First base
My choice: Casey Kotchman
Likely winner: Kevin Youkilis

Winner: Youkilis

I was close to neutral here. Kotchman has more range, but Youkilis probably saved his infielders more errors. As long as it was one of the two, I wasn’t going to complain.

Second base
My choice: Mark Ellis
Likely winner: Placido Polanco

Winner: Polanco

No errors, no doubt. Ellis and Aaron Hill never had a chance.

Third base
My choice: Adrian Beltre
Likely winner: Alex Rodriguez

Winner: Beltre

This was one of the closer calls. I’m still not positive Beltre was a better choice than Brandon Inge and A-Rod wouldn’t have been a bad selection. Still, the managers and coaches did well.

Shortstop
My choice: Tony Pena Jr.
Likely winner: Derek Jeter

Winner: Orlando Cabrera

I said in the previous column that were I given an actual vote, I would have picked Cabrera, since he was the only one with a chance of snapping Jeter’s streak of three straight. Still, I’m quite surprised that it happened. Jeter is a great player, but each year he as awarded a Gold Glove made the whole process look like a joke.

Outfield
My choices: Ichiro Suzuki, Coco Crisp, Curtis Granderson
Likely winners: Ichiro, Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells

Winners: Ichiro, Torii Hunter, Grady Sizemore

I would have put Hunter and Sizemore fifth and sixth behind the top three and Carl Crawford, so it’s not like they’re horrible choices. Still, Crisp clearly deserved to be in the top three.

Pitcher
My choice: Chien-Ming Wang
Likely winner: Wang

Winner: Johan Santana

Santana is a fine athlete, but there’s little evidence to suggest that he’s a great fielder. There were 15 AL pitchers with more assists and total chances. Also, he was involved in just one double play. 57 AL pitchers had more, including his teammate Glen Perkins, who threw all of 30 innings. There was no reason at all to give him this award.

NL Gold Gloves

Catcher
My choice: Yadier Molina
Likely winner: Y. Molina

Winner: Russell Martin

This is the biggest surprise in my eyes. I’d like to think Molina is being punished here for catching just 70 percent as many innings as Martin, but I’m guessing that’s not really the case. He’s obviously the superior catcher.

First base
My choice: Albert Pujols
Likely winner: Pujols

Winner: Derrek Lee

Pujols won the award last year, but it looks like some managers thought his leg problems took a toll on his play this year. The numbers don’t back it up. Still, Lee is a terrific first baseman and can hardly be considered a bad choice.

Second base
My choice: Orlando Hudson
Likely winner: Hudson

Winner: Hudson

It was obvious Hudson would win a second straight award. I would like to know if Brandon Phillips finished second in the balloting.

Third base
My choice: Pedro Feliz
Likely winner: Scott Rolen

Winner: David Wright

That Rolen started just 108 games cost him the award. I really thought that Ryan Zimmerman would get it if Rolen didn’t. He would have been the better choice. Playing in D.C. must have hurt him.

Shortstop
My choice: Troy Tulowitzki
Likely winner: Omar Vizquel

Winner: Jimmy Rollins

Vizquel had won the last two, and the numbers say he was better last season than in 2006. Still, the NL voters again went with the superior hitter. Rollins and Jose Reyes weren’t far behind Tulo in my eyes, so I don’t have a major problem with this one.

Outfield
My choices: Aaron Rowand, Andruw Jones, Mike Cameron
Likely winners: Jones, Rowand, Carlos Beltran

Winners: Jones, Beltran, Rowand (tie), Jeff Francoeur (tie)

That Francoeur managed to tie Rowand is quite a shocker. If a corner outfielder was going to sneak in, it really should have been Austin Kearns. Francoeur, though, has the flashy arm, which counts for a lot. When it comes to range, he’s not far above average.

Pitcher
My choice: Greg Maddux
Likely winner: Maddux

Winner: Maddux

That makes 17 for Maddux. The only other NL winner since 1990 was Mike Hampton in 2003.

I predicted 10 of the 19 winners. I think I would have done better in previous years. Incredibly, there were only eight repeat winners. Injuries definitely cost Eric Chavez, Rolen and Kenny Rogers and might have hurt the chances of Pujols and Vernon Wells. Also, the Mark Teixeira trade opened up first base in the AL. With all the new spots open and no obviously poor fielders chosen to fill them, this is the best job the voters have done in several years.