Austin Riley, Eddie Rosario, & Michael Harris II named finalists for Rawlings National League Gold Glove awards

Sporting goods company Rawlings has announced the finalists for the 2023 Gold Glove Awards, given to MLB's best defensive fielders at each position, and the Atlanta Braves have some representation amongst the nominees.

Austin Riley is nominated at third base, along with Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies and Ke'Bryan Hayes of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards Finalists - NL Third Base - Austin Riley, Ryan McMahon, Ke'Bryan Hayes#RawlingsGoldGloveAwards pic.twitter.com/3Mv6b6wARG
— Rawlings Baseball (@RawlingsSports) October 18, 2023

(The biggest surprise there is, obviously, the absence of St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado and San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado, who hold a combined twelve Gold Gloves and seven Platinum Gloves, most by Arenado.)

Riley has yet to win the award in his career. He finished the 2023 season with 0 Outs Above Average, while Hayes led all qualified third basemen with 17 and McMahon tied with Machado and Seattle's Eugenio Suarez for fourth with 11.

Eddie Rosario joins Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ and Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder David Peralta in this year's award nominations.

The 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards Finalists - NL Left Field - Ian Happ, David Peralta, Eddie Rosario#RawlingsGoldGloveAwards pic.twitter.com/6pn2MHJZXc
— Rawlings Baseball (@RawlingsSports) October 18, 2023

Rosario, similar to Riley, has never won the award in his career. Eddie's never been a consistently strong defender throughout his career, but he put up 3 Outs Above Average, good for third place amongst qualified left fielders in MLB. Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers was 2nd with 4 OAA, behind Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan's 9 OAA. Peralta came in at -3 OAA, while Happ came in at -7 OAA.

In centerfield, always one of the more competitive positions, Michael Harris II is nominated along with Brenton Doyle of the Colorado Rockies and Alek Thomas of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards Finalists - NL Center Field - Brenton Doyle, Michael Harris II, Alek Thomas#RawlingsGoldGloveAwards pic.twitter.com/gaAaOOBbko
— Rawlings Baseball (@RawlingsSports) October 18, 2023

Harris II, who wasn't a finalist for the award last year, faces the tallest task of all in the voting. Doyle's 16 Outs Above Average led all outfielders, while Thomas came in 21st with 5 OAA. Harris finished in 14th with 7 OAA.

An Atlanta player has won a Gold Glove in every season but one since 2018. Of current Braves, only Max Fried has won one with the team, having picked up the last three in the National League (2022, 2021, 2020). Sean Murphy won one in the American League last year while with Oakland, and Matt Olson won (also with Oakland) in 2018 & 2019.

Former Braves Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman were nominated for Gold Gloves this year for their defensive efforts with the Cubs and Dodgers, respectively. Swanson's 20 OAA led all position players in 2023 and appears poised to repeat last year's win, his first. Freeman's only win was in 2018.

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