The Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians are battling for baseball’s ultimate team prize, the World Series, but Rawlings Sports announced the finalists for some of the most coveted individual awards of the 2016 season Thursday.
Here is a look at the full list of Gold Glove finalists, per Rawlings Sports’ Twitter page:
Rawlings Sports noted the winners will be announced on Nov. 8 during ESPN’s Baseball Tonight.
The list of finalists underscores just how important run prevention is to winning games. The Cubs are in the World Series for a number of reasons, but their league-best defense certainly helped them win an MLB-best 103 games this season.
They have four finalists in pitcher Jake Arrieta, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, shortstop Addison Russell and right fielder Jason Heyward, and the team led all of baseball with 82 total defensive runs saved above average, per FanGraphs.
What’s more, it was a massive gap between Chicago and the rest of the league. The Houston Astros checked in at second place at an impressive 51 total defensive runs saved above average. Still, the difference between the Cubs and second-place Houston (31) was bigger than the one between second-place Houston and eighth-place Toronto Blue Jays (23).
Ninth-place Cleveland (17 total defensive runs saved above average) counts a Gold Glove finalist at a critical position with shortstop Francisco Lindor. Watching him flash the leather against his counterpart, Russell, in the World Series is a treat for defense-oriented baseball fans.
Elsewhere, the Boston Red Sox have three finalists, with second baseman Dustin Pedroia and outfielders Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts. They won the American League East behind the impressive group.
The Astros had three finalists as well, with pitcher Dallas Keuchel and outfielders Colby Rasmus and George Springer.
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