Tonight, at 7:00 PM, the Rawlings Gold Glove will be announced. Evan Longoria is one of three American League first baseman up for the award. The other two are his usual competition: ace third baseman Adrian Beltre, and converted shortstop Manny Machado.
Of the three, Evan Longoria was the most dependable, with a .976 fielding percentage that was best in the league, and that set the Rays record for fielding percentage at third base (previously held by Akinori Iwamura).
Before we get too far into what it means to have a good fielding percentage and whether or not Longoria should win, let's take a moment to appreciate that dependability.