Espinal Earns 2017 Rawlings Gold Glove Award ®

INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis Indians first baseman Edwin Espinal today was announced by Minor League Baseball and Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. as one of nine players to earn a 2017 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® for defensive excellence. The Gold Glove honor is the first of his seven-year professional career.

Espinal, 23, was the only first baseman in Minor League Baseball to post a perfect fielding percentage. In 81 games with Double-A Altoona, Espinal recorded 698 putouts. He then appeared in 27 games (22 starts) at first with Indy, tallying an additional 208 putouts.
Paired with his outstanding play at first base, the Dominican Republic native posted career highs in average (.294), home runs (15), doubles (31) and RBI (86) in 130 games between Altoona and Indianapolis. His RBI total paced all Pirates farmhands.
Pirates prospect Ke'Bryan Hayes also took home Gold Glove honors at third base after a strong season at High-A Bradenton, making Pittsburgh the only major league organization with multiple Minor League Baseball Gold Glove recipients.
2017 Minor League Baseball recipients of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award®:
C Jose Trevino - Frisco (AA) (Texas)
1B Edwin Espinal - Altoona (AA), Indianapolis (AAA) (Pittsburgh)
2B Scott Kingery - Reading (AA), Lehigh Valley (AAA) (Philadelphia)
SS Daniel Castro - Albuquerque (AAA) (Colorado)
3B Ke'Bryan Hayes - Bradenton (A+) (Pittsburgh)
LF Tyler Ramirez - Stockton (A+), Midland (AA) (Oakland)
CF Jacob Hannemann - Iowa (AAA), Tacoma (AAA) (Chicago [NL], Seattle)
RF Max Murphy - Fort Myers (A+), Chattanooga (AA) (Minnesota)
P Jordan Kipper - Mobile (AA), Bowie (AA), Norfolk (AAA) (Los Angeles [AL], Baltimore)
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