The Los Angeles Dodgers had three players named finalists for a 2023 Gold Glove Award, including Mookie Betts at both right field and the utility position.
Betts is a six-time Gold Glove winner in right field and has already received the 2023 multi-position Fielding Bible Award this offseason.
He is one of only three players up for a Gold Glove Award at two different positions, along with Mauricio Dubón of the Houston Astros, and San Diego Padres’ Ha-Seong Kim.
That’s made possible largely by Gold Glove starting to recognize utility players beginning with last year’s awards.
Betts played 107 games in right field this past season without committing a single error. He recorded eight assists and was worth three defensive runs saved, according to calculations by both Sports Info Solutions and FanGraphs.
Betts showed off his versatility by additionally playing 70 games at second base and another 16 as a shortstop. He was the only player in 2023 to have positive defensive runs saved at both an infield position and in the outfield while logging at least 400 innings at each.
Betts finished with a .991 fielding percentage at second base to go along with 33 doubles plays and six defensive runs saved. He sported a .935 fielding percentage at shortstop.
His OAA and runs prevented at second base were both -1, and at shortstop Betts posted a total of -2 for each.
Mookie Betts can make Gold Glove Award history
Although it may not be a likely outcome, Betts can become the first player in MLB history to win a Gold Glove Award at multiple positions in the same season.
The only similarity in the history of MLB awards season thus far is J.D. Martinez winning an American League Silver Slugger as both an outfielder and designated hitter in 2018. Martinez remains the only player to ever win two Silver Slugger Awards in one season.
All 2023 Gold Glove Award winners will be announced during ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” on Sunday, beginning at 4:30 p.m. PT.
Gold Glove winners for the nine standard positions are determined through voting by team managers and up to six coaches from each club. Managers and coaches cannot vote for their own players and are only permitted to submit ballots for those in their same league.
That accounts for 75% of the selection total, with the SABR Defensive Index making up the remaining 25%.
For the utility Gold Glove Award, Rawlings collaborates with SABR to create a specialized defensive formula separate from the traditional selection process.
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