There’s been talk over the past few years that Starling Marte should move to center field, as he’s the superior defender. On Tuesday night, he has the hardware to back it up, as he won his first career Gold Glove Award for his play in left field for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Marte beat out Justin Upton of the San Diego Padres and Christian Yelich of the Miami Marlins to take home the award. Marte’s arm was a big reason for winning the award, as he led all National League outfielders with 16 assists during the season.
.@Starlingmart led all N.L. outfielders with 16 assists. #StarlingGoldGlover https://t.co/wn12lc0nKF pic.twitter.com/42X0Um0fUJ
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) November 11, 2015
Marte also led all NL left fielders with a .995 fielding percentage, and he was second out of all outfielders in baseball with a 7.9 UZR rating for the 2015 season, according to FanGraphs.
Marte, 27, was one of three Pirates to be a finalist for a Gold Glove this year, joining former winner Andrew McCutchen (CF) and Gerrit Cole (P). Marte, however, was the only one of the three to take home the award, as A.J. Pollock from the Arizona Diamondbacks took home the award in center, while Zack Greinke won the award at pitcher.
Despite not winning, it didn’t stop McCutchen from cheering on his teammate for his award win.
Yesssss!!!! Great job Marte on winning a Gold Glove. Well deserved!
— andrew mccutchen (@TheCUTCH22) November 11, 2015
