Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

As announced earlier this week, both Brendan Ryan and Dustin Ackley were nominated for Gold Glove awards at shortstop and second base, respectively.

Shortstop Gold Glove winner: J.J. Hardy

Yesterday, Matthias ruminated on the defensive value of Ryan and his two AL competitors, Baltimore’s J.J. Hardy and Texas’s Elvis Andrus. Despite leading the league in UZR and DRS, Brendan’s cold bat may have swayed voters towards the hot-hitting Hardy instead.

Second base Gold Glove winner: Robinson Cano

Flanked by Ackley and Boston’s Dustin Pedroia, Cano grabbed his second career Gold Glove award. Defensively, he came second in UZR (9.7 to Pedroia’s 10.0) and first in DRS (15), batting .313/.379/.550 to boot.

While neither Mariner was an expected favorite among voters, their nominations may be a sign that voters are placing greater emphasis on defensive accomplishments in spite of sub-par offensive performances. A complete list of Gold Glove winners can be found here.