Yoenis Cespedes earns first career Gold Glove, but not with Mets

After a stint with the Mets defined largely by offensive contributions, free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes won a Gold Glove award on Tuesday, honoring his defensive prowess in left field with the Tigers. As mentioned in the Detroit News, Cespedes is the first Tiger since Placido Polanco in 1998 to win a Gold Glove. Beating out Brett Gardner of the Yankees and Alex Gordon of the Royals for the award, the Gold Glove is a nice feather in the cap for Cespedes, who is seeking a multi-year contract on the open market.

Cespedes patrolled center field through much of his time with the Mets in 2015, logging nearly twice the number of innings in center as in left. A superior defensive left fielder, Cespedes recorded a league-leading 18.8 UZR in 1022.1 innings in left field this past season. Cespedes performed at a slightly below average level in center field, yielding a -3.2 UZR in 312.1 innings. While his barrage of second-half home runs will likely highlight his Mets legacy, Cespedes will also be remembered for a defensive miscue in Game 1 of the World Series, misplaying an Alcides Escobar fly ball into an inside-the-park home run.

If this proves to be the end of the road for Cespedes in New York, Mets fans will have no shortage of highlights to remember his time here.