Rutschman, Mountcastle and Hays are Gold Glove finalists

The Orioles will try again for their first multiple Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners since 2014.

They have three candidates this year – catcher Adley Rutschman, first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and left fielder Austin Hays.

Rutschman is pitted against the Rangers’ Jonah Heim and the Blue Jays’ Alejandro Kirk. Mountcastle joins the Yankees’ Anthony Rizzo and the Rangers’ Nathaniel Lowe. Hays joins the Blue Jays’ Daulton Varsho and the Guardians’ Steven Kwan.

Winners are determined from voting by the managers and coaches in each league who are prohibited from choosing their own players. A sabermetric component accounts for about 25 percent of the vote total.

The results will be announced on Nov. 5 beginning at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight.”

The Orioles committed 71 errors this season, tied with the Blue Jays for fifth-fewest in the majors. Their .988 fielding percentage was topped only by the Diamondbacks (.990), Rangers (.990) and Cardinals (.989).

The club’s 34 defensive runs saved, including 13 at shortstop, ranked eighth in the majors, per The Fielding Bible. The Orioles turned 140 double plays to rank ninth.

Rutschman appeared in 110 games behind the plate, starting 104, and was charged with six errors and no passed balls. He threw out 16 of 73 runners attempting to steal.

Baseball Reference assigned Rutschman a 0.2 dWAR. FanGraphs calculates his defensive runs saved declining from 18 last season to two.

Matt Wieters is the only Orioles catcher to win a Gold Glove in 2011 and 2012.

Mountcastle went on the disabled list twice, with vertigo and a shoulder inflammation. He had 86 starts and 90 appearances at first base and committed only two errors in 716 chances.

However, Baseball Reference calculates Mountcastle’s dWAR at a minus-0.4.

Rafael Palmeiro is the last Orioles first baseman selected for a Gold Glove in 1998. He also won it in ’97.

Hall of Famer Eddie Murray won in 1982-84.

Hays seems to have mastered the challenging dimensions and angles in left field and made diving catches a routine part of his nights. He didn’t commit an error in 236 chances in left, and in 1,195 1/3 innings overall in the outfield, and FanGraphs calculates his ultimate zone rating at 7.0 and his UZR/150 at 7.7.

Hays ranked third on the Orioles with six defensive runs saved.

Rawlings began awarding Gold Gloves for each outfield position in 2011. Kwan won it in left field last year. No Orioles left fielder has earned it.

Adam Jones and Nick Markakis are the most recent outfielders in 2014.

Ramón Urías won a Gold Glove at third base last season. Cedric Mullins was a finalist in center field, but he’s snubbed in 2023.

Rookie Gunnar Henderson isn’t a finalist this year after splitting his time between shortstop (64 starts) and third base (68). He seemed like a worthy utility candidate.

The last multiple Orioles winners were Jones, Markakis and shortstop J.J. Hardy in 2014.

Here are the finalists in the American League:

Pitchers
José Berríos, Blue Jays
Pablo López, Twins
Sonny Gray, Twins

Catchers
Adley Rutschman, Orioles
Jonah Heim, Rangers
Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays

First basemen
Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles
Anthony Rizzo, Yankees
Nathaniel Lowe, Rangers

Second basemen
Mauricio Dubón, Astros
Marcus Semien, Rangers
Andrés Giménez, Guardians

Third basemen
Matt Chapman, Blue Jays
José Ramírez, Guardians
Alex Bregman, Astros

Shortstops
Anthony Volpe, Yankees
Corey Seager, Rangers
Carlos Correa, Twins

Left fielders
Austin Hays, Orioles
Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays
Steven Kwan, Guardians

Center fielders
Julio Rodríguez, Mariners
Kevin Kiermaier, Blue Jays
Luis Robert Jr., White Sox

Right fielders
Kyle Tucker, Astros
Adolis García, Rangers
Alex Verdugo, Red Sox

Utility
Maurcio Dubón, Astros
Zach McKinstry, Tigers
Taylor Walls, Rays

* An industry source confirmed today that the Orioles signed reliever Nate Webb to a two-year minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training.

Webb, 26, hasn’t pitched in the majors. He underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of spring training and the Pirates released him this week. He already had progressed to a throwing program.

Webb was on the Royals’ 40-man roster after the 2022 season, but they designated him for assignment in November and the Pirates signed him to a minor league contract three months later.

A 34^th-round pick in the 2016 draft, Webb has registered a 6.11 ERA and 1.604 WHIP in 110 games over six minor league seasons. He’s averaged 4.6 walks and 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

Baseball America rated Webb as Kansas City’s No. 26 prospect going into 2022. His fastball sat in the high 90s and touched 100 mph.

FanSided.com’s Robert Murray first reported the signing.