Ian Happ Named NL Finalist for Left Field Gold Glove
Perhaps no Chicago Cub was more deserving of an award in 2022 than Ian Happ. It was a grim year, no one was going to challenge for MVP, or Cy Young, so Chicago will take what they can get.
Among his peers, the two other who were nominated for the award, — David Peralta and Christian Yelich — Happ leads in defensive runs saved, and by a wide margin. He has 13 to Peralta's -4 and Yelich's -2.
One has to wonder how Peralta and Yelich were ever named finalists for the award with such paltry totals. How can a player win an award for fielding if he's actively hurting the team on defense?
In Peralta's case, the answer is outs above average, of which he boasts five, 88th percentile overall among MLB players. Happ only has one OAA.
Yelich, meanwhile, is a different story. He has -4 OAA on the season, 13th percentile overall, nor does he lead players in outfield assists — he has two — nor arm strength, in which he's 27th percentile.
Perhaps, Yelich is cruising on name recognition only. It's not for past performance either that he was nominated. He once won a Gold Glove in 2014, but the last time he had more than one DRS was in 2015. The days of Yelich being an elite fielder are gone.
Happ should steamroll this competition, en route to his first major award.
More From SI's Inside The Cubs
- Could Mike Trout Request a Trade to the Chicago Cubs?
- Did David Robertson Net the Cubs a Future Star in Ben Brown?
- Hoerner is the Cubs Shortstop of the Future
- Cubs Could Give Canario a Shot in September
- Could the Cubs Land Trea Turner in the Offseason?
- Chicago Cubs Have a New Top Prospect in Their Rankings
- Is This Top Cubs Prospect Destined for the Mound at Wrigley?
- Steele Offers Glimpse Into Future of Cubs Rotation
- Do the Chicago Cubs Have the National League's Best Bullpen?
- Can Christopher Morel be a Long-Term Solution in Center Field?
Make sure to follow Inside the Cubs on Twitter!
