Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts was named a Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner, marking a fifth consecutive year he’s earned the honor. Cody Bellinger was bested in center field by the San Diego Padres’ Trent Grisham.
Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier remain the last set of Dodgers teammates to win a Gold Glove Award in the same season, accomplishing the feat in 2011.
Along with Grisham, Bellinger was up against the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. in pursuit of a second career Gold Glove. He won his first last season for stellar defense in right field.
This season, Bellinger’s five defensive runs saved ranked second among qualified NL center fielders and his one assist tied for third. Not all advanced metrics were not kind to Bellinger, as his 0.8 defensive runs above average (Def) and 0.2 ultimate zone rating (UZR) both were third-best. His eight outs above average were tops but not enough to overcome Grisham.
Where Bellinger undeniably did shine is with the eye test. He widely is viewed as one of the best center fielders in all of baseball, and the 25-year-old demonstrated why throughout the postseason.
Betts has now won five consecutive Gold Glove Awards, with the previous four coming on the American League side for his remarkable play while a member of the Boston Red Sox.
Betts’ 11 defensive runs saved this season were 10 more than any other qualified NL right fielder. He also led players at his position in UZR (6.0) and Def (3.7). Betts previously won a Fielding Bible Award for this season, along with Kiké Hernandez.
Like Bellinger, Betts made one highlight-reel catch after another to help the Dodgers win the World Series.
Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners historically have been determined by a vote from 30 managers and up to six of their coaches. Each manager and coach vote from a pool of qualified players in their League but are not permitted to cast a ballot for players from their own team.
Due to the shortened 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.
With Gold Glove Award winners now unveiled, 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 began online www.Rawlings.com Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. PT and will remain open through Thursday, Nov. 5 at 8:59 p.m. PT.
2020 Gold Glove Award winners
National League
First base: Anthony Rizzo (Cubs)
Second base: Kolten Wong (Cardinals)
Third base: Nolan Arenado (Rockies)
Shortstop: Javier Báez (Cubs)
Left field: Tyler O’Neill (Cardinals)
Center field: Trent Grisham (Padres)
Right field: Mookie Betts (Dodgers)
Catcher: Tucker Barnhart (Reds)
Pitcher: Max Fried (Braves)
American League
First base: Evan White (Mariners)
Second base: César Hernández (Indians)
Third base: Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Rangers)
Shortstop: J.P. Crawford (Mariners)
Left field: Alex Gordon (Royals)
Center field: Luis Robert (White Sox)
Right field: Joey Gallo (Rangers)
Catcher: Robert Pérez (Indians)
Pitcher: Griffin Canning (Angels)
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