Adolis making case for AL Gold Glove Award

ARLINGTON -- Rangers outfielder Adolis García has lit up the field since his callup in April and has been one of the top rookies in the American League among a tight race for the AL Rookie of the Year Award. But is he also in the running for an AL Gold Glove Award?

Manager Chris Woodward thinks so, but he also noted that he may have screwed that one up himself. Before Texas dealt Joey Gallo to the Yankees at the Trade Deadline, García was the Rangers' starting center fielder, with Gallo having won an AL Gold Glove Award of his own in right field in 2020.

Since the trade, García has moved to mainly playing right field. Going into Wednesday’s middle game against the Angels, García had logged 79 games in center field and 46 in right.

“I'll take full blame for having him not be a Gold Glover,” Woodward said. “But listen, we had Joey Gallo, one of the best right fielders defensively in the game, so I wasn't going to put Joey in center. But I don't know how the voters are going to feel about that. There should be some sort of clause like, 'If he's played every day, and he's played Gold Glove caliber in center and Gold Glove caliber, right?'

"With what Adolis has done defensively, it's just every night. You see, last night we're 40 games out of first place, and he's jumping into the wall and just makes it a play that I've never even seen before. He deserves some sort of award. I don't know if they're going to give him a Gold Glove, though.”

García's defensive statistics show that he could make a case, even if he doesn’t win it. His 16 outfield assists are tied for the MLB lead. It’s also the most for a Rangers rookie in a season and fourth most for an outfielder in franchise history. He also led MLB rookies and ranked third among MLB outfielders with 16 defensive runs saved (13-RF; 3-CF) in the Sports Info Solutions metrics entering Wednesday.

“I don’t think that at all,” García said about potentially being the best outfielder in the AL. “I just go out and do my thing. I work hard and play hard. If the public thinks that's who I am, then that's what it is. I just like to go and play baseball.”

Kiner-Falefa gives back

During the Rangers' off-day on Monday, shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa handed out 600 boxed meals and water bottles to the homeless community in Dallas in partnership with the OurCalling lunch service. The boxed meal was a barbecue pulled pork and assorted sides from Pecan Lodge.

“Texas has been my home for the past five years,” Kiner-Falefa said. “It’s the community that has supported me and shaped me into the person I am today. I’ve seen firsthand that the number of people experiencing homelessness has grown at an exponentially fast rate. OurCalling is a foundation that focuses on lifting up the Dallas community by building meaningful relationships with those who experience homelessness. Thank you, Texas, for giving me an opportunity to do more.”

OurCalling is a Christian nonprofit organization providing solutions for the unsheltered homeless community in Dallas. Kiner-Falefa, a 2020 AL Gold Glove Award winner at third base, said his girlfriend informed him about the organization after seeing that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had worked with them in the past.

Kiner-Falefa said he didn’t realize how big of an issue homelessness was in the south and in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, and he wanted to help in any way he could. OurCalling was thrilled to have Kiner-Falefa help out and serve the community alongside them.

Following the Trade Deadline, Kiner-Falefa is the longest tenured Rangers position player, having made his MLB debut in April 2018. Woodward has emphasized that the shortstop is the “heart and soul” of the team many times over and he’s gone out of his way to be a leader in the organization.

“This is somewhere I want to play and be here for a long time, so I like getting out there and getting familiar with the community, and making a difference,” Kiner-Falefa said. “I like using my platform. I’m enjoying myself and it’s humbling to be there. Any time you can give back, it’s a good feeling.

“It sets an example for everybody in this organization for what we’re about. [Catcher Jose Trevino] does a great job in the community with the Roberto Clemente Award. If we set an example, these young guys will follow and we’ll build something cool.“