The American League Gold Glove Awards were handed out on Tuesday night as the NBA season kicked off. There were regular guys expected, but there were a couple of first-time award winners. Check out the list of 2012 Gold Glove Award winners in the American League.
Catcher: Matt Wieters
He has his second award as a catcher after committing 10 errors and posting a .991 fielding percentage. Wieters also gunned down almost 40 percent of runners while the league average of caught stealing was 25 percent..
1B: Mark Teixeira:
This should be no surprrise. One of the best all around players in baseball, there is nobody in the A.L. that plays first like Teixeira. He committed just four errors for a .997 field percentage. There are plenty of great first basemen in the A.L., but Tex will always give them a run for their money. It was his fifth GG award.
2B: Robinson Cano:
Is there any other second baseman that plays this smooth? Is there any player in the Majors that handles their position with such grace? He makes things look easy and is probably turns the best double plays at second. He committed six errors in 2012 for a .992 field percentage. It is the second time he has won the award.
SS: J.J. Hardy
Hardy continues the A.L. East reign of gold glove award winners. (Maybe the east coast bias does exist). A .990 fielding percentage after just six errors all season long at one of the busiest positions in the majors. It is his first Gold Glove award.
3B: Adrian Beltre
There's two things you don't want to do with this guy, hit him on the head after he gets a big hit or send balls by way when he's playing third base. It is the fourth time he won the award.
LF: Alex Gordon
The best thing to happen this guy was moving to the outfield after starting his career at third base. Apparently it helped his hitting too, but that's a different argument. He has won the award in back-to-back seasons. He only commited two errors all season long for a .994 fielding percentage.
CF: Adam Jones
It is the second time he has been awarded Gold Glove and great way to put the finishing touches on a great season. He had eight errors for a .982 fielding percentage. He started in 161 of 162 games this season proving he is one of the most durable fielders in the game.
RF: Josh Reddick
He had the bat and the leather all season long. It was his first full season in the bigs and it was a great one. In rightfield he commited just five earrors for a .982 fielding percentage. It is the first time he was won the award.
P: Jeremy Hellickson/Jake Peavy
Hellickson keeps adding hardware to his collection. Meanwhile Peavy got paid and celebrated by receiving a Gold Glove Award. He committed only two errors. Peavy only committed one error all season long.
