Giants' Crawford, Yastrzemski aiming to win NL Gold Glove

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Brandon Crawford had a career year at the plate, but he also played the type of defense that previously put three Gold Glove Awards in his trophy case. The Giants' shortstop will now have a shot at a fourth. 

Crawford on Thursday was named one of three finalists for the Gold Glove Award for NL shortstops, and he's not alone in the Giants' clubhouse. Mike Yastrzemski is a first-time finalist for the Gold Glove in right field. Crawford is up against New York's Francisco Lindor -- who previously won two Gold Gloves while in the AL -- and Pittsburgh's Kevin Newman. Yastrzemski has tough competition in Adam Duvall and five-time winner Mookie Betts.

Crawford won three consecutive times from 2015-17 and has a very strong case for a fourth Gold Glove. While Crawford didn't lead NL shortstops in any of the major metrics, he was the only one to be ranked among the top three by every one. Crawford was tied for third among NL shortstops with 15 Outs Above Average, a stat Lindor led in. Newman was tied with Colorado's Trevor Story for the league lead in Defensive Runs Saved, with Crawford ranking tied for third. 

The most important stat this time of year is the SABR Defensive Index, which accounts for 25 percent of the Gold Glove selection process, with the rest being made up by a vote of managers and coaches. When the last results were released in August, Crawford ranked second in SDI behind St. Louis Paul DeJong. 

Of course, there's also the eye test:

Gold Glove winners will be announced Nov. 7 on ESPN. Before then, Crawford will find out if he's also a finalist for the NL MVP Award. 

RELATED: Posey, Crawford named 2021 NL Silver Slugger finalists

While beating Betts and Duvall might seem like a long shot, Yastrzemski also has a very strong case for hardware. He ranked fifth in the August SDI rankings, which Duvall led. Yastrzemski led NL right fielders in Outs Above Average and was second in Defensive Runs Saved, finishing ahead of both other finalists. 

Yastrzemski handled the toughest right field of any of the finalists and also proved he could play a solid center field for the Giants. A win would be a cool moment for the Yastrzemski family, as his grandfather, Carl, won seven Gold Gloves as an outfielder.

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