Cody Bellinger of the New York Yankees won the American League Platinum Glove Award, but if an outfielder were going to win the award, it should have been Ceddanne Rafaela.
Rafaela had more defensive runs saved, more above-average outs, and a better fielding run value than Bellinger. Rafaela is regarded by many as one of the best overall defenders in the league, and plays the much more difficult outfield spot.
For the first time since 2011, when the Platinum Glove Award started, the winner in each league was an outfielder. Pete Crow-Armstrong is very deserving of the honor and is likely to win National League MVP in the coming weeks. However, Rafaela deserved to win the honor in the American League, proving that it should not be voted on by fans.
The Platinum Glove Award is decided by a fan vote from the pool of Gold Glove Award winners. Rafaela was by far the best outfielder in the American League, but he does not wear pinstripes, so he ended up missing out on being recognized for his efforts.
It sounds harsh to say, but the fact that Bellinger plays for the Yankees certainly helps his case in a fan-voted award. Bellinger also had a great year defensively, and his Gold Glove is proof of that. However, it's hard to make a good argument as to why he should have won the Platinum Glove.