Jackie Bradley Jr. Snubbed From Gold Glove Finalists; Betts, Pedroia, Sale, Moreland Get Nods
BOSTON (CBS) -- Jackie Bradley Jr. has been one of the best defensive center fielders in the American League since 2013, but amazingly he has never won a Gold Glove. He had what seemed like another elite season in the field in 2017, but now he's apparently not even worthy of a nomination.
Rawlings announced the Gold Glove finalists at all nine positions in each league on Thursday, and there are a few Red Sox names to root for when the winners are announced. But JBJ is conspicuously absent from the center field group, as the Royals' Lorenzo Cain got the nod instead. Kevin Pillar of the Blue Jays got his annual nomination, while Byron Buxton of the Twins received the first of what could be many appearances as a finalist.
Cain made the most errors (7) of all qualified center fielders in the league in 2017, while Bradley made four. The Red Sox center fielder ranked third in the AL in Fangraphs' "Defensive Runs Above Average" (Def) stat at 6.2, behind only Buxton (11.8) and Pillar (8.3). Cain finished at 3.8 in the same stat.
JBJ also made some of the most spectacular-looking catches of the season, including a game-saving catch to rob the Yankees' Aaron Judge of a home run. That only makes it more strange that he wasn't more on voters' radars as coaches and managers throughout baseball assembled the lists of finalists.
As for the Red Sox who did get nominated ... Mookie Betts is a finalist in right field, Dustin Pedroia has a chance to win his fifth Gold Glove at second base, Mitch Moreland has a chance to win his second in a row at first base, and even Chris Sale got a nod at pitcher.
Check out the full list of Gold Glove finalists below:
American League
Pitcher:
Chris Sale, Red Sox
Marcus Stroman, Blue Jays
Alex Cobb, Rays
Catcher:
Yan Gomes, Indians
Martin Maldonado, Angels
Salvador Perez, Royals
First base:
Carlos Santana, Indians
Eric Hosmer, Royals
Mitch Moreland, Red Sox
Second base:
Brian Dozier, Twins
Ian Kinsler, Tigers
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
Third base:
Manny Machado, Orioles
Jose Ramirez, Indians
Evan Longoria, Rays
Shortstops:
Elvis Andrus, Rangers
Andrelton Simmons, Angels
Francisco Lindor, Indians
Left field:
Brett Gardner, Yankees
Alex Gordon, Royals
Justin Upton, Angels
Center fielders:
Lorenzo Cain, Royals
Kevin Pillar, Blue Jays
Byron Buxton, Twins
Right field:
Kole Calhoun, Angels
Mookie Betts, Red Sox
Aaron Judge, Yankees
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pitcher:
R.A. Dickey, Braves
Zack Greinke, D-backs
Zach Davies, Brewers
Catcher:
Buster Posey, Giants
Yadier Molina, Cardinals
Tucker Barnhart, Reds
First base:
Joey Votto, Reds
Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs
Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
Second base:
DJ LeMahieu, Rockies
Dee Gordon, Marlins
Ben Zobrist, Cubs
Third base:
Nolan Arenado, Rockies
Anthony Rendon, Nationals
David Freese, Pirates
Shortstop:
Freddy Galvis, Phillies
Brandon Crawford, Giants
Corey Seager, Dodgers
Left field:
Gerardo Parra, Rockies
Adam Duvall, Reds
Marcell Ozuna, Marlins
Center field:
Billy Hamilton, Reds
Michael A. Taylor, Nationals
Ender Inciarte, Braves
Right field:
Yasiel Puig, Dodgers
Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins
Jason Heyward, Cubs
