2013 AL Gold Glove Finalists: Outfielders

Alright I decided to make it easier on everybody instead of people bouncing back and forth, scrambling to find certain positions.

So go ahead and click here, which will send you to third base and have links to the previous positions that I’ve covered so far.

Next up on the list is the big group of outfielders. Let’s go ahead and start from left to right, shall we?

LEFT FIELD

Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics – The one the Chicago Cubs let walk away and sign with Mr. Moneyball over there in Oakland. It’s alright though, it’s still fun to watch this guy play. Anyways, Cespedes is showing everybody that he’s going to be someone you will fear offensively and defensively. Cespedes, who just turned 28 on the 18th of this month, will enter his third season next year. So far he’s hit 20+ home runs and driven in 80+ RBI’s in each season. Yoenis flopped between left and center field this year for the Athetlics, but played more games in left field. He fielded .971 last season but improved this year as he finished the season with a .980 fielding percentage. He picked up 187 put outs and recorded nine assists with four errors.

Andy Dirks, Detroit Tigers – It’s a little surprising that Dirks is the only Detroit Tiger who is up for a Gold Glove this season. But I’m sure Dirks has no complaints. Dirks didn’t have that big of an offensive season but did his job at his defensive position. Dirks seen 116 games and 95 starts at left field, but spend 19 games between center and right field with eight total starts between both positions. He managed to post a .991 fielding percentage with only two errors, seven assists and 2011 put outs.

Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals – Alex Gordon is the third Kansas City Royal to be selected as a Gold Glove finalist this season. Which isn’t that bad for their organization. Unlike Dirks, Gordon was able to provide some offense for his Royals as he launched 20 home runs and drove in 81 RBI’s this season. The only difference between the three, is that Gordon seen all his playing time at left field for the Royals in 2013. He appeared in 155 games in which all of them were starts and recorded 323 put outs with 17 assists and one error. He also managed to pull off two double plays. I think Gordon is the heavy favorite to win Gold Glove honors in left field.

CENTER FIELD 

Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles – This Baltimore team has a lot of players who have a shot at winning a Gold Glove. The only difference between Jones and the rest of the guys is, he’s already won two of them. It’s no surprise he’s back on the final ballot for the Gold Glove award and could have made a case for himself with MVP of the American League. Jones hit 33 home runs and drove in 108 RBI’s through 160 games played this season, which is outstanding. The power this team has on it’s team should have carried them into the post-season, but they failed to do just that. Jones fielded .995 this season with 352 put outs, 11 assists and two errors.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox – Another guy who is currently in the World Series has a chance to not only win a championship, but a Gold Glove. Both of them look pretty good on your resume if you ask me. Well, I’m a Chicago Cubs fan so I wouldn’t really know. The World Series that is. Ellsbury hasn’t really been known to be an offensive power house, despite his 32 home run and 105 RBI season back in 2011. Since then he’s  only hit 13 home runs and driven in 79 runs. Ellsbury has always been a great defender. The guy has a lot of speed, so covering the outfield is a breeze for this guy. This season he bumped up his 2012 field percentage from .982 to .992 which is great. He’s recorded 347 put outs, three assists, three errors and two double plays.

Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals – Just like the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City has been harvesting some great defenders on their ball club. Cain is the fourth Royal to be a finalist for this years Gold Glove honors at their primary position. Not much to say about the guy offensively, but his defense has been great this season. He split some time between center field and right field but picked up 88 starts through 92 games at center. He posted a .996 fielding percentage with only one error, seven assists and 255 put outs.

RIGHT FIELD

Josh Reddick, Oakland Athletics – The man who had the million dollar beard. Reddick started off slow offensively but finally picked things up in a single series against the Toronto Blue Jays. I believe the guy hit like five or six home runs in a series against those guys, can’t really remember. But he pushed his offensive numbers to 12 home runs and 56 RBI’s within a short period of time. The former Boston Red Sox finally found a place where he can be an everyday starter. On top of that, he”s apart of an organization who is slowly putting that championship team together, so maybe one day he’ll be able to show up his former team in the post-season. This season Reddick put out 244 batters, picked up nine assists, three double plays and was charged with five errors on a fielding percentage of .981.

Shane Victorino, Boston Red Sox – Yet again, another man who is currently playing in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. This guy absolutely tore himself up against this right field wall that’s claimed Torii Hunter and recently Carlos Beltran. But the guy’s still out there and playing pretty well. This season Victorino is having the best offensive year he’s had in awhile. He’s hit 15 home runs with 61 RBI’s, his first 15 + 60+ RBI season since 2011 when he was with the Philadelphia Phillies. Victorino seen some time between center and right field but played 110 games at his primary position. He put out 264 batters, picked up nine assists and was charged with three errors on top of a fielding percentage of .989 .

Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles – Oh look, another Baltimore Oriole made the list. This team is slowly starting to take over everything. He’s about the seventh player to be selected as a finalist for this years Gold Glove race. Nick spent his entire season at right field and didn’t commit a single error all season. He put out 312 batters out of 319 chances and put up a 1.000 fielding percentage. I don’t know about you guys, but I think Markakis just won himself a Gold Glove.