KC Royals have multiple Gold Glove Award contenders at a single position

For the past two decades, the KC Royals have boasted their fair share of elite defenders. Left fielder Alex Gordon’s trophy case is filled with Rawlings Gold Gloves, while catcher Salvador Pérez, first baseman Eric Hosmer, and others have carried on the legacy of defensive excellence. Kansas City hasn’t had a Gold Glove winner since 2021, but that could change in 2024.

The Gold Glove is the premier defensive award in all of baseball, but it relies on a relatively obscure statistic for its selection process. Royals broadcasts and analysts often cite Outs Above Average, a stat available on Baseball Savant, or The Fielding Bible's Defensive Runs Saved from Sports Info Solutions. Both metrics aim to tell the same story, but Rawlings uses a different metric entirely for their voting.

Three Royals starters rank in the top five of the SABR Defensive Index, the primary metric used in Gold Glove voting. Veteran Seth Lugo is tied with Chicago White Sox starter Chris Flexen for the top Defensive Index score at 2.8. Meanwhile, Cole Ragans is tied for third with a 2.5 score, and Michael Wacha ranks fifth with a 2.2 score.

The last KC Royals Gold Glove winner as a pitcher was back in 1989

Do I fully understand how the SABR Defensive Index works? Not in the slightest. Plus, SABR periodically updates the standings, grouped by league and position, with the latest release on August 11. A lot has happened since then. Unsurprisingly, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is leading AL shortstops by a wide margin, but having three Gold Glove candidates from Kansas City in one position group is almost unheard of.

Now, there is an important part of the Gold Glove criteria that prevented other elite defensive pitchers from being considered. All pitchers must have at least 138 innings pitched by their respective team's 138th game. Thankfully, with the starting rotation's heavy workload, Lugo, Ragans, and Wacha all surpass that mark. Now, the question remains if voters will throw their support behind the upstart Royals squad.

More from Kings of Kauffman