Detroit Tigers Links: Brian Dozier won Ian Kinsler’s Gold Glove

Brian Dozier got Ian Kinsler’s Gold Glove but no one is mad

Someday, if Detroit Tigers’ second baseman, Ian Kinsler, is ever up for serious Hall of Fame consideration, the loss of the 2017 Gold Glove award isn’t going to be a determining factor. It’s a very long shot for Kinsler to begin with. Brian Dozier of the Twins won, and it’s not really something to get worked up over.

Still, Kinsler’s six defensive runs saved, with an ultimate zone rating of 6.1, easily distances him from Dozier defensively. The Twins’ slugger posted a negative four defensive runs saved, with an UZR of negative 1.3. The Gold Glove isn’t a defensive award. No surprise. But perhaps they should consider creating one.

Altuve and Stanton win Players’ Choice awards

Jose Altuve was named the American League Player of the Year in the Players’ Choice awards on Wednesday. The awards are voted by the players themselves. The Most Valuable Player awards will be announced on Thursday. Altuve looks to be the likely choice, but it’s still a two man race between the Astros’ second baseman and Yankees’ slugger, Aaron Judge.

Corey Kluber was named the Players’ Choice for Pitcher of the Year in the American League, while Max Scherzer won it in the National League. The complete awards included Giancarlo Stanton as Player of the Year in the National League, and Mike Moustakas as American League Comeback Player of the Year.

MLB Hot Stove still cool to the touch

Predictions are flying. Actual rumors are still elusive, a week into the offseason.

So far the demands being floated by a few players have been somewhat hilarious. According to Scott Boras, J.D. Martinez apparently wants a $200 million deal, and really who doesn’t? I guess it’s your move, Dombrowski. Or, maybe the Red Sox could pass on Martinez and accept Jay Bruce’s more modest demands of a five-year deal worth $80-90 million. Hmm, still too much, Jay Bruce.

Jim Duquette of MLB.com predicts the landing places for the top 25 free agents. Spoiler, Otani goes to the Yankees, which is just unfair. Seriously, the fact that the 21-year old wunderkind from the Land of the Rising Sun will make the league minimum for three years feels weird. Strong work by the MLBPA in the last collective bargaining agreement at work there.

Otani may be the rare guy who will come to the Major Leagues regardless of the fact that his bonus is likely to be in the three to four million dollar range, but what a gift to whichever suitor wins the two-way star over to their side. The Texas Rangers have the most bonus pool money left to spend, but the difference presumably isn’t enough to be the deciding factor.

The Baltimore Orioles are in standard offseason mode, looking for value in an assortment of okay starting pitcher options like Jason Vargas, or Andrew Cashner. Travis Sawchik at FanGraphs suggests that the Chicago Cubs need to land Yu Darvish to keep their contender status on par with the other top teams. MLB Trade Rumors took a crack at 50 free agent predictions of their own.

Brian Cashman and the Yankees don’t have a manager

Maybe the oddest part of the Yankees’ dismissal of long-time manager, Joe Girardi, is the fact that they waited until all other managerial positions around the league were filled. It’s hard to tell if they caught themselves napping in not having a clear plan for Girardi’s potential ouster, or if they are really so confident that they have their own pool of well qualified candidates from which to choose. With a stacked farm system and a team that came within a win of a World Series, perhaps they just don’t have much else to do this offseason. You get the sense that some of these front offices have the attitude that they’re in charge now, and they just need a middle man.

David Cone and David Flaherty are both interested, but only Girardi’s bench coach, Rob Thomson, has interviewed for the job.

Tiger notes

Tigers’ infield prospect Kody Eaves continues to impress in the Arizona Fall League, according to Evan Woodberry of MLive. Statcast has released some pitch data from the AFL, and Tigers’ relief prospect Gerson Moreno’s numbers are eye-popping. He’s averaging 96.34 miles per hour on his fourseam fastball, with a phenomenal spin rate of 2993 rpms. General Manager Al Avila sounded a few notes about the types of player the Tigers will target this offseason.

Katie Strang of the Athletic interviewed Daniel Norris about his relationship with the late Roy Halliday. It’s worth reading, and it’s currently free to non-subscribers.

Around the horn

Framing skill is rapidly becoming more uniform, and less of an advantage, according to Jeff Sullivan. Ryan Davis at FanRagSports weighs in on the best bets for a rebound in 2018. ESPN has an early AL Central preview for next season.

Tributes to Roy Halliday have been overwhelming since his tragic death on Tuesday. Grant Brisbee weighed in for SBNation. John Stolnis for the Good Phight remembers Halliday’s postseason no-hitter. Dave Cameron says goodbye from FanGraphs. Michael Baumann remembers Halliday’s impact on and off the field for the Ringer.

Baseball is awesome

Bonus!