The Red Sox made significant strides defensively this past season, and now three Red Sox players have been named Gold Glove Award finalists, Rawlings announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Outfielders Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela, and third baseman Caleb Durbin were among the three American League finalists at their respective positions. Abreu is going for his third straight Gold Glove in right field, Rafaela is looking to repeat in center field, and Durbin is up for his first career honor at the hot corner.
Abreu led all MLB players in defensive runs saved this past season with plus-28, and he also graded highly in all of Statcast’s major defensive metrics. He ranked 98th percentile in arm strength, 92nd percentile in arm value, 81st percentile in range and 78th percentile in fielding run value.
The other AL finalists in right field are Toronto’s Nathan Lukes and Houston’s Cam Smith.
Similarly, Rafaela also projects as a strong contender to win his second Gold Glove. His plus-21 defensive runs saved was tied for third in MLB and ranked first among center fielders, and his Statcast metrics were off the charts. Rafaela ranked 99th percentile in range, 98th percentile in fielding run value and 93rd percentile in arm strength.
Rafaela will be competing against Cleveland’s Steven Kwan and Texas’ Evan Carter. Kwan will be a tough competitor given that the Guardians standout has won four straight Gold Gloves to start his career, though each of those came in left field. Kwan also split his time almost evenly between left and center, playing 637 innings in center and 626 2/3 in left.
Durbin enjoyed a brilliant season defensively his first year in Boston, posting plus-13 defensive runs saved, which led all AL third baseman and ranked second in MLB only to the man he replaced, Alex Bregman, who was plus-15 with the Chicago Cubs. Durbin’s Statcast metrics were also strong, grading 91st percentile in range and 82nd percentile in fielding run value, though his 25th percentile arm strength did not stand out.
The other AL third base finalists are Kansas City’s Nick Loftin and Minnesota’s Brooks Lee.
As far as former Red Sox who earned Gold Glove finalist consideration, Bregman was among the National League’s three third base finalists, Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale was an NL pitcher finalist and White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth was an AL finalist at second base.
The Gold Glove winners will be announced during a televised special on ESPN on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 8:30 p.m. Following that announcement fans will also be able to vote on the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award, which recognizes the top overall defensive player in MLB.
