San Francisco’s Matt Chapman has secured his fifth Gold Glove award, while Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. stands out as one of the 14 individuals honored with this prestigious fielding accolade for the first time.
In addition to Chapman, two players from the Cleveland Guardians—second baseman Andrés Giménez and left fielder Steven Kwan—have been recognized for their defensive prowess for the third consecutive year. Other repeat winners include Arizona first baseman Christian Walker and Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ, as announced by Rawlings on Sunday.
Brenton Doyle, the center fielder for the Rockies, also achieved his second consecutive Gold Glove award. A total of six teams celebrated dual winners, with the Guardians, Rockies, Royals, Brewers, Giants, and Mariners each having two recipients.
Included among the first-time winners from the American League are Royals pitcher Seth Lugo, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, Minnesota first baseman Carlos Santana, Houston third baseman Alex Bregman, Toronto center fielder Daulton Varsho, Boston right fielder Wilyer Abreu, and Mariners utility player Dylan Moore.
The National League first-time awardees featured Atlanta pitcher Chris Sale, Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, Milwaukee second baseman Brice Turang, right fielder Sal Frelick, Colorado shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, and Pittsburgh utility player Jared Triolo.
Several players also received financial bonuses for their Gold Glove accomplishments, with Bregman earning $50,000, and Giménez, Lugo, Moore, and Witt each getting $50,000 as well. Santana received a bonus of $25,000.
The previous year also saw 14 players receiving Gold Glove honors for the first time. The voting process involved managers and up to six coaches from each team, ensuring that they could not vote for players from their own roster. Since 2013, the selection process has integrated a defensive index created by the Society for American Baseball Research, which accounts for around 25% of the overall vote. The utility category utilizes a specialized SABR formula along with additional defensive statistics.