The Yankees have three American League Gold Glove finalists, but one is more surprising than the rest.
On Tuesday, Anthony Volpe, Alex Verdugo and Juan Soto were named finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year award, as voted on by managers and coaches.
Volpe won it as a rookie last year, and Verdugo was the Yankees' next-best defender all season.
But Soto's selection was notable for a superstar known primarily for his offensive ability, even though the advanced metrics publicly available did not favor the defense in right field.
Soto averaged -4 outs per game, tied for 37th among eligible right fielders, and his -1 innings allowed tied for 13th among right fielders who played at least 500 innings.
Still, Soto's nine assists tied for the most by a right fielder in the majors.
“I'm not surprised,” manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees won 6-3 in Game 2 of the ALCS. “Because I vote for it – you can't vote for your peers – but we understand that [ballot] A few weeks ago, it appeared on your desk. They will give you a number there for reference. As I found out, he was active in many areas in the right field. In addition to that, he has had a lot of assists.”
Soto, a finalist along with the Red Sox's Wylier Abreu and the Angels' Joe Adel, has “probably” been better defensively than Boone expected this year.
“But I also heard that he cared about it,” Boone said. “So when you have young, athletic guys that want to go out there, they have a chance to get better. … He had a few games where he had a hard time running back balls that hit the wall. There was a game, and he made a lot of plays there.”
Verdugo is a finalist in left field along with the Orioles' Colton Cowser and the Guardians' Stephen Kwan, while Volpe is a finalist along with the Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. and the Guardians' Brayan Rocchio.
“I'm happy for them,” Boone said. “I'm glad they're being recognized for the hard work they've put in and the pride they take on the ball. There's probably one or two more players who could have made it to the finals. It's natural for them. It's an honor.”
Nestor Cortez (left elbow flexor strain) is scheduled to have a hybrid bullpen session on Wednesday, where he will play 10 to 15 pitches in the bullpen, followed by 10 to 15 pitches in batting practice. They advance to the World Series.
“It's really reassuring,” Cortez said, predicting that he would need two or three rounds of actual batting practice. “Time is our only enemy.”
The Guardians added right-hander Ben Lively to the ALCS roster on Tuesday to replace injured Alex Cobb, who lasted just 2/3 innings in Game 1's start.
The team said Cobb was suffering from acute tightness in his left hip, which led to the addition of Lively.
