Three Cubs named Gold Glove finalists |
The Gold Glove finalists were announced on Thursday and the Cubs had three players make the prestigious list with first baseman
Anthony Rizzo, second baseman
Ben Zobrist, and right fielder
Jason Heyward. The winners will be announced on Nov. 7 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Rizzo and Heyward are almost a shoe-in each year at their respective positions. Rizzo committed only three errors in 155 starts and won his first Gold Glove Award last season. Heyward was outstanding defensively this season with a .991 fielding percentage and had six outfield assists. It was a surprise to see Zobrist as a top 3-second baseman defensively while human highlight reel Javier Baez didn't make the cut. Zobrist had a .988 fielding percentage with an .814 zone rating in 65 starts at second base this season. Baez made a few blunders with his defensive gems during the season that hurt his cause. I think this is a case where defensive stats don't fully explain everything, and you have to watch Baez's play to appreciate his defensive wizardry. The Cubs Twitter account posted a short video celebrating the defensive play of Rizzo, Zobrist, and Heyward during the 2017 season. Worthy of gold. pic.twitter.com/eGWmQ1RkKW
