Houston Astros Trio Up for Gold Glove Awards

The Houston Astros continue to have players up for various awards this offseason.

After one Astro, Jose Altuve won the Sporting News Player of the Year award. The team now has a trio of players up for a Gold Glove at their respective positions. That Houston Astros’ trio is Dallas Keuchel, George Springer, and Colby Rasmus.

While Keuchel wasn’t on the mound quite as much in 2016 compared to 2015, the left-hander did post a seven DRS in 168 innings. That was still the second best in baseball. So it is possible that Keuchel will win his second Gold Glove after winning the award last season. But a player’s DRS isn’t the only factor considered. We will see what happens as the bearded southpaw will be going against fellow finalists in Justin Verlander and R.A. Dickey.

Springer, on the other hand, faces an uphill climb.

The athletic outfielder’s six DRS ranks him 21st out of all qualifying outfielders. The other finalists in right field, Mookie Betts, and Adam Eaton rank in the top three of DRS.

But it may be plays like this one that Springer can garner some support (his clip starts around the 1:00-minute mark).

The last member of the trio is Colby Rasmus in left field. Somehow the veteran finds himself on the finalist list despite playing just 672.1 innings at the position. However, his 14 DRS still ranks him third at his position. He also had 11 assists, which ranked him fourth in left field in that category. So despite limited playing time, he made a mark on the defensive side of the game.

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Rasmus’ competition for the award will be Brett Gardner and Alex Gordon. Both rank in the top sixteen in DRS and each is known for their defensive prowess. In fact, one could argue that Rasmus has a decent shot at the award. However, his lack of playing time may come back to haunt him.

And in case you are interested, here is a list of the finalists for each position for the Gold Glove award.

Awards count for something, right?

Though the Astros had a rough 2016 season that saw the team digging out of an early season hole all season long, the fact that numerous players are up for awards is nice to see. The question becomes whether this is something the players can build upon for 2017.

Next: Astros: Jose Altuve, the Sporting News Player of the Year

But I am sure that many of them would trade away all of the awards to be the last team standing in October.

**Statistics provided by Fangraphs and MLB.com**