowitzki cemented their reputations and won Gold Gloves to match their Fielding Bible Awards this year (as voted by a panel of experts including Bill James, Peter Gammons, ESPN's Doug Glanville, John Dewan and Baseball Info Solutions' video scouts). The dual recognition these five players received is well-deserved. Placido Polanco, Adrian Gonzalez, Yadier Molina and Brandon Phillips are also commendable selections.

Of course, it wouldn't be the Gold Gloves without a fair share of second-guessing. While controversial five-time winner Derek Jeter was noticeably absent from this year's list of winners, there were plenty of other controversial selections, primarily in the outfield.

Let's break down the five worst Gold Glove selections using Baseball Info Solutions' defensive metrics.

5. Nick Markakis (AL right field)
Markakis has a great arm, there's no disputing that. He recorded 14 outfield assists in 2011, with nine of those being "kills," meaning he threw out an opposing baserunner without the aid of an infielder relay. Baseball Info Solutions estimates that he saved the Orioles a full six runs with his arm, the second-highest total in the American League behind Jeff Francoeur and tied with Torii Hunter.

For a full list of the worst Gold Gloves, become an ESPN Insider.

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Email
• Subscribe