The Gold Glove award recognizes defensive excellence in Major League Baseball. The finalists for the prestigious prize were revealed on Thursday, and not surprisingly, a member of the New York Mets will have the chance to add another one to his growing collection: Francisco Lindor.
He didn’t quite have his best season with the bat in his first year with the Mets, but Lindor was every bit as advertised with the leather, and actually performed as expected. He won two Gold Gloves in his time with the Cleveland Indians, but is looking to add more to his extensive resume.
Lindor will compete with two strong shortstops for the honor: San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Crawford (a multiple-time winner) and Pittsburgh Pirates’ Kevin Newman.
The Mets’ star has some tough rivals
Here is what the league’s official site had to say about the Mets’ shortstop and his rivals for the prize:
“After winning two Gold Glove Awards in the AL during his time with Cleveland, Lindor is now eyeing his first NL win. Crawford is a three-time NL Gold Glover, although he hasn’t won since 2017. Lindor led all NL shortstops and ranked second among all players with 20 OAA in 2021, while Crawford had 15 OAA. Newman had 3 OAA, but in terms of DRS, he actually edged out his more accomplished counterparts, recording 9 DRS to 6 for Crawford and 4 for Lindor.â€
Crawford’s reputation and his strong defensive season will make him a tough rival for the Mets’ star to beat, but Lindor could end up with award anyway.
This was Lindor’s first season in New York after landing there via trade from the Indians, alongside pitcher Carlos Carrasco. Before Opening Day, he signed a 10-year, $341 million contract extension to stay with the Mets for a very long time.
Lindor is one of the most complete players in baseball, and his defense is actually better than his offense at the moment.