Three Orioles players were named finalists for the Gold Glove on Wednesday. The awards go to the best defender in each league at each position.
Adley Rutschman (catcher), Ryan Mountcastle (first base) and Austin Hays (left field) all picked up nominations for the first time. The winners will be announced Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Rutschman, in his second major league season, is nominated alongside the Rangers’ Jonah Heim and the Blue Jays’ Alejandro Kirk. Heim and Rutschman were All-Stars this season.
Mountcastle was named a finalist despite missing a month with vertigo and playing only 90 games at first base. The Yankees’ Anthony Rizzo and the Rangers’ Nathaniel Lowe are also finalists.
After a career year, Hays now adds Gold Glove finalist to his list of accomplishments. In addition to being named a first-time All-Star, Hays had career bests in several offensive categories. The Guardians’ Steven Kwan and the Blue Jays’ Daulton Varsho are the other finalists.
Ramón Urías, who in 2022 won the Orioles’ first Gold Glove award in seven years, was not named a finalist.
MLBPA Awards
On Tuesday, a trio of Orioles were named finalists in player-voted categories from the Major League Baseball Players Association, which differ from the official MLB awards voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Ryan O’Hearn, who hit .289 in a breakout season for the Orioles, was a finalist for the American League comeback player of the year honor. Tyler Glasnow of the Tampa Bay Rays and reliever Liam Hendriks of the Chicago White Sox are also in consideration.
Gunnar Henderson was named a rookie of the year finalist in the MLBPA vote, alongside Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung and Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas. And Kyle Bradish received a nod as one of three finalists for the American League outstanding pitcher award, joining New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and Minnesota Twins right-hander Sonny Gray.
The winners of the MLBPA awards are announced Nov. 2, while the official MLB awards are announced later in the month.
Minor league signing
The Orioles signed right-hander Nate Webb to a two-year minor league contract with a spring training invitation, a source with direct knowledge confirmed to The Baltimore Banner. FanSided first reported the news.
Webb, who’s recovering from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery, reached the Triple-A level in 2022 with the Kansas City Royals organization. He was released this week by the Pittsburgh Pirates and holds a 6.11 ERA in the minors.
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