Cardinals defensive thief is pilfered of a Gold Glove opportunity

Michael Siani is receiving a taste of his own medicine when it comes to robbing players, as the St. Louis Cardinals center fielder who has made countless outstanding catches on the year will not be eligible to win a Gold Glove Award in 2024, falling two innings short of the minimum required number of innings to qualify for the award.

The required number of 698 innings ensures that a fielder has played at least two-thirds of a team's games through that point in the season. The seemingly arbitrary choice of 138 games gives the manager and six coaches for each team time to cast their votes.

Siani, whom the Cardinals claimed off of waivers from the Cincinnati Reds in September of 2023, currently ranks second among National League outfielders in Outs Above Average, with 14. Before an oblique injury shut Siani down for nearly a month, he was neck and neck with Washington Nationals center fielder Jacob Young for the top spot in baseball in that category.

Although Siani won't be able to place a Gold Glove on his mantel, he has met the criteria for the Fielding Bible Award, which is a more modern, statistically inclined version of the Gold Glove that utilizes sabermetrics more liberally in the voting. The requirements for a position player to qualify for a Fielding Bible Award are at least 600 innings played or at least 10 defensive runs saved regardless of inning count.

Siani's future with the Cardinals is uncertain. He may not have a spot on the roster if they give Victor Scott a long look in center field, but he should receive another opportunity to get his hands on the prize, whether it's with the Cardinals or another team. Other organizations have surely taken notice of not only his glove, but also his serviceable bat, which improved as the season progressed.

Siani has been one of the biggest reasons for the Cardinals' jump in team Outs Above Average, as they rocketed up from 19th in the league in 2023 to sixth in 2024. The fact that he won't receive Gold Glove consideration might be disappointing, especially in what might be his only season brandishing the birds on the bat, but among the Cardinals faithful and his pitchers, there should be no shortage of appreciation for his contributions to the team this year.