The Royals ranked among the best defensive clubs in baseball, and some of their players were be recognized for their prowess with the glove. Three Royals were named finalists for Rawlings Gold Glove awards
this season – Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, and Kyle Isbel. Winners will be announced on November 2 on ESPN.
Bobby Witt Jr. tied Pete Crow-Armstrong to lead all players in Outs Above Average this season at +24 and was third among all players in Defensive Runs Above Average. Witt won a Gold Glove in his first year as a finalist last year. Corey Seager of the Rangers and Taylor Walls of the Rays are the other finalists at shortstop.
Maikel Garcia is a finalist for the first time at third base. He was eighth among all players in Outs Above Average and led all American League third basemen in Defensive Runs Saved. He is a finalist along with Ernie Clement of the Blue Jays and José Ramírez of the Guardians.
Kyle Isbel is a finalist for a Gold Glove for the first time. He finished +12 in Outs Above Average, fourth-best among American League centerfielders. He was also fourth in Defensive Runs Saved at +9. He will be up against Cedanne Rafaela of the Red Sox and Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners.
Here is how Gold Glove finalists and winners are determined, according to MLB.com:
To determine the winners at the nine standard positions, the 30 MLB managers and up to six coaches from each team vote from a pool of players in their league, excluding players from their own team. These votes comprise 75% of the selection total, with the SABR Defensive Index counting for the other 25%.
For the utility position, Rawlings collaborated with SABR to create a specialized defensive formula separate from the traditional selection process.
Here is a complete list of finalists:
American League
Pitcher:
Jacob deGrom (Rangers), Max Fried (Yankees), Luis Severino (Athletics)
Catcher:
Dillon Dingler (Tigers), Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays), Carlos Narváez (Red Sox)
First Base:
Ty France (Twins/Blue Jays), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays), Carlos Santana (Guardians)
Second Base:
Andrés Giménez (Blue Jays), Luis Rengifo (Angels), Marcus Semien (Rangers)
Third Base:
Ernie Clement (Blue Jays), Maikel Garcia (Royals), José Ramírez (Guardians)
Shortstop:
Corey Seager (Rangers), Taylor Walls (Rays), Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
Left Field:
Steven Kwan (Guardians), Wyatt Langford (Rangers), Tyler Soderstrom (Athletics)
Center Field:
Kyle Isbel (Royals), Ceddanne Rafaela (Red Sox), Julio Rodríguez (Mariners)
Right Field:
Wilyer Abreu (Red Sox), Adolis García (Rangers), Cam Smith (Astros)
Utility:
Ernie Clement (Blue Jays), Mauricio Dubón (Astros), Daniel Schneemann (Guardians)
National League
Pitcher:
Matthew Boyd (Cubs), David Peterson (Mets), Logan Webb (Giants)
Catcher:
Patrick Bailey (Giants), Carson Kelly (Cubs), Luis Torrens (Mets)
First Base:
Bryce Harper (Phillies), Matt Olson (Braves), Spencer Steer (Reds)
Second Base:
Xavier Edwards (Marlins), Nico Hoerner (Cubs), Brice Turang (Brewers)
Third Base:
Ke’Bryan Hayes (Pirates/Reds), Ryan McMahon (Rockies/Yankees), Matt Shaw (Cubs)
Shortstop:
Nick Allen (Braves), Mookie Betts (Dodgers), Masyn Winn (Cardinals)
Left Field:
Ian Happ (Cubs), Tommy Pham (Pirates), Kyle Stowers (Marlins)
Center Field:
Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Victor Scott II (Cardinals), Jacob Young (Nationals)
Right Field:
Corbin Carroll (Diamondbacks), Sal Frelick (Brewers), Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres)
Utility:
Javier Sanoja (Marlins), Miguel Rojas (Dodgers), Jared Triolo (Pirates)
