photo: Yadier Molina (Gregory Fisher/USA TODAY Sports)
The 2018 St. Louis Cardinals have one winner of the Gold Glove and Fielding Bible Awards, Yadier Molina and Kolten Wong, respectively. In our weekly history feature, the trade that brought outfielder Willie McGee to St. Louis is remembered.
Molina wins ninth Gold Glove; Wong takes Fielding Bible
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners were announced on ESPN on Sunday night. One St. Louis Cardinals “finalist” came out a winner but the other did not.
Yadier Molina took home his ninth Gold Glove, but first since 2015, winning at catcher over fellow top three scorers Buster Posey and Manny Pina. The other Cardinal among the top three at his position was second baseman Kolten Wong, who had his best defensive year in 2018. Wong had never won or even been a “finalist” for a Gold Glove until this year. The top finisher at second base in the NL was D.J. LeMahieu of the Rockies, a repeat winner from 2017.
Wong led all second basemen in baseball with 19 Defensive Runs Saved in 2018, yet lost to LeMahieu, who had 18. The Gold Gloves are chosen primarily by a vote of managers and coaches, which accounts for 75% percent of the final score, and by a SABR defensive component which accounts for 25% of the final score. The SABR component is an objective score based on five statistics, and in that measure, LeMahieu finished ahead of Wong by a considerable amount. Still, in this SABR Defensive Index, the two second basemen were number one and two among all NL players at all positions.
There is some thought that reputation carries weight in the manager/coach voting, which may account for repeat winners in many of the categories.
The Cardinals second baseman, however, was the 2018 recipient of the Fielding Bible Award for second base. The Fielding Bible is also an annual award for defensive excellence, chosen by a panel of sabermetrically-inclined baseball analysts and journalists, and it is considered by some to be a more accurate measure of defensive excellence. The Gold Glove Awards are chosen by managers and coaches who may or may not have seen the nominees play regularly and thus may vote based on reputation rather than actual performance. On the other hand, reputation is not a factor in choosing the Fielding Bible recipients.
This year’s Fielding Bible award for Wong was his first. Molina has won the Fielding Bible award at catcher six times, but not in recent years. In 2018, Molina did not place in the top 10.
Coming full circle, the same coaches’ vote that may have hurt Wong powered Molina to his Gold Glove win.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
Derrick Goold of the Post Dispatch reports the Cardinals will check in on Bryce Harper as part of what is anticipated to be a busy off-season. The Cardinals are looking to add an impact bat, preferably left-handed, for the 2019 season. Harper fits this bill. Whether the Cardinals have the financial will to pay the likely hefty price tag for the free agent and possibly get into a bidding war for the outfielder, is unclear.
Transactions
- 10/29 RHP Tyson Ross elected free agency.
- 10/29 RHP Bud Norris elected free agency.
- 10/29 1B Matt Adams elected free agency.
- 10/29 P Adam Wainwright elected free agency.
- 10/29 P Adam Wainwright signed a one-year contract with St. Louis.
- 11/1 The Cardinals activated RHP Alex Reyes from the 60-day disabled list.
- 11/1 The Cardinals activated RF Dexter Fowler from the 60-day disabled list.
- 11/1 The Cardinals activated RHP Michael Wacha from the 60-day disabled list.
- 11/1 The Cardinals activated RHP Luke Gregerson from the 60-day disabled list.
- 11/1 The Cardinals sent C Francisco Pena outright to the Memphis Redbirds.
- 11/1 SS Greg Garcia was claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres.
- 11/1 RHP Matt Bowman was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds.
- 11/2 C Francisco Pena elected free agency.
Injury Report
LF Marcell Ozuna (right shoulder inflammation) underwent a cleanup procedure on his right shoulder on Tuesday, October 30. Ozuna is expected to begin Spring Training in February at 100 percent.
Looking Ahead
The Hot Stove season has begun. Free agency officially began at 4 pm CT on Friday. Any team may now sign free agents. The deadline for making qualifying offers has also passed and the Cardinals did not make qualifying offers to any of their three free agents.
The General Manager Meetings are scheduled to begin on Monday, November 5 in Carlsbad, CA. These meetings are a jumping off point for the offseason.
The non-tender deadline is November 30. The Cardinals have already made subtractions from the 40-man roster in Greg Garcia and Matt Bowman, who were both been claimed off waivers, and Francisco Pena, who was outrighted off the roster and elected free agency. Free agents Tyson Ross, Bud Norris, and Matt Adams are also now off the roster. Required additions were made by activating Alex Reyes, Michael Wacha, Luke Gregerson, and Dexter Fowler from the 60-day disabled list. The 40-man roster now stands at 38.
The Cardinals must add any minor league players not on the 40-man roster whom they wish to protect from the Rule 5 draft by November 20. Additional subtractions from the 40-man roster are possible.
November brings awards. The following are the awards to be given and the dates the winners will be announced.
Nov 5 – Executive of the Year
Nov 7 – Defensive Player of the Year
Nov 8 – Silver Sluggers
Nov 12 – Rookie of the Year
Nov 13 – Manager of the Year
Nov 14 – Cy Young
Nov 15 – Most Valuable Player
Nov 19 – Comeback Player of the Year
Nov 20 – Designated Hitter of the Year (AL only)
The Winter Meetings are scheduled for December 9-13 in Las Vegas. The Rule 5 draft is scheduled for the morning of December 13.
Blast from the Past
In the continuing series of trades and acquisitions, this week’s segment looks at a trade which brought one of the most popular Cardinals ever to St Louis.
On October 21, 1981, the Cardinals acquired outfielder Willie McGee from the Yankees for pitcher Bob Sykes. McGee was in the Yankees farm system at the time of the trade and was initially placed with the Cardinals Triple-A affiliate in Louisville. McGee made his major league debut with the Cardinals on May 10, 1982 at the age of 23. He slashed .296/.318/.391 in his rookie season in 1982, with four home runs and 56 RBI, and finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.
McGee played 13 total seasons as a Cardinal, broken up by six seasons with San Francisco, Oakland, and Boston. In his first stint with the Cardinals, from 1982 until August 1990, McGee was voted the NL MVP and won the Silver Slugger in 1985. He received three Gold Gloves and made four All Star Game appearances as a Cardinal.
McGee made a name for himself in the 1982 World Series win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The center fielder hit two home runs in Game 3 and made a home run-robbing leap in center field. McGee also contributed to the Cardinals’ postseason successes in 1985 and 1987.
After manager Whitey Herzog resigned in mid-season 1990, McGee was traded to the Oakland Athletics on August 29, 1990 for Daryl Green, Felix Jose, and Stan Royer. In December 1990, McGee signed with the San Francisco Giants as a free agent. McGee became a free agent again in 1994 and signed with the Boston Red Sox in June of 1995. He became a free agent again at the end of 1995 and in December returned to the Cardinals for his second tour in St. Louis. McGee signed a succession of one year contracts with the Cardinals in 1996, 1997, and 1998, then retired at the end of 1999 at the age of 40.
McGee was named to the Cardinals Hall of Fame in its inaugural class of 2014, a winner in the fan vote for Modern era players. At the time, McGee was already an employee of the organization, having been hired as a Special Assistant in 2013. He continued to work with minor leaguers until 2017, when he was hired as a member of the Cardinals major league coaching staff, a position he currently holds.
A fan-driven campaign to retire McGee’s uniform number 51 has been ongoing for years, but has yet to be successful. McGee remains one of the most popular players among Cardinals fans to ever wear the Birds on the Bat.
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