Four KC Royals stars get the nod in AL Gold Glove nominations

A year ago, Bobby Witt Jr. seemed poised to help brighten an otherwise dark 2023 for the Kansas City Royals. Leading American League shortstops in Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Presented rendered a Gold Glove win all but certain, but in a snub that remains inexplicable to this day, he wasn't even nominated for the award presented annually to the best defenders in the game.

Now, Witt Jr. has another chance to win his first Gold Glove. He headlines the list of four Royals nominated for the 2024 award at their respective positions, with pitchers Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans and catcher Freddy Fermin also being named.

Having four finalists means the Royals — whose defensive prowess helped them make one of the greatest turnarounds in major league history this season — could come away with a huge hardware haul when the winners are announced on November 3 at 7:30 p.m. CT. No Royal has won since left fielder Andrew Benintendi and center fielder Michael A. Taylor snared their first Gold Gloves in 2021.

Here's what to know about the KC nominees.

Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. leads the way for the KC Royals

Witt Jr.'s credentials are stellar. Per Baseball Savant, he led qualified AL shortstops in OAA and DRP for the second consecutive season, this time with 16 (two more than last year) and 12 (one more than 2023), respectively.

Witt Jr. is up against the New York Yankees' Anthony Volpe and the Cleveland Guardians' Brayan Rocchio for this season's award.

Two KC Royals pitchers are competing against each other

That Kansas City garnered two of the three pitcher nominations increases the club's chances of taking at least one of this year's Gold Gloves. Only 2020 winner Griffin Canning stands in the way of that.

Lugo didn't commit a single error this season, leading the league in pitcher assists (29), and tying for first place in double plays started by a pitcher. He also posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

Ragans also played an errorless season.

Freddy Fermin had an excellent year behind the plate

Five-time Gold Glove winner Salvador Pérez wasn't nominated, but catcher Freddy Fermin was. The 91 times he caught Royals pitchers this season tied Pérez for the most on the team, and his 16 Defensive Runs Saved tied with the Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh (who is also nominated) for the AL's best mark. Fermin also threw out 45% of opponents who tried to steal against him and was an excellent pitch blocker.

How will Gold Glove winners be determined?

The award's sponsor, Rawlings, has established a complicated system via which all Gold Gloves will be awarded. The hybrid system involves voting by all big league managers and six coaches from each club, and a multi-faceted "SABR Defensive Index" encompassing a variety of defensive components and metrics.

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