Guardians ALCS Game 2 Starter Snubbed of Gold Glove Nomination

Tanner Bibee of the Cleveland Guardians should be a 2024 Gold Glove finalist.

Aug 28, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) reacts after Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (not pictured) hit a home run during the third inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

So much is happening in MLB right now!

Both Championship Series are in full swing, and we are already getting a sneak preview of some of the regular season awards that will be handed out once the playoffs end. One of the accolades is the Gold Gloves given out to the best defenders in the game.

The finalists for the Gold Gloves Awards were revealed on Tuesday afternoon, and the Cleveland Guardians have four players in the mix: Jose Ramirez, Andres Gimenez, Steven Kwan, and Brayan Rocchio.

One player who is surprisingly not a finalist is Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee. Not only does Bibee have a strong case to be one of the three contenders for the award, but he also has a strong case to be deserving of winning the whole thing.

The pitchers that are finalists for the award are Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans of the Kansas City Royals and Griffin Canning of the Los Angeles Angels. Each of these players is a solid defender in their own right, but Bibee is just as good, if not better.

Let's start with a fairly significant stat when determining a play's value on defense. That's a player's DRS (defensive runs saved). Bibee was tied with Jake Irvin, who had the most total runs saved this season, with six. That's more than Lugo (five), Canning (five), and Ragans (three).

Oct 10, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers during game four of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Sure, some point to Bibee's SDI rating (which accounts for 25 percent of the selection process) as a reason he wasn't a finalist. Cleveland's starter has an index of 2.0, while the other finalists rank better. However, we can't look at this solely because Chris Flexen, who was tied with Lugo for the highest in the AL, wasn't a finalist either.

Most of the selection process (75 percent) comes down to a pool of managers, coaches, and players from across the big leagues. So, all of the stats

Bible had an incredible defense season, and it's just dissipating he's not getting the recognition he deserves.