Royals’ Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer and Alex Gordon are finalists for Gold Gloves

On the heels of one of the most complete defensive seasons of his career, Royals catcher Salvador Perez is one of three finalists for the Gold Glove Award at his position.

First baseman Eric Hosmer and left fielder Alex Gordon were also voted finalists at their respective position. The finalists were revealed Thursday by Rawlings, the equipment company that sponsors the annual fielding honor. The awards are decided using votes from managers in each league, in additional to a statistical component.

Alcides Escobar, who snagged his first Gold Glove last season, was not among the finalists at shortstop. The winners for each position will be announced in November.

Perez, who has won three straight Gold Glove Awards, is a decisive favorite to win a fourth after a sterling season behind the plate. He led all American League catchers with 15.5 Defensive Runs Above Average, according to FanGraphs.com. He also led the American League with 11 Defensive Runs Saved, according to Baseball Info Solutions. He was credited with throwing out 37 would-be base-stealers. The other finalists at catcher in the American League are Carlos Perez of the Los Angeles Angels and James McCann of the Detroit Tigers.

Hosmer is also in position to win his fourth straight Gold Glove Award, despite advanced metrics that rated him as one of the worst defensive first basemen in baseball in 2016. Hosmer ranked 16th among 17 qualified first basemen with minus-six Defensive Runs Saved. He still ranks among the best in the game at scooping balls in the dirt. But his range diminished, according to multiple measurements. Hosmer is up against Baltimore’s Chris Davis and Texas’ Mitch Moreland at first base.

Finally, Gordon has an opportunity to win his fifth Gold Glove in five years after missing out on the honor last season. Despite a difficult season at the plate, his defensive performance still graded out well. New York’s Brett Gardner and Houston’s Colby Rasmus are the other finalists in left field.

At shortstop, Escobar was edged out by a group of finalists that included the Angels’ Andrelton Simmons, the Tigers’ Jose Iglesias and the Indians’ Francisco Lindor.

Center fielder Lorenzo Cain, who has never won a Gold Glove, was not nominated after an injury-plagued season.

This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Royals’ Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer and Alex Gordon are finalists for Gold Gloves."