Four Royals Among Gold Glove Finalists

When a team has the defensive reputation that the Kansas City Royals have earned, it is no surprise that they are one of the more prominent teams when the Gold Glove award finalists are announced. Sure enough, that proved to be the case yesterday, when the Royals led the American League with four nominations.

Earning those nominations were last year’s winners Alex Gordon, Salvador Perez and Eric Hosmer. This year, they were joined by Alcides Escobar, who, surprisingly for those of us who see him every day, is a first time finalist for the award. Equally surprising was that the Royals Human Highlight Reel in center, Lorenzo Cain, was bypassed in favor of Adam Eaton (not the pitcher), Adam Jones (not Pac-Man) and Jackie Bradley Jr, who spent the last month in the minors.

At this point, the Gold Glove award for left should just be referred to as the Alex Gordon Award. The three time defending award winner, Gordon was amongst the leaders in the American League in virtually every defensive category for left fielders. He ranked in the top five in range factor, putouts, assists (despite no one running on him any longer), total zone runs and fielding percentage. It would be a surprise if Gordon did not come home with his fourth consecutive Gold Glove.

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Eric Hosmer, however, earned his nomination on more than just his statistics. While he finished second in the American League in putouts and assist for first basemen, despite missing a month of time, he was not exactly stellar in the field statistically. Overall, Hosmer was worth one total zone fielding run saved per 1200 innings, or one less than Billy Butler. However, Hosmer has become adept at seemingly stealing close plays at first, timing his footwork to head off the bag as the ball hits his glove to get that extra second. Likewise, few first basemen are as good at digging out throws in the dirt as Hosmer.

Like Alex Gordon, Salvador Perez ranked in the top five in several defensive categories at his position. Yet, unlike Gordon, Perez has seen his defensive numbers slip over the past few years. Since 2012, when Perez led the American League in caught stealing percentage, that success rate has dropped from 42% to 30%. Likewise, Perez has seen his passed balls and errors increase. Perez is still a top defensive catcher, but those 146 games behind the plate this season may have worn him down to the point where he just was not the same defensive force.

For Alcides Escobar, this nomination has been some time coming. Known more for his ability to turn what appear base hits into outs and his ability to make the flashy plays, Escobar has also been a steady defensive player for the Royals. He ranked in the top five in assists, putouts, double plays, range factor and fielding percentage at short, showing that he has the substance to back up the flash. Escobar has been among the best defensive shortstops in the game over the past few years, and he is finally getting that recognition.

The Kansas City Royals are known as one of the best defensive teams in the game. Last year, they earned the hardware to back up that reputation. Hopefully, 2014 will be a repeat performance.