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Five Royals named finalists for 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards

KANSAS CITY, MO - Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., a subsidiary of Jarden Corportation, announced today that five Kansas City Royals - center fielder Lorenzo Cain, shortstop Alcides Escobar, left fielder Alex Gordon, first baseman Eric Hosmer and catcher Salvador Perez - have been named 2013 American League Gold Glove Award finalists. The Royals' five finalists are second-most in the A.L., behind Baltimore's six and tied for second-most in the Major Leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Rawlings also announced that award winners will be revealed on Tuesday, October 29 at 7 p.m. CT, during a special edition of "Baseball Tonight/The 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award ® Announcement Show", which will air on ESPN2. 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.

Gordon is attempting to win the award for the third-consecutive year and join Amos Otis (1971, 1973-74) as the only Royals outfielders to win three Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. The other left field finalists are Yoenis Cespedes (Oakland) and Andy Dirks (Detroit). Cain, Escobar, Hosmer and Perez are all looking for their first career Gold Gloves. This marks Hosmer's second-straight mention as a finalist among American League first basemen. He is joined by Chris Davis (Baltimore) and James Loney (Tampa Bay).

Cain, in his third season with the Royals, is a finalist for the first time. He is up for the award with center fielders Jacoby Ellsbury (Boston) and Adam Jones (Baltimore). Escobar, who also came to Kansas City via trade in 2010, is a finalist for a Rawlings Gold Glove for the first time. He is joined by shortstops Yunel Escobar (Tampa Bay) and J.J. Hardy (Baltimore). Perez, who was named an All-Star for the first time in his career in 2013, is a finalist for the first time joining fellow catchers Joe Mauer (Minnesota) and Matt Wieters (Baltimore).

For the first time in its 57-year history, Rawlings added a sabermetric component to the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process, as part of its new collaboration with the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). The SABR Defensive Index comprised of approximately 25 percent of the overall selection total, with the managers and coaches' vote continuing to carry the majority.

        Following the ESPN2 announcement telecast, voting for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ presented by SABR will begin at www.rawlings.com, allowing the general public to weigh in as to who is "The Finest in the Field®" in both the American League and National League. Fans can only select one player among the 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners from each League. A combination of the international fan vote and the SABR Defensive Index will determine who takes home the honor of each League's top defensive player. The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners will be unveiled during the 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony presented by Gold Sport Collectibles on Friday, November 8, 2013, at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.

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