Rojas has good case to win Gold Glove
Miguel Rojas calls it his signature play, and it was on full display in the seventh inning Friday.
Playing toward the outer edge of the infield dirt and shading the second base bag, Rojas ranged to his right, sliding feet-first to snag a Riley Adams ground ball. Without hesitation and in one swift motion, Rojas popped up to his feet and fired a throw to Charles Leblanc for the out.
“I feel like I’ve mastered that play over the years,” Rojas said.
It’s plays like that among a slew of other gems this season that have put Rojas on the map and in contention this season to be the first Miami Marlins shortstop to win a Gold Glove Award, in the thick of the race along with the New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor, Atlanta Braves’ Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs’ Nico Hoerner and San Diego Padres’ Ha-seong Kim.
Winning a Gold Glove has been a goal of Rojas’ since he made his MLB debut in 2014 and one he knew could become a reality beginning in 2019 when he transitioned from a defensive replacement and utility infielder to the Marlins’ full-time starting shortstop. He was a finalist for the award in 2020, when Javier Baez won the award.
But while those highlight reel plays are the ones everyone focuses on, Rojas doesn’t prioritize the extraordinary when evaluating his season. Instead, the 33-year-old focuses on how well he executes the routine plays on a daily basis — play-by-play consistency over flash. This is an area of his game where he has taken solace and is able to look back at with pride in a trying season for Rojas — both on and off the field — and for the Marlins as a whole.
“I feel like this has been my best year so far in terms of defensive production,” Rojas said. “It’s been really special.”
Rojas admits parts of his game haven’t been up to his standards this season. He has had his struggles on offense and has been playing with a heavy heart after both his mom and grandfather passed away within a week of each other in January.
But on defense? Rojas has been consistently great this year. The eye test shows that. Analytical metrics back it up.
For those who prefer more traditional or less advanced stats, Rojas entered Saturday leading National League shortstops in fielding percentage
(.988) and defensive runs saved (14). He has gone 60 consecutive games without committing an error, breaking the Marlins record of 54 games set by Hanley Ramirez in 2009. He has also been involved in 65 double plays (fifth in the National League).
“It’s hard to find somebody that’s a better defensive shortstop than Miguel,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “I’m not sure where he is in the Gold Glove [discussion], but if they’re not talking about him, they should be.”
But a deeper dive into advanced analytics provide a greater understanding of the job Rojas has done at shortstop this season.
Ultimate zone rating, which is a metric that, according to the advanced statistics website Fangraphs “puts a run value to defense, attempting to quantify how many runs a player saved or gave up through their fielding prowess (or lack thereof).”
In simplest terms, the metric “tells you how many runs better or worse that player has been relative to the average player at his position.”
Multiple factors are involved in determining a players’ ultimate zone rating. For infielders, these three categories are used, with the totals compiled into one overall score:
Double-Play Runs: The amount of runs above average an infielder is erasing by turning double-plays.
Range Runs: Do they get to more balls than average or not?
Error Runs: Does the player commit more or fewer errors compared with a league-average player at their position?
Entering Saturday, Rojas’ overall ultimate zone rating is 5.2, meaning his defensive play has resulted in 5.2 fewer runs being scored
AAAthan a league average shortstop on plays involving him. That is the best mark among all National League shortstops and second in all of MLB behind only the Cleveland Guardians’ Amed Rosario.
Al Pedrique, the Marlins’ third-base coach who works with the team’s infielders, remembers watching Rojas during Rojas’ early years in Venezuela and “knew that this guy was going to be successful at some point here in the big leagues.”
Pedrique is now seeing it play out before his eyes.
“He’s a true professional like everyone knows,” Pedrique said. “His routine is amazing. He comes out every day, whether we’re at home or on the road, and gets ready to play. He pays attention to detail — positioning himself at short and helping the players around him. You know what you’re going to get from him and he knows what he needs to do on a daily basis to compete at this level.”
That’s all Rojas is trying to do: Compete.
And it has him in the conversation to achieving a career-long goal.
What would winning the Gold Glove mean to Rojas?
“A lot,” he said, “not just for me but for me, for my family, for my coaches, for everybody who counts on me being a good defensive player.”
Jordan McPherson: 305-376-2129, @J_McPherson1126