Major League Baseball revealed, on Tuesday, the complete list of Gold Glove award finalists. The winners will be announced to the world on Nov. 3 on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” at 8:30 p.m. ET. The New York Yankees have three players who will be competing for the prestigious recognition.
Anthony Volpe could be a repeat winner of the award
Shortstop Anthony Volpe will be trying to repeat as the Gold Glove winner at shortstop. He won last year, but he will have some tough competition this time around. Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. and Cleveland Guardians’ Brayan Rocchio are among the nominees.
Volpe might have had a down year offensively when considering his vast potential, but he is an asset with a glove on his hand. He was second in the American League among shortstops (behind Witt) with +13 OAA (Outs Above Average) in 2024 and looked fluid, with elite footwork, high baseball IQ, and a solid arm.
Witt is probably the favorite to take home the award, but don’t sleep on the Yankees sophomore as he had a truly solid year defensively.
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The Yankees outfield defense was above-average thanks to these two fielders
Then, in the outfield, the Yankees have two finalists: Alex Verdugo in left field and Juan Soto in right. The former had a highly disappointing season with the bat, much like Volpe, but was a net positive defending his position. We already saw glimpses of his ability in the Division Series against Kansas City, but he was good all year long with six Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and seven outfield assists.
The Yankees outfielder will be competing against two-time Gold Glover Steven Kwan, the favorite to win, and Baltimore Orioles rookie Colton Cowser.
As for Soto, he will be going against Wilyer Abreu and Jo Adell, with the Boston Red Sox outfielder being the favorite with his +18 DRS. Soto, however, gave the Yankees better outfield defense than they imagined when they acquired him and logged 10 outfield assists.
There are several below-average fielders on the Yankees, but these three were so good that they are in consideration for the most prestigious and relevant defensive award in baseball.
