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Twins Third Baseman Comes Up Short in Gold Glove Race
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- Twins Third Baseman Comes Up Short in Gold Glove Race
(Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images)
The Minnesota Twins will not have a Gold Glove winner at third base this year.
When the American League winners were announced on Sunday, the award at that position went to third baseman Caleb Durbin of the Boston Red Sox, with third baseman Brooks Lee of the Twins and third baseman Nick Loftin of the Kansas City Royals as the other two finalists.
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It is a letdown for Lee and for a team that finished 77-85 and third in the AL Central, but the fact that he was even in the mix says plenty about how his season went.
A Position Change That Paid Off
Lee did not spend the whole year at third, as he played 110 games there and 48 games at shortstop, and the move to third is what made his glove stand out.
When the finalists were announced in October, MLB.com wrote that a position change turned out to be huge for him, noting that he was at plus-6 outs above average at third base after struggling at shortstop.
That move earned him a spot among the finalists in the first place, and it also helped him at the plate.
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Lee played in 156 games and hit .253 with 24 home runs and 83 RBI, so the Twins got a full season of production from him on both sides of the ball.
One likely factor was time at the position.
Durbin played 1,302 innings at third base this season, while Lee played 939.2.
MLB.com also noted that Durbin led all AL third basemen in Defensive Runs Saved, so he had a strong case of his own, and a full year at the position is hard for any player to beat.
Derek Shelton Backed His Player
Twins manager Derek Shelton has been confident in what Lee could do with a full year at third.
Shelton told Zone Coverage that the team needed to do what was best for it when it came to moving Lee around, but he did not hold back on how good Lee is at the position.
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"In Brooks Lee's case, and I will say this very firmly, he plays 150 games there, he wins a Gold Glove," Shelton said.
Shelton backed his player in a big way there, and Sunday's result does not change what he saw, even if it shows that the Gold Glove is as much about a full season of work as it is about how good a player looks at a position.
Why Lee Should Win One Soon
The good news for Minnesota is that Lee should not have to split his time like this again.
Third base is his presumably permanent position, according to MLB.com, and a full season there in 2027 would give him the innings that Durbin had this year.
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More reps at one spot should also make him even more comfortable, and that is a scary thought for the rest of the division.
There has already been talk about whether the Twins should extend Lee , and this season makes that case stronger.
He was one of the bright spots in the team's year-end awards , and I expect him to be right back in this race next fall with a full year at third base behind him.
