Pat Murphy 'ticked' catcher William Contreras not a Gold Glove finalist

On October 14, Milwaukee Brewers catcher Pat Murphy expressed disappointment that his star player, William Contreras, was not among the three finalists for the National League Gold Glove Award at catcher. Contreras, who led the major leagues with 1,085 ⅔ innings and 9.064 pitches caught, was surpassed by Freddy Fernández of the San Diego Padres, Gabriel Moreno of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Luis Torrens of the New York Mets.

Murphy, who had seen Contreras catch over 100 games that season, argued that Contreras was an invaluable asset to the Brewers and deserved more recognition. Rawlings' selection criteria for the Gold Glove Award include a mix of manager and coach votes, as well as the SABR Defensive Index™, which accounts for approximately 25% of the overall selection.

Despite Contreras' strong defensive numbers, he ranked poorly in framing and blocks above average. However, his presence behind the plate helped the Brewers' pitchers throw to a 3.32 ERA and secured 80 wins on the season. Joey Ortiz, a fellow utility player, also missed the final three spots, despite ranking 15th in the league in outs above average and contributing eight defensive runs saved.