Awards to be announced Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. PT live on ESPN2

Rawlings Gold Glove Award

Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. announced that Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw are finalists for Gold Glove Awards at their respective positions, right field and pitcher. Both players won the award for the first time last season, when the Dodgers established a franchise record with three Rawlings Gold Glove winners, which included center fielder Matt Kemp.

ESPN2 will air the 2012 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Announcement Show on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. PT.  The Rawlings Gold Glove Awards honor the best individual fielding performances at each position in the American League and National League, as voted by Major League managers and coaches.

Ethier, 30, ranked second among National League right fielders with a .988 fielding percentage, committing just three errors in 146 games (142 starts) in right field this season. Ethier’s streak of 282 games (276 starts) from July 10, 2010-July 25, 2012 without an error was the second-longest active run among non-pitchers in baseball behind only Franklin Gutierrez and the second-longest errorless run by a Dodger outfielder behind only Brett Butler’s 306-game run from 1992-94.

Kershaw, 24, completed his second consecutive errorless season and has not committed an error since Aug. 1, 2010, a span of 76 games. The Texas native led the Majors with 11 pickoffs and has either led or tied for the National League lead in pickoffs in each of the last three seasons since 2010.

Changes implemented into the award program last year remain for 2012, including the separation of the three outfield positions and the unveiling of the top-three finalists plus ties at each position.

A number of players are vying for the designation as the best defender at his position, including 21 past recipients and 11 reigning Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners.  The Cincinnati Reds lead all teams with six finalists, including reigning Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto.  The battle for National League pitcher includes three former winners of the award: Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo (2010 NL winner), Miami’s Mark Buehrle (3-time AL winner with the Chicago White Sox) and defending NL winner, Clayton Kershaw.

The longest, active consecutive streak of Rawlings Gold Glove Award wins belongs to St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina with four, beginning in 2008.

Each manager and up to six (6) coaches on his staff vote from a pool of qualified players in their League, and cannot vote for players on their own team.  The 2012 Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists are:

American League

Pitcher: Jeremy Hellickson, Jake Peavy, C.J. Wilson

Catcher: Alex Avila, Russell Martin, A.J. Pierzynski, Matt Wieters

First base: Adrian Gonzalez, Eric Hosmer, Mark Teixeira

Second base: Dustin Ackley, Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedroia

Shortstop: Elvis Andrus, J.J. Hardy, Brendan Ryan

Third base: Adrian Beltre, Brandon Inge, Mike Moustakas

Left field: Alex Gordon, Desmond Jennings, David Murphy

Center field: Austin Jackson, Adam Jones, Mike Trout

Right field: Shin-Soo Choo, Jeff Francoeur, Josh Reddick

National League

Pitcher: Bronson Arroyo, Mark Buehrle, Clayton Kershaw

Catcher: Molina, Miguel Montero, Carlos Ruiz

First base: Freddie Freeman, Adam LaRoche, Votto

Second base: Darwin Barney, Aaron Hill, Phillips

Shortstop: Zack Cozart, Ian Desmond, Jose Reyes, Jimmy Rollins

Third base: Chase Headley, Aramis Ramirez, David Wright

Left field: Ryan Braun, Carlos Gonzalez, Martin Prado

Center field: Michael Bourn, Andrew McCutchen, Drew Stubbs

Right field: Jay Bruce, Andre Ethier, Jason Heyward

Following the ESPN2 announcement telecast, voting for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award will begin at www.rawlings.com, allowing the general public to weigh in as to who is “The Finest in the Field” in each League.  To determine the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners, fans can only select one player among the 2012 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners from each League.

The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners will be unveiled during the 2012 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony presented by Gold Sport Collectibles on Friday, November 9, 2012, at The Plaza Hotel in New York City, with Jerry Seinfeld entertaining this year’s Rawlings Gold Glove Award recipients and key executives in the industry, and Joe Piscopo serving as the master of ceremonies.

About the Rawlings Gold Glove Award

The Rawlings Gold Glove Award is a registered trademark owned by Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc.  The award is correctly identified as the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The name should not be shortened, abbreviated or otherwise misused.  Proper identification of this service mark using the registration symbol and the Rawlings name is important to protect the integrity of the program and perpetuate this worthy tradition.  For more information, please visit www.rawlingsgoldglove.com.