Three Blue Jays named as American League Gold Glove finalists

The Toronto Blue Jays have three finalists for the 2021 Rawlings Gold Glove Award: pitcher José Berríos, second baseman Marcus Semien, and left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Each league’s managers and coaches get to vote for the players from their own league to win the award (they cannot vote for their own players) with the votes adjusted by the player’s SABR Defensive Index score. The whole “Gold Glove finalist” thing is a bit of a crock: all the votes were tallied in one round and it’s not like the league gets to vote again from the list that was released today.

José Berríos, Pitcher

It’s not easy to evaluate a pitcher’s defensive capabilities and coming over at the deadline makes it even harder for Blue Jays fans to judge José Berríos’s Gold Glove-worthiness. This is his second time being a Gold Glove finalist; in 2019 he finished as a runner-up to Mike Leake. This time, he is up against Zack Greinke and Dallas Keuchel for the award.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Left Fielder

An interesting choice for a finalist, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is not typically known for his prowess as a good defensive outfielder except that he has one heck of an arm. I am happy for Gurriel for getting this recognition again especially since it was just 2019 when he was demoted to the minors to switch from second base after getting a bad case of the yips. He was a finalist last year, losing to Alex Gordon. Other contenders for the left field Gold Glove are Randy Arozarena and Andrew Benintendi.

Marcus Semien, Second Baseman

Marcus Semien is now a three-time Gold Glove finalist, having been recognized for his defensive capability at shortstop in 2018 and 2019. He lost to Andrelton Simmons and Francisco Lindor in 2018 and 2019, respectively. This year, he is a clear contender for the award and should win over David Fletcher and Whit Merrifield.

The winners will be announced at 8:30 pm Eastern on November 7.