Rendon named finalist for NL Rawlings Gold Glove

Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon was named one of three National League finalists for a Gold Glove at third base, Rawlings announced on Twitter Thursday.

#Rawlings #GoldGlove Award Finalists - NL 3B - @Rockies Nolan Arenado, @Nationals @Anthonyrendon_6, @Dodgers Justin Turner / @redturn2

-- Rawlings Sports (@RawlingsSports) October 27, 2016

Rendon joins the Rockies' Nolan Arenado and the Dodgers' Justin Turner as one of three third base finalists for the honor.

Rendon is seeking his first Rawlings Gold Glove at any position. In 2014, he was honored with a Silver Slugger at third base and finished fifth in NL MVP voting.

The award announcement will be Nov. 8.

This season, Rendon hit .270 with 20 homers and 85 RBIs in a career-high 156 games. He committed nine errors in 382 chances and started 25 double plays. His fielding percentage was .976. Rendon was a career-high 16 runs above average for the number of plays he made, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Rendon had played 169 games at second base in three seasons, but Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo said the club wanted to get Rendon back to third base. He made 155 appearances at third base this season. Rendon quietly made tough plays look easy and his teammates took notice.

"It was a main goal of ours to get him at his more natural position of third base this season," Rizzo said. "We did that, and he performed admirably."

Many may not have touted the third baseman for his defensive abilities in the past, but Rizzo said the team has certainly not overlooked Rendon's value.

"Not by our pitchers, and not by the people in the front office. Anthony is well-respected in the clubhouse," Rizzo said. "His teammates know what he brings to the table. He's certainly not overlooked by his teammates and by his peers, obviously. He's one of the finest all-around players in the game, and a guy that plays both sides of the ball."

Rendon is seeking to become the third Nationals player to win a Rawlings Gold Glove. Previous winners were Ryan Zimmerman at third base in 2009 and Adam LaRoche at first base in 2012.

Rendon has also made himself known in the community by becoming the lead spokesman for the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, a critical off-the-field contribution that many don't know about.

"He's a guy that's passionate about young people and giving back to his community," Rizzo said. "Again, it speaks to Anthony is just one of the players that speaks to the bigger issue with the Nationals. We want our guys to be good between the lines, in the clubhouse and in the community.

"He certainly is exemplary in that regard. He gives a lot of time to a lot of people. He doesn't come with a lot of the fanfare. He's more of a quiet contributor. He does a lot of work that nobody even knows about, but he affects a lot of people, and he's really been a huge asset to this team and the community."