Due to a dumb innings pitched/played rule, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ranger Suarez is ineligible to win a Rawlings Gold Glove Award. However, Suarez’s fielding prowess –he’s considered by many to be the best in baseball– has finally been recognized as –wait for it– the best in baseball.
Suarez has been named the 2022 Fielding Bible Defensive Pitcher of the Year as voted on by Sports Info Solutions. SIS is the one of the leading baseball analytic sites on the web and includes voters such as Peter Gammons, Bill James, Hal Richman, and Eduardo Perez.
The 27-year old lefty led all pitchers with nine defensive runs saved, second on the Phils to catcher J.T. Realmuto. Suarez also didn’t allow a steal during the 2022 season and only two base runners even attempted a steal. The Venezuela native showcased his skills in the 9th inning of NLCS Game 5 gunning out San Diego’s Trent Grisham for the second out of the inning.
Suarez is the first Phillies pitcher to win the award and the first Phil to be selected since Chase Utley in 2010. The only other Phillie to win a Fielding Bible Defensive Player of the Year award was shortstop Jimmy Rollins in 2008.
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