Baseball's awards season really gets going Tuesday with the awarding of the Rawlings Gold Gloves (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). What are some of the interesting statistical storylines from this year’s set of contenders?
Could the Cubs dominate?
The Chicago Cubs led the majors in defensive runs saved and showed off their great defense throughout the postseason on the way to winning the World Series. They could dominate these awards, too. The Cubs and Detroit Tigers are the two teams with four nominees.
First baseman Anthony Rizzo, shortstop Addison Russell, right fielder Jason Heyward and pitcher Jake Arrieta are the four who could win for the Cubs. Heyward is the only one among those who has won previously. Rizzo, Russell and Heyward each led at their respective position in defensive runs saved. Arrieta led National League pitchers in assists.
The Tigers were tied for second-to-last in defensive runs saved, but they had four players who excelled -- second baseman Ian Kinsler, shortstop Jose Iglesias, catcher James McCann and pitcher Justin Verlander.
Six teams have three finalists -- the Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants. The Astros led the American League in defensive runs saved. The Giants ranked second in the NL behind the Cubs.
Best infield race: Shortstop
There are great head-to-head races throughout these awards, but the best one might be the shortstop competition in each league.
In the AL, the three finalists are Iglesias, Andrelton Simmons and Francisco Lindor. The latter two would seem to have the edge, but it’s very close between them. Simmons, a two-time Gold Glove winner, led AL shortstops in defensive runs saved (18) and ranked second in another defensive metric, ultimate zone rating (UZR, 15.8). Lindor was second in defensive runs saved (17) but first in UZR (20.8).
In the NL, the three finalists are Freddy Galvis, Brandon Crawford and Russell. Crawford and Russell tied for the defensive runs saved lead with 19 each. Crawford, the reigning Gold Glove winner, had the edge in UZR (21.3 to 15.4).
Best outfield race: Center field
The AL center field finalists -- Jackie Bradley Jr., Kevin Pillar and Kevin Kiermaier -- make this matchup too close to call.
Kiermaier missed time due to injury but led AL center fielders with 25 defensive runs saved, just ahead of Pillar (21), who had the most “Good Fielding Plays" (30). Bradley was a bit behind with 11 defensive runs saved, but he led AL center fielders in assists.
In the NL, Billy Hamilton of the Reds led all center fielders in both defensive runs saved (15) and Good Fielding Plays (34), but not far behind was Ender Inciarte of the Braves (13 defensive runs saved), along with Odubel Herrera of the Phillies.
Streaks on the line
Four finalists have streaks of at least three years winning a Gold Glove. St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has won eight straight Gold Gloves. Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer and Nolan Arenado have active three-year streaks.
Molina’s streak faces a tough challenge this year as his defensive numbers were down and Giants catcher Buster Posey had a fantastic season, with 23 defensive runs saved. Perez’s best case to win his fourth straight might be his 43 percent caught-stealing rate, which is second in the majors to fellow finalist McCann (also 43 percent) of Tigers.
Hosmer also faces a tough challenge from Mitch Moreland of the Texas Rangers and Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles. Moreland led the position in UZR. Davis was tops in defensive runs saved.
Arenado might have the best case for extending his run. He led NL third basemen in defensive runs saved (20) and also was tops in “Good Fielding Plays” with 75. No other third baseman had more than 51.
Finalists
AL
1B -- Chris Davis, Orioles; Eric Hosmer, Royals; Mitch Moreland, Rangers
2B -- Robinson Cano, Mariners; Ian Kinsler, Tigers; Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
SS -- Jose Iglesias, Tigers; Andrelton Simmons, Angels; Francisco Lindor, Indians
3B -- Manny Machado, Orioles; Kyle Seager, Mariners; Adrian Beltre, Rangers
LF -- Brett Gardner, Yankees; Alex Gordon, Royals; Colby Rasmus, Astros
CF -- Jackie Bradley Jr., Red Sox; Kevin Pillar, Blue Jays; Kevin Kiermaier, Rays
RF -- Adam Eaton, White Sox; Mookie Betts, Red Sox; George Springer, Astros
C -- Carlos Perez, Angels; James McCann, Tigers; Salvador Perez, Royals
P -- R.A. Dickey, Blue Jays; Dallas Keuchel, Astros; Justin Verlander, Tigers
NL
1B -- Wil Myers, Padres; Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks; Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
2B -- DJ LeMahieu, Rockies; Joe Panik, Giants; Jean Segura, Diamondbacks
SS -- Freddy Galvis, Phillies; Brandon Crawford, Giants; Addison Russell, Cubs
3B -- Nolan Arenado, Rockies; Anthony Rendon, Nationals; Justin Turner, Dodgers
LF -- Christian Yelich, Marlins; Adam Duvall, Reds; Starling Marte, Pirates
CF -- Billy Hamilton, Reds; Odubel Herrera, Phillies; Ender Inciarte, Braves
RF -- Nick Markakis, Braves; Carlos Gonzalez; Rockies, Jason Heyward, Cubs
C -- Buster Posey, Giants; Yadier Molina, Cardinals; Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers
P -- Jake Arrieta, Cubs; Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks; Adam Wainwright, Cardinals