The Texas Rangers placed four players among the American League's Rawlings Gold Glove finalists on Wednesday, and early assessments by The Dallas Morning News and Sports Illustrated give the best odds to the one who never stayed at a single position.
Ezequiel Duran is a finalist at utility. Jacob deGrom (pitcher), Wyatt Langford (left field) and Evan Carter (center field) round out the Texas group. Texas matched Atlanta, Arizona and Kansas City with four finalists apiece, one behind Toronto and the Chicago Cubs, MLB.com reported. The winners will be revealed Nov. 1 on a one-hour ESPN "Baseball Tonight" special at 7:30 p.m. Central.
Duran's argument
Duran was the only player in the majors to start at all seven non-pitcher, non-catcher positions this season, Sports Illustrated's Rangers site noted. MLB.com credited him with +17 Outs Above Average, tied for sixth in baseball, including +11 at shortstop, and 4.4 FanGraphs WAR.
The Morning News judged Duran the likeliest of the four to win, noting that his Fielding Run Value was the highest of the three in his category. The other utility finalists, the Yankees' José Caballero and Detroit's Zach McKinstry, rank ahead of him in Defensive Runs Saved. MLB.com lists Caballero at +12 DRS and McKinstry at +15. It is Duran's first time as a finalist.
Long odds in the outfield
Langford and Carter each run into a clear front-runner.
In left field, the Yankees' Cody Bellinger led AL left fielders in Defensive Runs Saved. MLB.com and the Morning News put him at 21; SI listed 20. Langford, who started 87 games in left, was credited with nine runs saved and +5 OAA, tied for fourth at the position.
His first-step reactions trailed only those of the Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong and Boston's Ceddanne Rafaela, MLB.com noted. Tampa Bay's Chandler Simpson rounds out the group. Langford was also a finalist a year ago.
Carter, a first-time finalist, played 140 games in center and posted +11 OAA, tied for fourth among primary center fielders. He faces Rafaela, whom the Morning News credited with 21 runs saved, and Cleveland's Steven Kwan, a four-time Gold Glove winner who is eligible in center after starting more games there than in left this year.
deGrom's clean sheet
deGrom handled all 18 of his chances without an error and has not been charged with one since 2019, a stretch the Morning News counted at 86 chances across 600 innings. He has never won a Gold Glove.
The paper called him the long shot at pitcher: Cleveland's Tanner Bibee posted +5 DRS and José Soriano, who pitched for the Angels and Blue Jays, posted +3, compared with two for deGrom.
