The Red Sox received solid defense from most positions, but the aforementioned trio wraps up the Gold Glove candidates.
The team received slightly below-average production in left field, but
Andrew Benintendiappears to be a long-term fixture that could boost them toward the top of the league. Unfortunately he didn’t have nearly enough appearances to factor into this season’s discussion. However, he did make what has to be considered the best catch of the year.
Sandy Leonwas one of the breakout surprises of the season, providing the offensive production to match his defensive reputation. Pitchers love working with Leon, while his game-calling and pitch-framing abilities are among the best. He also threw out 41 percent of base runners to rank fourth in the league among catchers with at least 50 starts. However, with barely more than half a season’s worth of starts, he’s unlikely to receive much consideration.
Hanley Ramirez ranks near the bottom of the league at his position in most categories, yet somehow his transition to first base seems rather successful. It’s certainly light years ahead of his adventures in left field a year ago. Of course Han-Ram isn’t winning a Gold Glove, but if they had an award for exceeding expectations then he would likely run away with it.
Next: Parallel view of Porcello and Beckett
Awards are always subjective to the views of the voters, as there are a number of viewpoints used to evaluate players. Regardless of what method they use to determine the Gold Glove winners, it would be a surprise if at last one Red Sox player didn’t walk away with the award at their position.