Goldie Glove Award

## Overview

The **Goldie Glove Award** is an honor given to the best AI defender in each BBL season. It is analogous to Major League Baseball's Gold Glove Award, although it only goes to one person rather than a player at each position. Qualification for the award is based on how the defender played against the coaches when controlled by the computer, and not the user using the player. Therefore, a little campaigning must be done to gain votes, as not every coach gets to watch every AI defense play. Videos and streaming help the cause greatly.

The award is named after custom player Goldie Glove, who played in Season 1 and was an excellent fielder.

## Process

Each coach who participates in the BBL season is allowed to vote for each of the three awards, although they do not have to. On occasion, votes are given to server members who did not participate but have in the past and/or have been following the BBL season closely despite not playing. Each voter is allowed to vote for three players. A first place vote awards three points, a second place vote awards two, and a third place vote is one point. Whichever player gathers the most votes is the winner! In the event of a tie, the two players would share co-Goldie Glove awards, this happened in Season 1.

## Winners

Position refers to the AI position for that player, not necessarily the position the user coach put them. Record refers to the team's record. Starting in Season 10, awards were given to each conference rather than leaguewide. They are labeled by first initial for American League, National League, Frontyard League, and Backyard League.

## History

The Goldie Glove is the most volatile of the three awards. It can seemingly go to any player at any position on any team with any record, if the stars align.

Following the positions winning the Goldie Glove over time can somewhat show how the league meta has shifted. In Season 3, when bunts were still allowed, a fast pitcher in Henri Deschenes was able to stop most bunt-oriented offenses. In Season 4, as there was advanced knowledge of how AI's set their defenses, the league started seeing super strong-armed catchers behind the plate for the first time, and catchers won the Goldie Glove three straight seasons. In Season 7, coach Wizard tried (perhaps accidentally) a new strategy of a super fast first baseman, for throws that came slightly off the base, and it worked to perfection. In Season 8, with strong catchers becoming commonplace and hitting to the outfield was a rising strategy, the Goldie Glove went to center fielder Pete Wheeler, a fast, tall fielder who could run down most fly balls and catch many of them without getting hit in the head.

Derek Jeter has the most Goldie Gloves (and the most awards of any kind), with four. Wizard is a back-to-back Goldie Glove winning coach, winning once with Ichiro and once with Star Moonbeam. He joins Yurya and GSchlim as the only multiple Goldie Glove winning coaches. Yurya currently has the most Goldie Glove awards of any coach with 3. GSchlim won twice in Season 1 due to a three-way tie, an event that is unlikely to ever be repeated.

## Criticism

The Goldie Glove Award has received some slight criticism over the years, with one most notable:

* Since the award is mostly based on watching AI defenses, voters mostly vote for players they have personally played against. In a typical season, a coach will only play against half the league, or even less, thereby underrepresenting teams which the coach has not faced. This could also mean that if one half of the league has more voters than the other, the Goldie Glove winner is more likely to come from that side of the league. Some ideas for leveling the playing field in that regard including more teams recording and posting video, or streaming their games live. However, there is another possibility of lack of participation there, too.

Overall, most coaches agree that voting for the Goldie Glove is all in good fun, and the criticism has not affected the integrity of the award.