Anthony Volpe, Anthony Rizzo are finalists for AL Gold Gloves

The Yankees are unfortunately watching the MLB playoffs from home, but a few of them did get the news that they could be in line for some post-2023 awards. Today, Rawlings announced three Gold Glove finalists for each defensive position in the respective leagues.

Of greatest interest is rookie Anthony Volpe’s place in the proceedings. Manager Aaron Boone raved about his defense all year long, and he got his wish with Volpe being up for the Gold Glove. He’ll be looking to succeed the Astros’ Jeremy Peña as a first-year winner. Peña will not be one of the two other finalists though; instead, Volpe is joined by the Rangers’ Corey Seager and the Twins’ Carlos Correa.

For those curious about the defensive numbers that voters will likely consider, check out Chris Kirschner’s tweet below. I still have a feeling that since Correa won the Platinum Glove (not just the Gold) during his final season in Houston in 2021, he’s probably my odds-on favorite since voters often defer to past winners. Volpe will have a serious shot, though.

Opposing league-specific managers and coaches comprise 75 percent of the vote, whereas the remaining 25 percent is a sabermetric community component.

Speaking of Gold Glovers of yore, Anthony Rizzo is an AL finalist at first base along with the Rangers’ Nathaniel Lowe and the Orioles’ Ryan Mountcastle. The post-concussion syndrome that sadly waylaid Rizzo’s 2023 campaign might ultimately take the four-time honoree out of consideration since he played in just 99 games. Again, the voters like their past winners of course, so you never know.

In the snub category, there was a cruel twist of fate. Aaron Judge made one of the best catches of the season in all of baseball against the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium, and in some years, that would’ve been sensational enough on its own to make him a Gold Glove finalist.

Annoyingly, the concrete slab in the fence ended up tearing a ligament in his toe, and Judge missed the better part of two months. As such, the right-field Gold Glove finalists ended up being Kyle Tucker (Houston), Adolis García (Texas), and Alex Verdugo (Boston). It is worth pointing out that Judge still played in more games (106) than Rizzo (99), who was a finalist. So make what you will of that goofiness.

DJ LeMahieu and Jose Trevino won Gold Gloves at utility and catcher last year, but neither are up for it in 2023. Since Trevino missed half the season due to injury, that’s understandable, but it is a bit of a surprise that LeMahieu didn’t finish in the top three for the utility category. Instead, the winner will be one of Mauricio Dubón (Houston), Zach McKinstry (Detroit), or Taylor Walls (Tampa Bay).