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For the first time in both of their careers, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel of the Houston Astros were awarded a Gold Glove, making them the top defensive players at shortstop and first base, respectively.
The Astros put together an incredible season that ultimately ended with a loss to Atlanta in the World Series in six games, and much of the team’s success was due to having one of baseball’s best infields, highlighted this year by Correa and Gurriel.
“It’s one of the best infields around, one of the best infields in history offensively and defensively,” Manager Dusty Baker said in an interview with MLB.com, and reported on by the Houston Daily.
MLB.com reported that Gurriel led American League first basemen with 86 assists and was tied for second in defensive runs saved with five. He was fifth in fielding percentage at .994 and fifth in double plays with 95. Jeff Bagwell won the Gold Glove in 1994 and is the only other Astros first baseman to do so. Gurriel, 37, is the oldest first baseman to win a Gold Glove. He was also no slouch on offense, as he took home the American League batting title this season with a .319 batting average.
Correa was the Major League leader in defensive wins above replacement (WAR) at 3.0, according to MLB.com. He also led all American League shortstops with 21 defensive runs saved. The next highest was 14 runs saved by Andrelton Simmons of the Minnesota Twins. Correa was third in fielding percentage at .981 and third with 384 assists. The only other Houston shortstop to win a Gold Glove is Robert Metzger, going back to 1973.
The infield has been a main reason why the team has been to the American League Championship Series for five straight years, have been to the World Series three times and won one in 2017.
“It really helps to have some guy beside you that you know his range, you know what he is capable of doing, you know his range on pop-ups, on ground balls,” Baker said to MLB.com.
The Houston Daily reported that third baseman Alex Bregman has enjoyed competing with the Houston infield through the “good, the bad and the ugly.”
“It’s been a blast, and I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else,” Bregman said.
Retaining the highly touted infield isn’t the easiest task, however. Recently Gurriel was re-signed for a one-year deal, but Correa is now a free agent who could be seeing a huge payday as he enters his prime at age 27. The rest of the infield is rounded out with supreme talent in Bregman and Jose Altuve, who was a 2015 Gold Glove winner and 2017 MVP.