Kansas City Royals Five Gold Glove Candidates and Their Chances
By Ben Nielsen
Jul 20, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer (35) makes the catch at first base for the final out in the game against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Eric Hosmer
Other Candidates: Chris Davis, James Loney
The best defensive first basemen in the AL by UZR, Mike Napoli, didn’t make the cut for this year’s Gold Glove award, which would seem to indicate that advanced metrics still have a ways to go with the voters.
James Loney is the favorite to win this one but Hosmer received some attention from Baseball America has having the best defensive tools at first base in the American League. It’ll be interesting to see if the voters go with a scouting perspective or with the numbers, which favor Loney.
Prediction: Loney wins.