Fastball

Boston Red Sox Youngster Made History in 2024 But Was Snubbed By Award Committee

How exactly did Ceddanne Rafaela not qualify for the American League Gold Glove Award?

Brady Farkas

Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (43) makes a catch for an out against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Fenway Park on Sept 22.
Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (43) makes a catch for an out against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Fenway Park on Sept 22. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images
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On Tuesday, the finalists for the Gold Glove Awards were announced. Surprisingly, Boston Red Sox history-making player Ceddanne Rafaela was not included among the finalists for the recently-created "utility" position.

Per Gabrielle Starr on social media:

Ceddanne Rafaela became the first player in modern MLB history (since 1901) to play at least 60 games in both CF and shortstop, but he isn't a finalist for the Utility Gold Glove.

Rafaela's versatility was an amazing benefit for Red Sox manager Alex Cora this season. He filled in at shortstop quite a bit once Trevor Story was injured in early April, and also played a very solid center field. At the age of 24, he registered a .984 fielding percentage in center and a .968 at short. He had just 12 errors for the season.

With Story (hopefully) healthy for 2025, Rafaela figures to slot into center field on a full-time basis next year, which should give him a chance to win the award at that position. He has a great combination of speed and instinct which make the outfield his actual best position.

At the plate, he hit .246 this year with 15 home runs, providing pop at the bottom of the Red Sox order.

The Gold Glove Awards are announced on Nov. 3 through a television partnership with ESPN. While Rafaela won't win, his teammates Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu are both finalists in the outfield.

The Red Sox went 81-81 this season, finishing in third place in the American League East.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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