Major League Baseball’s award season began with the announcement of the 2024 Gold Glove Awards on Sunday, Nov. 3.
The Los Angeles Dodgers had two finalists in Will Smith and Kiké Hernández. However, neither of them ended up taking an award home.
There were 14 first-time Gold Glove winners in 2024, which tied a record for the most since the Gold Glove Awards were first implemented in 1957.
The record of 14 first-time winners was first set in 2022. There have been at least 13 first-time award winners in each of the past three seasons and 2024 is the fifth straight season with at least 10 first-time recipients, extending the longest streak in the history of the award.
The Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Guardians paced the American League with two winners each. While the San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, and Colorado Rockies did the same in the National League with two winners a piece as well.
Gold Glove winners were determined by a combination of voting from MLB managers, coaches, and the SABR Defensive Index. All 30 managers, and up to six coaches from each organization cast a vote from a pool of players in their respective league, excluding players from their own team.
Manager and coaches votes accounted for 75% of the vote, and the SABR Defensive Index rounded out the remaining 25%.
For a second consecutive season, the Dodgers did not have any player take home a Gold Glove award.
Giants catcher Patrick Bailey beat out Smith and Pittsburg Pirates utility-man Jared Triolo beat out Hernández.
Defensively, Smith was MLB’s preeminent expert in controlling the running game with a league-leading 10 runners caught stealing above average in 2024. However, he graded out poorly in blocking and framing which contributed to a -4 defensive runs saved.
Hernández was a superutility-man in the truest sense of the word for the Dodgers in 2024. He played all over the field for the Dodgers, with 96 innings at first base, 51 innings at second base, 529 innings at third base, 59.2 innings at shortstop, 87 innings in left field, 54 innings in center field, one appearance as designated hitter, and even 4.1 innings on the mound.
He played above average defense wherever the Dodgers placed him with a cumulative outs above average (OAA) in the 73rd percentile and 59th best in MLB. It resulted in five defensive runs saved across all six positions he played, which was two short of Triolo.
Hernández was far more comfortable in the outfield, with all 10 of his errors coming at second base, third base, or shortstop.
2024 Gold Glove Award winners
American League
Pitcher: Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals
Catcher: Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
First base: Carlos Santana, Minnesota Twins
Second base: Andrés Giménez, Cleveland Guardians
Third base: Alex Bregman, Houston Astros
Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
Left field: Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians
Center field: Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays
Right field: Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox
Utility: Dylan Moore, Seattle Mariners
National League
Pitcher: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves
Catcher: Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants
First base: Christian Walker, Arizona Diamondbacks
Second base: Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers
Third base: Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants
Shortstop: Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies
Left field: Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs
Center field: Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies
Right field: Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers
Utility: Jared Triolo, Pittsburg Pirates
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