Four Royals named as 2012 Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists
KANSAS CITY, MO -- Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation, today announced that four Kansas City Royals -- first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas, left fielder Alex Gordon and right fielder Jeff Francoeur -- were named 2012 American League Gold Glove Award finalists. The Royals are the only American League club with more than three finalists.
Rawlings also announced that for the second consecutive year, ESPN2 will air the 2012 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® Announcement Show on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, at 8:30 pm CT. The Rawlings Gold Glove Awards honor the best individual fielding performances at each position in the American League™ and National League™, as voted by Major League managers and coaches. Changes implemented into the award program last year remain for 2012, including the separation of the three outfield positions and the unveiling of the top-three finalists plus ties at each position.
Gordon is attempting to win the award for the second consecutive year and join Amos Otis (1971, 1973-74) as the only Royals outfielders to win multiple Rawlings Gold Gloves. The other left field finalists are Desmond Jennings (Tampa Bay Rays) and David Murphy (Texas Rangers). Francoeur is looking for his second career Gold Glove after winning his first in 2007 while with the Atlanta Braves. This is Francoeur’s second-straight mention as a finalist among American League right fielders and he is joined by Shin-soo Choo (Cleveland Indians) and Josh Reddick (Oakland Athletics). Hosmer and Moustakas are first-time finalists and have yet to win a Gold Glove. The other first baseman finalists are Adrian Gonzalez (formerly of the Boston Red Sox) and Mark Teixeira (New York Yankees), while Moustakas is joined by Adrian Beltre (Texas Rangers) and Brandon Inge (Detroit Tigers/Oakland Athletics).
Following the ESPN2 announcement telecast, voting for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ will begin at www.rawlings.com, allowing the general public to weigh in as to who is “The Finest in the Field®” in each League. To determine the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners, fans can only select one player among the 2012 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners from each League.
The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners will be unveiled during the 2012 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony presented by Gold Sport Collectibles on Friday, November 9, 2012, at The Plaza Hotel in New York City, with Jerry Seinfeld entertaining this year’s Rawlings Gold Glove Award recipients and key executives in the industry, and Joe Piscopo serving as the master of ceremonies.