Yankees catcher Austin Wells and veteran outfielder Cody Bellinger are officially Gold Glove Award finalists at their respective positions this season, and for Wells, it is a huge moment.
Wells’ Unbelievable Leap Behind the Plate
Dude, Wells is an American League catcher finalist, stepping up alongside Toronto’s Brandon Valenzuela and Detroit’s Dillon Dingler. While the 27-year-old backstop may have struggled a bit with his bat this season, his defense behind the plate just kept getting better and better. According to Baseball Savant, this guy is in the 92nd percentile in blocks above average with nine and a mind-blowing 95th percentile in framing, with seven. Seriously, those numbers are kinda nuts!
Sure, his caught-stealing average at -3 and pop time at 1.97 might rank a bit low, but his overall work handling one of the best starting rotations in the majors has absolutely earned Wells this first-ever Gold Glove nomination. Talk about making a name for yourself where it counts.
Bellinger Is Still An Absolute Vacuum In Left Field
Then there is Cody Bellinger, the veteran outfielder. He is also an American League finalist for left field, facing off against the Rangers’ Wyatt Langford and the Rays’ Chandler Simpson. Bellinger is no stranger to this. He is looking to snag his second Gold Glove, having already captured one back in his 2019 MVP year. The man is 31 now, but he is still out there dominating.
Bellinger led all left fielders in DRS, Defensive Runs Saved, with an incredible 21, and FRV, Fielding Run Value, with eight. He was also second in Outs Above Average with six. The numbers don’t lie. He is still an absolute force in the outfield, tracking down everything and making it look easy.
So, mark your calendars for November 1. That is when the Gold Glove Award winners will be announced. It is gonna be interesting to see who snags these awards, especially with how wild Wells’ year has been defensively and Bellinger still proving he is one of the best gloves in the game!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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