With the playoffs officially out of the question, the manager of the Colorado Rockies has switched his attention from the postseason to awards season.
Manager Walt Weiss believes a pair of his infielders deserve some hardware recognition, telling MLB.com that both third baseman Nolan Arenado and second baseman DJ LeMahieu deserve to be in consideration for Gold Gloves.
"I think people will recognize them," Weiss said. "I would be disappointed if Nolan didn't win it, [and] same with DJ."
The advanced metrics support Weiss' claim. According to FanGraphs, both men lead their positions in both Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved. Arenado has a four-run lead in DRS over David Wright (17 to 13), and narrowly edges Todd Frazier in UZR (6.2 to 6.0).
LeMahieu has a healthy lead in both categories as well. His 18 DRS is a heft 15 runs ahead of Brandon Phillips, and his 10 UZR leads Chase Utley (6.7) by a wide margin.
"[LeMahieu is] one of those guys that tends to fly under the radar because he quietly gets it done," Weiss said. "Not only has he made the routine play every night, he's made some great plays this year. He's made some web gems. People, when they think of DJ, they may not think of him in those terms, but he's very capable of making a great play.
If numbers aren't your thing, how about taking the eye test?
Hard to argue against that.
