Scorer's Decision

I’m sure those very smart people at the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) have done research on it, but, in case they haven’t, allow me this January observation—baseball scoring has undergone a profound change over the last sixty years or so, from the days of Frank Malzone to Manny Machado.

In 1958, Malzone won a Gold Glove at third base despite 27 errors and a .950 fielding average.  In 2013, Machado won his Gold Glove based on a .973 fielding average; Machado was 13 errors short of perfection.  Eric Chavez did even better in 2006.  The A’s third baseman committed all of five errors for a .987 fielding average—and Gold Glove.

Does this mean Frank Malzone was a butcher back in the day?  I doubt it.  My guess is that the reduction in errors is the product of two factors, starting with grounds keeping.  Remember the 1960 World Series, with the ball hopping up to hit Tony Kukek in the throat in the bottom of the eighth inning of game seven?  Kubek didn’t get an error, but I’m guessing there were a lot of bad hops back then with official scorers deciding that fielders should have handled regardless.  The pebbles have mostly been excised from infield dirt in the years since, and scorers have taken a more generous/realistic view of what can and can’t be handled.  And I’m OK with that.

Unless the SABR folk have information otherwise.