Chicago White Sox: Dallas Keuchel wins the AL Gold Glove

Dallas Keuchel didn’t really have a good season for the Chicago White Sox. It started off okay but he was not as good in the second half and his numbers reflected it. He started the season as the team’s number two behind Lucas Giolito but the emergence of Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease, and Carlos Rodon led to him being the number five by season’s end.

Keuchel’s 9-9 record wasn’t great but most of those losses came in the second half. His ERA ballooned from 1.99 in 2020 to 5.28 in 2021. He was hit around a lot and it led to his struggles. He wasn’t able to execute his location as well which allowed hitters to take care of his contact-inducing pitches.

However, it wasn’t all bad for Keuchel in 2021. He was so good at fielding his position yet again so he is the 2021 recipient for the American League Gold Glove for pitchers. It was an amazing year for him in that aspect and this is now his 5th career Gold Glove nod. It is so cool to see a White Sox pitcher win an award like this.

He is now 8th all-time in Gold Gloves for pitchers which is really cool. He only allowed two stolen bases, had one error and had 41 assists this season. He also had an outstanding 12 “defensive runs saved” total. This is clearly someone who knows how to defend the position of a pitcher once the ball comes out of his hand. His struggles with location certainly didn’t hinder his ability to field a baseball.

Dallas Keuchel made some Chicago White Sox history by winning the Gold Glove.

Mark Buehrle, Jake Peavy, and Jim Kaat are the only White Sox pitchers to ever win a Gold Glove in a White Sox uniform. He is the only player on the 2021 team to receive the honor and he beat out Zack Greinke and Jose Berrios to win this one.

A lot of people are down on Dallas Keuchel for the way he pitched. He had a bad year and there is no doubt about it. It was so clear that it was because of location issues. If he can work on that over the winter and correct it, there is hope for him to have a good year in 2022.

This is a pitcher that is a World Series champion and Cy Young Award winner. He has been around the block in the MLB and deserves some respect. He will go into 2022 as the fifth starter which means that he might have some pressure taken off. Everyone should be rooting for him to come back and be good because it would make the White Sox that much better.