New York Yankees superstar gets surprising Gold Glove nomination

New York Yankees superstar Juan Soto is known more for his sensational ability to hit a baseball, but he's also getting some recognition for his defense.

As the 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists were announced on Tuesday morning, the Yankees had three players featured at their respective positions.

Shortstop Anthony Volpe and left fielder Alex Verdugo were expectedly nominated for a Gold Glove award.

As was Soto, who certainly was a surprising addition to the list of right fielders, along with Wilyer Abreu of the Boston Red Sox and Jo Adell of the Los Angeles Angels

It's not that Soto is a terrible right fielder. His defense hasn't costed the Yankees a game. But the metrics do suggest this is a surprising addition for the superstar.

His -4 Outs Above Average (OAA) ranks 36th out of 44 qualified right fielders. Meanwhile, his 87% success rate ranks 31st, according to Baseball Savant .

However, Soto's nine outfield assists are tied for the most among right fielders in 2024 so that's likely why he gets a nod.

Soto has made an incredible impact with his bat hitting ahead of Aaron Judge, so it will be interesting to see if he winds up adding a Gold Glove to his name as well.