Pair of deserving Blue Jays named Gold Glove finalists

Rawlings Baseball unveiled the candidates for the 2024 Gold Glove on Tuesday and the Blue Jays are represented by Ernie Clement at third base and Daulton Varsho in center field, both of whom are fully deserving of this honor. This year will be the first time Clement's nominated for a Gold Glove whilst this will be Varsho's third after last year and 2022 with the Diamondbacks.

Clement's nomination comes as a surprise although there's no doubt he was one of the biggest success stories for the Blue Jays this season. He cracked the Opening Day roster but barely saw any playing time in the early months as Isiah Kiner-Falefa was the starting third baseman. Clement took over once IKF was moved at the trade deadline and ultimately proved himself to be one of the best in his position.

According to FanGraphs, he posted three OAA, turned 16 double plays and .954 FP. On the subject of offense he arguably had the best year of his career posting 12 home run, 51 RBI and .263 average, not to mention 12 stolen bases the third highest on the team. Clement will have stiff competition in fellow finalists Alex Bregman and José Ramirez yet he's proved more than capable of being Toronto's third baseman next year despite their crowded infield depth.

Meanwhile, Varsho continues to be one of the best defensive outfielders in the game. He lost out in left field last year to Steven Kwan however this year he should be the favorite to beat Jarren Duran and Jake Meyers in center with +5 OAA, 17 DRS and .995 FP.

He also played 67 games in left field, alongside 12 Defensive Runs Saved. Nonetheless, most of his playtime there was before the deadline rolled around. Once Kevin Kiermaier was shipped to the Dodgers, Varsho's primary position became center, with Joey Loperfido taking over in left.

In addition he leads MLB in DRS and second in Fielding Run Value at +17. It would be catastrophic if Varsho didn't win his first Gold Glove this year given how much his teammates and John Schneider have raved about defense. It's such a shame that his 2024 season came to an early conclusion in September undergoing rotator cuff surgery.