Dozier, Buxton up for Gold Glove Awards

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins center fielder Byron Buxton and second baseman Brian Dozier were both named American League Gold Glove Award finalists on Thursday, but Joe Mauer was notably left out at first base.
Each position receives three finalists from each league, and after the Gold Glove Award winners are announced on Nov. 7 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, one player from each league will be named a Platinum Glove Award winner. The winners are decided by managers and coaches, with a sabermetric component accounting for roughly 25 percent of the vote.
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Buxton joins Toronto's Kevin Pillar and Kansas City's Lorenzo Cain as the three center field candidates, while Dozier joins Detroit's Ian Kinsler and Boston's Dustin Pedroia among second basemen. The first basemen included over Mauer are Cleveland's Carlos Santana, Kansas City's Eric Hosmer and Boston's Mitch Moreland.
Buxton has a strong case to win the Gold Glove Award in center field and could even be considered for the Platinum Glove Award, as he had an incredible season defensively. Buxton led all center fielders with 24 Defensive Runs Saved, finishing third in that stat behind Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons (32) and Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts (31).
Among Statcast™ data, Buxton led the Majors in four-star catches, converting an astounding 26 of 28 opportunities for a 92.9 percent success rate that was 11.4 percent higher than the next best outfielder in Betts. Buxton also dominated the new metric Outs Above Average with 25, leading Atlanta's Ender Inciarte by six and Betts by nine.

"If Buxton doesn't win the Gold Glove, they might as well get rid of the award," Dozier said late in the season.
Dozier ranked fifth among AL second basemen in Defensive Runs Saved while committing five errors in 674 chances, ranking first in the AL in fielding percentage by a second baseman. He was also fourth among AL second basemen in Range Factor.
Mauer was aiming for the chance to win a Gold Glove Award at a second position after winning three as a catcher from 2008-10. He led all Major League first basemen in Ultimate Zone Rating and was third in the AL in Defensive Runs Saved behind Santana and Moreland. He also made two errors on the season in 1,012 chances.
This year's Gold Glove Awards represent just one way the game's top performers will be recognized. Voting is underway now for the Esurance MLB Awards, which annually honor MLB's greatest achievements as part of an industry-wide balloting process. MLB Awards season will culminate on Friday, Nov. 17, when winners are announced live on MLB Network and MLB.com starting at 8 p.m. ET.
• Cast your vote for Best Defensive Player, more in 2017 Esurance MLB Awards