Three Tampa Bay Rays Nominated For Gold Glove Consideration

It was quite the ride for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011. After pulling off a historic comeback in the month of September to earn a wild card berth, the Rays fizzled out in the American League Divisional Series against the Texas Rangers. As there is every year in Tampa, there will be significant turnover on the roster this winter. But before we learn the fate of the Rays squad for 2012 and beyond, there's the possibility of several individuals receiving hardware for the fine work they did defensively this season.

On Monday, it was announced that three Rays players had been nominated for Gold Gloves at their respective positions: Evan Longoria (3B), Casey Kotchman (1B) and Sam Fuld (LF). Were Longoria to get the nod, it would mark the third consecutive year that the 26-year old has taken home the Gold Glove award at 3B. Kotchman and Fuld have never won the award previously.

The Rawlings Gold Glove Awards will be broadcast live from Bristol, CT for the first time ever on Tuesday, November 1st. Here's the announcement from ESPN, as well as a full list of players up for consideration:

ESPN2 will televise the first-ever Rawlings Gold Glove Awards Show – emanating from ESPN’s Baseball Tonight studio in Bristol – Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 10 p.m. ET. The one-hour telecast, hosted by Baseball Tonight’s Karl Ravech with analysts John Kruk and Barry Larkin (a three-time Gold Glove winner – 1994, 1995, 1996), will include the announcement of the 2011 Gold Glove Award winners and extensive highlights and analysis of the best defensive performers and plays during the MLB regular season.