The New York Yankees had several players make a finalist list for the Gold Glove award, but star infielder DJ LeMahieu was not part of it. LeMahieu has won three Gold Gloves over the course of his career and finished the 2020 season with a .971 fielding percentage and four errors. He turned 19 double plays (37 games) at second base, compared to 32 in 2019 (52 games).
Some might say LeMahieu was snubbed from the award, but fellow infielder Gio Urshela found his name on the list, deservedly so. The smooth third baseman had a fantastic defensive campaign, finishing with a .992 fielding percentage and allowed just one error. He was phenomenal on the hot corner, as he normally is. The other name might surprise you, and it is Clint Frazier.
Frazier played in 28 games in right field, committing just one error on 51 attempts. His increased efficiency and production in the outfield have been borderline outstanding, considering he was benched for his defensive issues in 2019. Frazier has earned himself a solid opportunity to start in 2021, especially if the Yankees move on from Brett Gardner.
Frazier’s defense wasn’t his only improvement, as his offense also was stellar throughout the course of the regular season. He finished with a .267 batting average, including eight homers and 26 RBIs over 131 at-bats. Earlier on in the season, when he supplemented the injuries of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, his bat came alive, and he didn’t let go of his consistent reps later on in the year. He ended up with seven at-bats during the postseason, finishing with a .286 BA and 2 hits.
While Gio and Clint will be back in pinstripes in 2021, the Yankees are still looking to retain LeMahieu and negotiate an extension. It was beneficial for him to wait until the end of the year to field offers from other teams, considering the increase in value he has after two stellar seasons in the Bronx. If they can come to an agreement, which I imagine they will, the Yankees will have their starting second baseman back, who is the only infielder on the roster to win a Gold Glove at least once.