Yankees' Gio Urshela and Clint Frazier named 2020 AL Gold Glove finalists

Gio Urshela a Gold Glove finalist?

That was not a surprise Thursday afternoon when the finalists at each position were announced; certainly not a surprise to anyone who has watched Urshela man third base for the Yankees the last two seasons. Each week at a minimum, it seemed, the 29-year-old turned in a handful of highlight reel plays.

But Clint Frazier a finalist in rightfield?

That one, no doubt, had some fans doing a double-take given Frazier’s highly publicized issues in the field in 2019.

Still, Frazier, 26, a fan-favorite from the moment the Yankees acquired him as the centerpiece to the Andrew Miller trade deadline deal in 2016 with Cleveland, showed dramatic improvement there this season as he played mostly in right but also some in leftfield and was appropriately recognized.

"I don’t know if I’ve proven everything yet," Frazier said of his defense a few days after being recalled to the big leagues from the team’s alternate site in Moosic, Pennsylvania on Aug. 12. "I’m not out there to be a Gold Glover, I’m just trying to just make the simple plays. Those are plays that I should make."

Those were the plays Frazier struggled making during his nightmare 2019. That changed this season as Frazier, while still displaying the bat skills that have never been questioned during his development, went from liability in the field to, at times, someone capable of saving runs with his glove.

"I never really looked at myself as a bad outfielder [last year], I just had a couple bad plays," Frazier, who hit eight homers and produced a .905 OPS in 39 games this season, said in August. "It was easy plays that I should make, and I’m happy that I’m making them this year."

The other finalists in right are Joey Gallo (Rangers) and Anthony Santander (Orioles). Urshela, who had an .858 OPS with six homers and 11 doubles in 43 games, was named a finalist at third along with Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Rangers) and Yoán Moncada (White Sox).