By Kirby Arnold
Herald Writer
After what Mike Cameron experienced a year ago, he knew better than to wait by the telephone.
Gold Glove Day, when baseball’s defensive all-stars are announced, was nothing more than a big disappointment for the Seattle Mariners’ center fielder in 2000. He missed making the team by one vote, stewed about it for weeks, got over it and decided this year not to think about it. So when one of the best phone calls of Cameron’s life came Tuesday, he wasn’t ready for the news: He and teammate Ichiro Suzuki were named to the American League Gold Glove team in voting by major league managers and coaches.
“When I found out about it, I was like, ‘Really?’” Cameron said by telephone from his home in LaGrange, Ga. “I haven’t been thinking about it. I was disappointed last year after I didn’t get it when I thought I should have.” The Gold Glove has long been an important quest for Cameron, who values his defensive impact but also realizes that a player’s offensive production makes a difference even in Gold Glove in the voting. Cameron made just six errors and batted .267, the same as last season, but he hit 25 home runs and drove in 110 runs this year. Cameron’s .986 fielding percentage ranked seventh among AL outfielders. With Suzuki flashing his Gold Glove defense in right field, Cameron said it allowed him to take chances in center field that might have made an impact that goes beyond statistics.
“We never talked a whole lot in the outfield, but we learned each other very quickly,” Cameron said. “As the season went on, there were some balls I didn’t have to go after because I knew he was going to be there. He was there to back me up when I dove, and it felt like he was connected to me a little bit.
“They say you’ve got to make spectacular plays that make ESPN every night to win a Gold Glove. What this proves is that two-thirds of our outfield was pretty darned good this year.”
The Mariners also had a Gold Glove double in the outfield in 1996 when Ken Griffey Jr. and Jay Buhner each won the award. Suzuki, who is expected to be named the AL Rookie of the Year on Monday, was typically humble in his reaction to the Gold Glove. “I appreciate that I was chosen for this award because it’s not usually my defense that gets recognized,” he said in a statement released by the Mariners. “My goal is to play solid defense rather than putting an emphasis on flashy play.”
Suzuki, who won seven Gold Gloves while playing for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan, was third among AL outfielders with a .997 fielding percentage (one error in 344 total chances with a league-high eight assists). Torii Hunter of the Minnesota Twins won the other outfield Gold Glove after making four errors for a .992 fielding percentage. Three other Mariners – second baseman Bret Boone, catcher Dan Wilson and third baseman David Bell – didn’t make the list despite solid defensive numbers.
Roberto Alomar of the Indians (five errors, .993 fielding percentage) won at second base, Ivan Rodriguez of the Rangers (seven errors, .990) at catcher and Eric Chavez of the A’s (12 errors and a league-best .972) at third. Wilson led the league with just one error and a .999 percentage, but those numbers still weren’t enough to unseat Rodriguez from his 10th straight Gold Glove, even though he played just 106 games because of injury. Boone, who led the league with 141 RBI, made 10 errors and finished with a .986 percentage, but took part in a league-best 90 double plays. Bell finished fourth in the league with a .962 percentage (14 errors in 364 chances).
The Gold Gloves are the first of what could be a load of postseason awards headed to the Mariners.
Besides the Rookie of the Year award that should go to Suzuki on Monday, Lou Piniella is a strong contender for Manager of the Year next Wednesday, Jamie Moyer is expected to get votes for the Cy Young when that award is announced next Thursday, and Suzuki and Boone should be among the leaders for the AL Most Valuable Player award, which will be announced Nov. 20.
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