Red Sox Have Two Gold Glove Finalists, Surprise Snub

The Red Sox finished with two finalists for the 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, but neither name is one you might expect.

Rawlings on Tuesday announced three finalists for each position in the American League and National League, with Jarren Duran (center field) and Wilyer Abreu (right field) serving as Boston’s two representatives.

Duran and Abreu are both worthy of their status, having each made tremendous strides in the outfield this season. Duran will compete with Houston Astros outfielder Jake Meyers and Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Varsho, while Abreu will contend with New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell. MLB will name a first-time winner at both positions.

It’s rather surprising that Ceddanne Rafaela was overlooked, especially given the fact that “utility” was introduced as a positional designation for the award in 2022.

Mauricio Dubon of the Houston Astros (6), Willi Castro of the Minnesota Twins (-18) and Dylan Moore of the Seattle Mariners (-4) were chosen to represent the AL in that category, despite all finishing with fewer defensive runs saved than Rafaela (10).

Red Sox manager Alex Cora is a firm believer that Abreu will win a Gold Glove at some point in the future, but little did he know the future might be sooner rather than later.