Wade Gaynor Named Gold Glove Third Baseman

Minor League Baseball™ and Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., today announced that three players in the Detroit Tigers' organization, Jordan Lennerton, Wade Gaynor and Jason Krizan, are among the nine Minor League Baseball players who have been chosen as recipients of a 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® for defensive excellence at their position. The honorees were selected among qualifying players from the 10 domestic-based, full-season Minor Leagues. They will each receive their own Rawlings Gold Glove Award, modeled after the iconic award given to Major League Baseball's top defensive players, during the 2014 season.

"Since 1957, Rawlings has celebrated defensive excellence at the highest levels of professional baseball" said Mike Thompson, senior vice president of marketing for St. Louis-based Rawlings. "Every organization should be proud to have a Minor League Baseball Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner in their system. For Detroit to have three recipients shows a systemic commitment to defense, and Rawlings is proud to honor the Minor League Baseball franchises, coaching staffs and players who make defense a priority."

"I know what an honor it is for a player to receive a Rawlings Gold Glove Award, having been involved in presenting them to the winners the last two years," said Pat O'Conner, President & CEO of Minor League Baseball. "The players really appreciate and understand how prestigious the accolade is and I want to thank Rawlings Sporting Goods for their continued support of Minor League Baseball."

The 2013 Minor League Baseball recipients of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award are as follows:

Position          Name                     Club(s)/Major League BaseballOrganization

P                  Taylor Hill                Potomac, Harrisburg, Syracuse/Washington

C                  Blake Forsythe                  Binghamton/New York Mets

1B                Jordan Lennerton           Toledo/Detroit

2B                Carlos Alonso                     Clearwater/Philadelphia

SS                Nick Ahmed                    Mobile/Arizona

3B                Wade Gaynor                    Erie/Detroit

LF                 Jason Krizan           Lakeland/Detroit

CF                Dalton Pompey           Lansing/Toronto

RF                Randal Grichuk           Arkansas/Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The return of Rawlings recognizing Minor League Baseball players for their defensive prowess began again in 2011.   The St. Louis-based company named a Minor League all-star fielding team for several years in the 1960s. The honor was known as the Rawlings Silver Glove Award during this time.

Five players who were honored last year, Adam Warren (Yankees), Josh Phegley (White Sox), Derrick Robinson (Reds), Engel Beltre (Rangers) and Marcell Ozuna(Marlins) are in the major leagues. Another quintet of major leaguers, Efren Navarro (Angels), Steve Lombardozzi (Nationals), Brandon Laird (Astros), Jordan Danks (White Sox) and Cole Gillespie (Cubs) were among those honored in 2011. 

About Rawlings

Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes from the sandlot to the pros. Rawlings' unparalleled quality and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more athletes choose Rawlings, and why Rawlings is the Official Batting Helmet and Ball Supplier of Major League Baseball®, the official baseball of Minor League Baseball™ and the NCAA®, and the approved baseball, basketball, football and softball of the National High School Federation®. For more information, please visit Rawlings.com or by phone at (314) 819-2800.