October 25, 2018

2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Finalists Announced

Official Press Release from Rawlings

By Mike Rains

Rawlings Sports Goods Co., Inc.

ST. LOUIS, MO – October 25, 2018 – Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., announced today the finalists for the 2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Award, honoring the best individual fielding performances at each position in the American League and National League. The winners will be unveiled during a live, one-hour “Baseball Tonight – The 2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Announcement Show” on ESPN Sunday, November 4, 2018, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. The show will be hosted Karl Ravich alongside with Eduardo Perez.

While the award originated in 1957, Rawlings first began highlighting the top-three defenders at each position in 2011. Since then, only two players have been named a Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalist each year: Kansas City left fielder Alex Gordon and St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina.

A number of players are vying for the designation as the best defender at their respective positions. The Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves lead all teams with five finalists each. The longest, active consecutive streak of Rawlings Gold Glove Award wins belongs to the Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado with five.

Each manager and up to six coaches on his staff vote from a pool of qualified players in their League, and cannot vote for players from their own team. In 2013, Rawlings added a sabermetric component to the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process, as part of its collaboration with the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). The SABR Defensive Index comprises approximately 25 percent of the overall selection total, with the managers and coaches’ vote continuing to carry the majority.

The 2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists are:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Pos Player 2018 Team

Pitcher

Corey Kluber Cleveland Indians

Dallas Keuchel Houston Astros

Masahiro Tanaka New York Yankees

Catcher

Yan Gomes Cleveland Indians

Martin Maldonado Los Angeles Angels / Houston Astros

Salvador Perez Kansas City RoyalsTM

First Base

Justin Smoak Toronto Blue Jays

Matt Olson Oakland Athletics

Mitch Moreland Boston Red Sox

Second Base

Jed Lowrie Oakland Athletics

Ian Kinsler Los Angeles Angels / Boston Red Sox

Rougned Odor Texas Rangers

Third Base

3B Alex Bregman Houston Astros

Jose Ramirez Cleveland Indians

Matt Chapman Oakland Athletics

Shortstop

Marcus Semien Oakland Athletics

Andrelton Simmons Los Angeles Angels

Francisco Lindor Cleveland Indians

Left Field

Brett Gardner New York Yankees

Alex Gordon Kansas City Royals

Andrew Benintendi Boston Red Sox

Centre Field

CF Adam Engel Chicago White Sox

Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels

Jackie Bradley, Jr. Boston Red Sox

Right Field

Kole Calhoun Los Angeles Angels

Mookie Betts Boston Red Sox

Aaron Judge New York Yankees

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Pos Player 2018 Team

Pitcher

Julio Teheran Atlanta Braves

Zack Greinke Arizona Diamondbacks

Clayton Richard San Diego Padres

Catcher

Buster Posey San Francisco Giants

Yadier Molina St. Louis Cardinals

Manny Pina Milwaukee Brewers

First Base

Joey Votto Cincinnati Reds

Freddie Freeman Atlanta Braves

Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs

Second Base

DJ LeMahieu Colorado Rockies

Kolten Wong St. Louis Cardinals

Javier Baez Chicago Cubs

Third Base

Nolan Arenado Colorado Rockies

Anthony Rendon Washington Nationals

Travis Shaw Milwaukee Brewers

Shortstop

Freddy Galvis San Diego Padres

Brandon Crawford San Francisco Giants

Nick Ahmed Arizona Diamondbacks

Left Field

Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers

Corey Dickerson Pittsburgh Pirates

Adam Duvall Cincinnati Reds / Atlanta Braves

Centre Field

Billy Hamilton Cincinnati Reds

Lorenzo Cain Milwaukee Brewers

Ender Inciarte Atlanta Braves

Right Field

Jon Jay Kansas City Royals / Arizona Diamondbacks

Jason Heyward Chicago Cubs

Nick Markakis Atlanta Braves

The 2018 finalists include 11 former Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners in the American League and 12 former winners in the National League.

Following the ESPN announcement telecast on Nov. 4th, voting for the Rawlings Platinum Glove AwardTM presented by SABR will begin online at www.rawlings.com. The voting will open at 10 p.m. Eastern Time and will remain open until Thursday, Nov. 8th at 10 p.m. Eastern Time. The public can vote to weigh in as to who is “The Finest in the Field” in both the American League and National League. Fans can only select one player among the 2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners from each League.

A combination of the national fan vote and the SABR Defensive Index will determine who takes home the honor of each League’s top defensive player.

The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners will be unveiled during the 2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony on Friday, November 9, 2018.

About the Rawlings Gold Glove Award

The Rawlings Gold Glove Award is a registered trademark owned by Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. The award is correctly identified as the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The name should not be shortened, abbreviated or otherwise misused. Proper identification of this service mark using the registration symbol and the Rawlings name is important to protect the integrity of the program and perpetuate this worthy tradition. For more information, please visit www.rawlings.com.

About Rawlings

Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes of all skill levels. Rawlings’ unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Ball Supplier and Batting Helmet of Major League Baseball, the official baseball of Minor League Baseball and the NCAA, and the approved baseball, basketball, football and softball of the National High School Federation. For more information, please visit Rawlings.com or by phone at (314) 819-2800.