Cincinnati Reds earned four Gold Glove finalists in 2017

The Cincinnati Reds add two more Gold Glove in 2017 than they had in 2016.

In 2016 two Cincinnati Reds outfielders were Gold Glove finalists.  Left fielder Adam Duvall and center fielder Billy Hamilton were both Gold Glove finalists in 2016.  This year they are joined by first baseman Joey Votto and catcher Tucker Barnhart.

This is the fourth straight nomination for Hamilton.  He is widely regarded as the best defensive center fielder in the National League.  Each of the previous three seaons a different player has beaten him out for the award..

This is the second year in a row that Duvall was a finalist.  Last year’s winner Starlin Marte of the Pittsburgh Pirates was suspended most of the 2017 season.  That made Duvall the favorite to win the award.

Votto backed up his worst season defensively with arguably his best.  The secret to Votto’s 2017 defensive season is a focus on not committing errors.  That ended up not being Gold Glove worthy.

Then there is the case of Barnhart.  In 2016 he had the worst catcher’s ERA in MLB.  This season, he is suddenly in the Gold Glove discussion.

Want your voice heard? Join the Blog Red Machine team!

Write for us!

Frankly, Votto and Barnhart looked likely to have little to no chance.  They both faced players that are perennial contenders.  Duvall and Hamilton, on the other hand, are the perennial contenders for their positions.

The competition for the Cincinnati Reds to collect Gold Glove awards is substantial

More from Reds News

• Don’t give up! The Reds still have a chance to make the playoffs
• Reds comeback victory could be start of something special
• Joey Votto single-handedly saved the Reds’ bacon vs. the Pirates
• Reds: Addition of Mark Kolozsvary may be the end of Tucker Barnhart
• Reds vs. Pirates: Preview, pitching matchup, and prediction

The other two finalists for the catching Gold Glove were Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants and Yadier Molina of the Saint Louis Cardinals.  Posey won the award in 2016.  Molina won the previous eight before that.  Instead, Barnhart earned a new contract and won his first Gold Glove.

Votto faced a similar, if less daunting, situation at first base.  Two time winner Paul Goldschmidt was one of the other two finalists.  Instead of perennial finalist Adrian Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Dodgers being included, though, this year the third finalist was Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs.

In center field Hamilton was primarily up against last year’s winner, Ender Inciarte of the Atlanta Braves.  The other finalist was Michael Taylor of the Washington Nationals.  Inciarte won his second consecutive award, avoiding the upset that would have happened if Taylor won.

Next: Is Hamilton headed to San Francisco?

The Reds are not a good team, yet.  Playing good defense behind a bad pitching team is a sign of great resiliency, instead of matching their 94 loss season.  Primarily, the hard work just needs to impact the final outcome against the backdrop of a rebuild.