Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Cody Bellinger and Mookie Betts were named Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists for the National League in center field and right field, respectively.
The Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. and San Diego’s Trent Grisham are fellow finalists in center field. Betts is accompanied by Colorado Rockies right fielder Charlie Blackmon, the Chicago Cubs’ Jason Heyward and Arizona’s Kole Calhoun.
“This season has certainly been unlike any other, and we’re thankful to continue the long-standing tradition of recognizing and honoring the best defensive players in the game,” Rawlings chief marketing officer Mike Thompson said in a statement.
“This year’s class of Gold Glove finalists is a mix of established and first-time honorees which should make for an exciting reveal of the winners on Nov. 3.”
Bellinger won a Gold Glove in right field, the first of his career, last season. Betts has won four consecutive Gold Glove Awards on the American League side for his stellar defense while a member of the Boston Red Sox.
While the Gold Glove is a regular-season honor, both Bellinger and Betts have continued to display their defensive prowess throughout the postseason with an array of impressive catches.
Betts’ 11 defensive runs saved (FanGraphs) this season were 10 more than any other qualified NL right fielder. Bellinger’s five defensive runs saved ranked second among NL center fielders.
Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners historically have been determined by a vote from 30 managers and up to six of their respective coaches. Each manager and coach vote from a pool of qualified players in their League and cannot vote for players from their own team.
However, due to the shortened 2020 season, qualifications were adjusted to rely only on the SABR defensive index (SDI). In 2013 it was incorporated to account for approximately 25% of the overall vote.
SDI utilizes MLB Advanced Media’s Statcast, Sports Information Solutions data, and STATS, LLC data as well as traditional statistics with advanced analysis.
Pitchers were required to have logged at least 50 innings, catchers needed to play in 29 games, and infielder and outfielders had to play a minimum of 265 defensive innings in order to qualify for a Gold Glove this season.
Once Gold Glove Award winners are announced, fans can vote for their favorite defensive player in each league to determine who will be named the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners. Voting for the Platinum Glove will begin online at www.Rawlings.com on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. PT and remain open through Thursday, Nov. 5 at 8:59 p.m. PT.
The Dodgers last had teammates win a Gold Glove in the same season when Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier accomplished the feat in 2011.
Gold Glove Award finalists
National League
P: Max Fried (ATL), Kyle Hendricks (CHC), Alec Mills (CHC)
C: Tucker Barnhart (CIN), Willson Contreras (CHC), Jacob Stallings (PIT)
1B: Brandon Belt (SFG), Paul Goldschmidt (STL), Anthony Rizzo (CHC)
2B: Adam Frazier (PIT), Nico Hoerner (CHC), Kolten Wong (STL)
3B: Brian Anderson (MIA), Nolan Arenado (COL), Manny Machado (SDP)
SS: Javier Baez (CHC), Miguel Rojas (MIA), Dansby Swanson (ATL)
LF: Shogo Akiyama (CIN), Tyler O’Neill (STL), David Peralta (ARI)
CF: Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL), Cody Bellinger (LAD), Trent Grisham (SDP)
RF: Mookie Betts (LAD), Charlie Blackmon (COL), Kole Calhoun (ARI), Jason Heyward (CHC)
American League
P: Griffin Canning (LAA), Kenta Maeda (MIN), Zach Plesac (CLE)
C: Yasmani Grandal (CHW), James McCann (CHW), Roberto Perez (CLE)
1B: Yuli Gurriel (HOU), Matt Olson (OAK), Evan White (SEA)
2B: Cesar Hernandez (CLE), Nicky Lopez (KCR), Danny Mendick (CHW), Jonathan Schoop (DET)
3B: Isiah Kiner-Falefa (TEX), Yoan Moncada (CHW), Gio Urshela (NYY)
SS: Carlos Correa (HOU), J.P. Crawford (SEA), Niko Goodrum (DET)
LF: Alex Gordon (KCR), Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (TOR), Kyle Tucker (HOU)
CF: Byron Buxton (MIN), Ramon Laureano (OAK), Luis Robert (CHW)
RF: Clint Frazier (NYY), Joey Gallo (TEX), Anthony Santander (BAL)
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in our shows, and more!
