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Holland lands GIBBY nomination for top closer

Royals' relay to secure win in Detroit named among season's best plays

KANSAS CITY -- Is Greg Holland the best closer in the Major Leagues?

You can have your say on the GIBBYS ballots -- for MLB.com's Greatness in Baseball Yearly Awards.

Royals fans can weigh in on Holland's value as compared to a passel of top closers, including the retiring, legendary Mariano Rivera of the Yankees.

The others are Koji Uehara, Red Sox; Glen Perkins, Twins; Joe Nathan, Rangers; Craig Kimbrel, Braves; Aroldis Chapman, Reds; and Kenley Jansen, Dodgers.

Holland, a first-time All-Star, set a franchise record with 47 saves, ranking third in the Majors. He led American League relievers with 103 strikeouts, an average of 13.84 per nine innings, best all-time among AL pitchers with 60 or more innings. He had a 1.21 ERA in 67 innings.

Major League Baseball's A-listers will take home 2013 GIBBY trophies -- the ultimate honors of the industry's awards season -- based on votes by media, front-office personnel, MLB alumni, fans at MLB.com and the Society for American Baseball Research.

This year's GIBBY Awards feature nominees in 22 categories. Individual honors will go to the MLB MVP, in addition to the year's best starting pitcher, hitter, closer, setup man, rookie, breakout hitter, breakout pitcher, comeback player, defensive player, manager, executive and postseason performer.

Holland is the only Royals player nominated for an individual award.

GIBBY trophies also will be awarded for the year's top play, storyline, hitting performance, pitching performance, oddity, walk-off, Cut4 topic, regular-season moment and postseason moment, from MLB.com's Must C highlight reels.

The Royals' nominated play came on Sept. 14 at Detroit. It was a stirring relay play that stopped the Tigers' Prince Fielder from scoring from first on a double to end a 1-0 victory.

Alex Gordon dug Omar Infante's hit out of the left-field corner and fired perfectly to shortstop Alcides Escobar, who launched a one-bounce strike to catcher Salvador Perez. Despite being blocked out by the approaching Fielder, Perez caught the ball "blind" and applied the tag.

One play from each of the 30 clubs is on the ballot.

In the past five years, fans have cast more than 50 million votes across the various GIBBY categories, none of which was restricted to individual League affiliation. Fan voting runs through Dec. 1.

Winners will be presented their GIBBY trophies at the MLB.com Greatness in Baseball Yearly Awards extravaganza during the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla.

Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: Kansas City Royals, Greg Holland, Alcides Escobar, Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon