No Cincinnati Reds, including Aristides Aquino, selected as Gold Glove finalists

Aristides Aquino had an up-and-down 2022 season, but his defense in right field provided a lot of his personal high points.

Aquino tossed out 12 runners in 80 games, including six at the plate, the most assists by a Reds outfielder since Billy Hamilton recorded 12 in 2019 and three behind league leader Tommy Pham. He had two throws clocked above 100 mph.

The outfield assists total doesn’t include his improvements on his outfield jumps and routes, but it still wasn't enough to earn a nod as a Gold Glove finalist because he didn't play enough innings to qualify. The three NL finalists were Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers), Daulton Varsho (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Juan Soto (Washington Nationals/San Diego Padres).

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Limited playing time kept Aquino ineligible for selection. Rawlings requires all outfielders must have played at least 698 total innings through the team's 138th game to earn a spot on the managers and coaches ballot. Aquino played 608 innings all year.

Even in fewer innings, it's hard to overlook Aquino's defensive impact. He saved 16 runs in right field this season, according to Sports Info Solutions’ defensive metrics, plus another four runs in left field. There were only three MLB players who saved more than 20 runs – Pittsburgh third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, Colorado second baseman Brendan Rogers and New York Yankees catcher Jose Trevino – and they were all Gold Glove finalists.

Betts was graded at 15 runs saved in right field by Sports Info Solutions, Varsho at 14 and Soto at negative-two.

The Gold Glove winners will be announced on Nov. 11. Managers and coaches vote from a pool of qualified players to determine the finalists and cannot vote for their own players, plus a fourth of the votes comes from Rawlings' SABR Defensive Index.

“I think (Aquino's) always been this level of defender,” Reds outfield coach Jeff Pickler said during the season. “If it wasn’t noticed before, maybe he wasn’t getting the recognition he deserved for the defender he was. For the time that we’ve been here, since ’19, his nose for the ball when the ball is hit is pretty special.”

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Statcast, which measures fielders on range, graded Aquino at one out above average in right field. That tied him for 10^th among MLB right fielders, trailing only Varsho (10 outs above average) and Betts (five outs above average) in the NL. Soto was rated at 15 outs below average, worst in the league.

“The one thing that he’s done a nice job of working hard on with his jumps is the reaction phase,” Pickler said of Aquino. “He’s so long-limbed, right? So, the strides are a big asset for him once he gets going. The area where we’ve challenged him to get better is that first step acceleration. It’s just a lot of body to get moving. He’s done a great job with that. We did some work with that in spring training.”

The Reds haven't had an outfielder win a Gold Glove since Eric Davis in 1989. Former Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart was the organization’s last Gold Glove winner, earning the award in 2017 and 2020.

Aquino had a throw to the plate end a game against the San Francisco Giants on May 28, resulting in a one-run win, and he threw out a runner at the plate in a one-run win over the Miami Marlins on Aug. 2.

“Obviously, the arm is what has been such a difference maker,” Pickler said. “Dating back to 2019 and ’20, we saw this type of arm. Credit to him for the accuracy improvements and the consistency improvements. In the past, we would see one unleashed at 100 mph and we wouldn’t get one like that again for a bit. Now we’re begging for people to send them when the ball is hit to him.”

Aquino, who hit .197 in 259 at-bats, is a candidate to be released this winter. He struck out in 36.6% of his plate appearances and has never recaptured the magic of his first month in the majors when he hit 14 homers and was named the NL Player of the Month. He’s eligible for arbitration for the first time and projected to command a salary around $1.6 million, according to MLBTradeRumors.com.

The 28-year-old Aquino was designated for assignment in April after he went hitless in 25 consecutive at-bats, but earned his spot back on the Reds’ 26-man roster after hitting well at Triple-A. Currently playing in the Dominican Winter League, Aquino has one hit in 15 at-bats with five walks and three strikeouts.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Reds' Aristides Aquino was snubbed from Gold Glove finalists