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Atlanta Braves Gold Glove candidates against the rest part 3: Outfielders

By Fred Owens

Atlanta Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte won his first the Rawlings Gold Glove last year. Now he's going for two in a row. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
Atlanta Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte won his first the Rawlings Gold Glove last year. Now he's going for two in a row. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves’ super-utility man Charlie Culberson pitched a shutout inning in relief this season but lacked enough innings to qualify for the Fielding Bible’s multi-position player award. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
Atlanta Braves’ super-utility man Charlie Culberson pitched a shutout inning in relief this season but lacked enough innings to qualify for the Fielding Bible’s multi-position player award. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

Multi-position players

The day of the utility man is well and truly upon us. I remember the uproar over Omar Infante’s selection for the All-Star game simply because he could play so many positions. Today we hear a lot about super-utility men, a genre given flight by Ben Zobrist and the cash-strapped Rays under Joe Maddon. Lots of teams are moving towards playing chess with their players, some more successfully than others.

The Fielding Bible created an award to recognize these vagabonds of the diamond, naming them multi-position players instead of utility men. The name fits their role better because they do play multiple positions but they don’t read your electric meter and fix gas leaks.

Player FB Points
Javier Báez 98
Harrison Bader 72
Joey Wendle  (AL) 49
Jacoby Jones (AL) 47
Christian Yelich 38
Ben Zobrist 37
Enriqué Hernandez 32
Chris Taylor 31
Marwin Gonzalez (AL) 31
Cody Bellinger 27

I present this for information and because I think about half the league qualifies most years.

That’s a wrap

It appears no Atlanta Braves’ outfielder may get a Gold Glove this season. Cain’s move from the AL to the NL, his statistical superiority and that his performance on a contender probably push him over the top.

Heyward should win the right field award, Dickerson should win for left field, and Zack Greinke looks favorite to win on the mound. That leave’s Freddie Freeman as the Atlanta Braves best hope for a Gold Glove in 2018.

Next. Who wins the World Series next year?. dark

We’ll find out at 9 PM (eastern time), Sunday, Nov. 4 during the 2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards show on ESPN.  Be sure to set your clocks back earlier on that day.

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