Molina Wins Eighth Gold Glove Award, Cardinals Lynn Out For 2016 Season

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina earned his eighth consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award and the world champion Kansas City Royals won three trophies when Major League Baseball's annual defensive honors were announced Tuesday.

Molina, 33, now has an opportunity to win his fourth Rawlings Platinum Glove Award, given to the top overall defensive player in the National League and American League.

All 18 Gold Glove winners, nine in each league, automatically qualify for the Platinum Glove awards, which are determined by fan voting on Rawlings.com.

The NL and AL winners will be announced Friday night during a ceremony in New York.

Molina's eighth Gold Glove moved him ahead of Bob Boone and into third place behind Ivan Rodriguez (13) and Johnny Bench (10) for the most Gold Gloves by a catcher.

The Royals, whose defensive prowess helped them win their first World Series in 30 years, led all teams with three awards as catcher Salvador Perez and first baseman Eric Hosmer each won Gold Gloves for the third straight year and Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar garnered his first award.

Yoenis Cespedes, who was traded from the Detroit Tigers to the New York Mets on July 31, played long enough to not only qualify for the AL Gold Glove in left field, but also win it over the Royals' Alex Gordon, who was last year's AL Platinum Glove winner and was seeking his fifth consecutive Gold Glove award.

The Gold Glove Award winners were announced on a special edition of Baseball Tonight on ESPN2 on Tuesday, with the active participation of some of the winners. The broadcast also featured performance analysis by Baseball Info Solutions, whose metrics help determine the awards under the Gold Gloves' new voting procedures.

Including Escobar and Cespedes, there were nine first-time winners overall. Among them was San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford, who got the award over two-time Gold Glove winner Andrelton Simmons of the Atlanta Braves.

Houston Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel and Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke, both leading Cy Young Award candidates, won for the second straight season in the AL and NL.

Other multiyear winners included Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, who earned his third straight award, and Cardinals right fielder Jason Heyward, Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, who each won their second.

Other winners were Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier and Los Angeles Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun in the AL, and Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon, Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Starling Marte and Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock in the NL.

Cardinals Lynn to miss 2016 Season

Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn has had Tommy John surgery and will be sidelined all of next season.

St. Louis said the 28-year-old Lynn had the surprise surgery Tuesday. The operation repaired a torn ulnar collateral ligament while having the ulnar nerve transposed and bone chips removed. The 28-year-old Lynn missed a couple of starts in June with a forearm strain.

Lynn's health was not mentioned by the Cardinals at their season-ending news conference.

Lynn was 12-11 with a 3.03 ERA last season. He was an All-Star in 2012 and has three straight seasons of 30 or more starts. He's among 16 pitchers to work 175 or more innings each of the last four years. The loss of Lynn is the latest blow to the NL Central champion Cardinals' pitching depth.

Authorities Looking Into Hanson's Death

Authorities are investigating the death of former Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels right-handed pitcher Tommy Hanson.

Coweta County coroner Richard Hawk said an autopsy began Tuesday after Hanson's death at the age of 29 on Monday night at Atlanta's Piedmont Hospital.

Hawk said Hanson was found "unconscious and unresponsive" Sunday in Coweta County, Georgia. He was initially taken to a hospital in Newnan before being transferred to Piedmont.

Hawk told The Associated Press on Tuesday night that "the cause and manner of death are still under investigation."