Earlier tonight Rawlings announced that three Orioles - shortstop J.J. Hardy, center fielder Adam Jones and catcher Matt Wieters - have been named this year's American League Gold Glove Award recipients for defensive excellence at their respective positions. The Orioles were the only team to have three players honored and one of only two MLB teams (also New York Yankees) with more than one selection for 2012. It is the first career Gold Glove Award for Hardy and the second for Jones (also...

Washington Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche today was named the recipient of the 2012 National League Rawlings Gold Glove for first basemen. The defensive citation is the first of LaRoche's career. LaRoche led all National League first baggers this season in fielding percentage (.995), games started (149) and innings (1323.1). At 6.1, LaRoche also paced NL first basemen (min. 1000 innings) in Ultimate Zone Rating, a figure that blends the number of runs above or below average a fielder is...

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters has won his second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove, with the announcement coming tonight on ESPN2. Wieters beat out the Tigers' Alex Avila, the Yankees' Russell Martin and the White Sox's A.J. Pierzynski. Wieters led the American League in defensive games (134) and putouts (994), ranked second in runners caught stealing (32) and range factor per game (7.81), and was third in caught stealing percentage (38.6 percent). His 994 putouts were the third-most in AL...

Within the baseball world, Adam LaRoche has always been considered one of the better defensive first basemen in the game. Now he has the hardware to prove it. It was announced tonight that LaRoche has won the first Rawlings Gold Glove of his career. It comes after a season in which he posted a .995 fielding percentage, made just seven errors and had a UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) of 6.1, second-best among National League first baseman. LaRoche beat out fellow finalists Freddie Freeman of the...

Nationals outfield prospect Brian Goodwin scorched the ball the last few games for the Salt River Rafters and was honored as the Arizona Fall League Player of the Week. Rafters and Nationals minor league rehab pitching coach Mark Grater said Goodwin was sent to Arizona in part to get better at bunting, and the multi-talented player now leads the league in slugging percentage (.667) with nine extra-base hits, also a league-high total. Here is what the Arizona Fall League release said about...

Rawlings will announce its Gold Glove winners beginning at 9:30 p.m. tonight on ESPN2. As I recall, the program was delayed in 2011 because a college football game lasted six hours. Tonight, the network is airing the "Global Rallycross Championship" live from Las Vegas. No chance for overtime, right? Matt Wieters is a finalist among the American League catchers. The same is true for J.J. Hardy at shortstop and Adam Jones in center field. The Orioles will attempt to have three winners in the...

According to a club source, third baseman Anthony Rendon, outfielder Brian Goodwin and pitcher Aaron Barrett have been selected to play in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game. The all-star game will be held Friday, Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. Eastern time at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. The game will be broadcast live on MLB Network. Rendon, who is hitting .250 with six RBIs, has made every play defensively at third base for the Salt River Rafters and has hit well as he recovers from an...

Somehow, I still have power this morning, which is a miracle. I heard the wind whistling through my windows last night and the rain pounding on my roof. My TV connection went out for a bit, but that's the only damage which I can legitimately complain about so far. Hope the rest of you are just as lucky. Yesterday's announcement that Adam LaRoche and Ian Desmond were finalists for Gold Gloves got me thinking about infield defenses around the league. I can say with relative confidence - at...

I'm drying off my pumpkins this morning, and I really wish that were a euphemism. The local news outlets continue to remind us to stay indoors. Amazing that anyone needs to be told. I'll pass along my own suggestions. Don't stick a fork in a light socket - once your power is restored, of course - and never kiss a rabid dog on the mouth. Common sense, folks. Seriously, though, I hope everyone made it through the worst of Hurricane Sandy. Continue to be safe. The sun has to come out...

This caught me a bit by surprise. While the Baltimore media generally has been reporting that the Orioles are not likely to make a big dollar free agent signing this winter, ESPN's Buster Olney feels they may do just that and said he is not alone in that opinion. The article cannot be linked as it is part of ESPN.com's premium content, but Olney cites the Orioles as having money to spend and now more credibility for possible free agents after 93 wins and a playoff appearance. "They are...