5 Blue Jays Named Finalists For AL Gold Glove Awards

José Berríos, Alejandro Kirk, and three other Blue Jays were named positional finalists for 2023 Gold Glove awards.

Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

The Blue Jays made defense a priority in 2023.

It may not have won them any more playoff games, but some Toronto players did earn individual recognition for their fielding prowess this season. Daulton Varsho, Matt Chapman, Kevin Keirmaier, José Berríos, and Alejandro Kirk have all been named Rawlings Gold Glove finalists for their respective positions.

Toronto's offseason defensive priority paid off, as the Jays ranked as the league's best fielding team by Defensive Runs Saved. Toronto's +83 DRS came in 14 higher than any other squad.

Leading the fielding surge were outfielders Varsho and Kiermaier, who both ranked inside MLB's top 10 in DRS this season. The pair tied as the AL's second-best fielders behind Cleveland's Andrés Giménez. Varsho is a finalist for the LF Gold Glove alongside Austin Hays and Steven Kwan, while Kiermaier sits beside Julio Rodriguez and Luis Robert Jr. for CF.

While Kirk had a down year with his bat, the catcher still ranked out as one of the best defensive backstops in the American League. The 24-year-old was slightly below league-average throwing, but graded out as a great pitch-framer and arguably the best blocking catcher in baseball. Kirk was voted into the top three in the catcher Gold Glove race along with Adley Rutschman and Jonah Heim.

On top of his rebound season on the mound, Berríos also put up one of the best defensive seasons among all hurlers. The righty led AL pitchers with five defensive runs saved. Minnesota's Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray are the other two AL pitching finalists for the Gold Glove.

Looking for his fourth Gold Glove award, Matt Chapman earned finalist honors at third base alongside José Ramírez and Alex Bregman. Defensive metrics like Outs Above Average no longer have Chapman in a league of his own with the glove, but he still grades out as one of his position's top defenders.

The Gold Glove winners at each position will be announced on Sunday, November 5 at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN's Baseball Tonight.