2 Angels Surprisingly Finalists for Major End of Season Award

Maren Angus-Coombs | Oct 15, 2024

Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

The finalists for the 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards were revealed Tuesday morning and the Los Angeles Angels have two players vying for one of baseball's most coveted awards.

Each position, including the utility spot — a category introduced in 2022 — has three finalists from both leagues.

Pitcher Griffin Canning was the first Halo name to be unveiled. He is competing against Kansas City Royals pitchers Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans.

Griffin Canning is seeking his second career Gold Glove Award.

In 2024, he posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage across 32 total chances, in his 171.2 innings pitched for the #Angels.

He also tied for fourth in the A.L. with three pickoffs. https://t.co/oZIKbsAn5K

— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) October 15, 2024

"Lugo and Ragans combined to give the Royals one of the best rotations in the game in 2024, but they also fielded their position well," MLB.com reported. "Canning did, too, while making a career-high 32 appearances (31 starts) for the Angels. The Halos right-hander is the only one of these three hurlers who has won a Gold Glove Award before, having done so in 2020."

Canning is chasing his second Gold Glove after posting a flawless 1.000 fielding percentage in 32 chances this season. He also tied for fourth in the American League with three pickoffs.

Right fielder Jo Adell is the other Angel who is up for the award. He has tough compeition in Wilyer Abreu from the Boston Red Sox and Juan Soto of the New York Yankees.

Jo Adell posted a .983 fielding percentage on the season (235 total chances – 4 errors) and registered three outfield assists.

In May, he was named Defensive Player of the Month by Sports Info Solutions. https://t.co/Bht77TzOqi

— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) October 15, 2024

MLB.com said the following about the three outfielders: "Abreu made his presence felt on the outfield grass for the Red Sox in his rookie season, leading right fielders with 18 Defensive Runs Saved and notching nine outfield assists. Adell (6 DRS) and Soto (10 outfield assists) also made positive contributions for their teams on the defensive side of the ball."

Adell transformed from a bad defensive player to a great one with the help of a new coaching staff including defensive guru Ron Washington.

The right fielder had a .983 fielding percentage committing only four errors in 235 total chances.

Winners at the nine traditional positions are chosen through votes from the 30 MLB managers and up to six coaches per team. They can only vote for players in their league, excluding their own team. These votes account for 75 percent of the decision, with the remaining 25 percent based on the SABR Defensive Index.

For the utility position, Rawlings and SABR worked together to design a unique defensive formula, distinct from the usual selection process.

Winners will be unveiled on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” on Nov. 3 at 8:30 p.m. ET.