Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon win Gold Gloves, two other Royals finalists miss out

Two Royals are Gold Glovers again.

First baseman Eric Hosmer and left fielder Alex Gordon were announced as Rawlings Gold Glove winners Tuesday night on ESPN.

Catcher Salvador Perez was up for his fifth straight award, but the voters chose the Angels’ Martin Maldonado, who was in his first full season as a team’s starting catcher.

Second baseman Frank White is the only player in Royals franchise history to win five straight Gold Gloves.

Center fielder Lorenzo Cain was a finalist, but the Twins’ Byron Buxton won the award instead. Cain has never won a Gold Glove.

Hosmer was awarded his fourth Gold Glove. He beat out the Red Sox’s Mitch Moreland and the Indians’ Carlos Santana. Gordon, a finalist for a seventh straight season, won his fifth career Gold Glove over the Yankees’ Brett Gardner and the Angels’ Justin Upton.

Hosmer led the major leagues this season with 34 scoops, a statistic that evaluates how many errant throws a first baseman turns into an out. He committed four errors, tied for fifth-fewest among all first basemen, over 1,338 innings. Hosmer also had a streak of 120 games without being charged with an error, the longest streak by a Royals first baseman, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Although he was unable to put together a consistent season at the plate, Gordon was a bastion in left field. He led all left fielders with an ultimate zone rating of 11.5 and was third in defensive runs saved (9). He committed two errors, third-fewest in the majors.

Gordon previously won four straight Gold Gloves during 2011-14. Hosmer, who will become a free agent unless he accepts the Royals’ qualifying offer, won three straight during 2013-15. Hosmer is tied with the Dodgers’ Adrian Gonzalez for most Gold Gloves among active first basemen.

The Royals have won a major-league-leading 14 Gold Gloves since 2011.

The awards are decided by votes from managers and coaches in each league. In addition, a sabermetric formula offered by the Society for American Baseball Research represents 25 percent of the voting.

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 9:57 PM with the headline "Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon win Gold Gloves, two other Royals finalists miss out."