Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval and right fielder Carlos Beltran are finalists for National League Gold Glove awards at their respective positions.The Phillies' Placido Polanco and the Cardinals' Daniel Descalso also are nominees at Sandoval's position, while the Dodgers' Andre Ethier and the Reds' Jay Bruce are candidates along with Beltran.
In 106 games at third base last season, Sandoval made 10 errors in 295 chances for a .966 fielding percentage, 4th best in the National League. Sandoval also turned in a 12.3 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), second only to Polanco's 14.0 mark.While Sandoval is looking to win his first Gold Glove award, Beltran is going for his fourth. The former Met, Astro, and Royal won three straight from 2006-2008, but his UZR has been negative the last two seasons, including a career-low -7.3 mark in his 2011 campaign with the Mets and Giants.Gold Glove award voters, managers and coaches from around the league, often take offense into consideration, so Beltran's .300 average and 22 home runs will help his cause. Sandoval may also benefit from his bounce-back 2011 season, which included a .315 average, 23 home runs and 70 RBIs.
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