Best in field: Gold Glove Awards handed out
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The best fielders in baseball took home hardware on Sunday night, as the winners of the 2019 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards were announced.
First-time winners such as Cleveland's Roberto P¨¦rez and Milwaukee's Lorenzo Cain joined multiple honorees like seven-time winners Nolan Arenado (Rockies) and Alex Gordon (Royals) in a field determined by a combination of votes submitted by Major League managers and coaches and a sabermetric index provided by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).
? Past Gold Glove winners: American League | National League
Each of this year's winners are eligible for the Platinum Glove Award, which is given to the best defensive player from each league. Voting for the award, which was established in 2011, is open at rawlings.com and will continue until 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday. The two league winners will be announced on Friday.
Here is a complete list of the 2019 winners:
FIRST BASE
American League winner: Matt Olson, OAK
Olson has won the AL Gold Glove Award at first base in each of his first two full seasons in the Majors. The 25-year-old again led all first basemen in Defensive Runs Saved, recording 13 after tallying 14 in 2018. Olson also posted a career-best 36 home runs with an .896 OPS this past season, remaining an all-around force for the A's.
Runners-up: Yuli Gurriel, HOU; Justin Smoak, TOR
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National League winner: Anthony Rizzo, CHC
Rizzo has proven to be a steady presence on both sides of the ball for the Cubs. He is now a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, earning the honor in each of the past two years as well as 2016. Rizzo made just five errors, recorded three DRS and was one of three MLB first basemen with 30-plus scoops in 2019.
Runners-up: Christian Walker, ARI; Paul Goldschmidt, STL
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SECOND BASE
American League winner: Yolmer Sánchez, CWS
S¨¢nchez earned his first career Gold Glove Award after a stellar season in the field. He led all AL second basemen in Ultimate Zone Rating and defensive runs above average this season. S¨¢nchez also made 116 out-of-zone plays, according to Fangraphs, 37 more than any other AL second baseman.
Runners-up: Jose Altuve, HOU; DJ LeMahieu, NYY
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National League winner: Kolten Wong, STL
Wong was the best defensive second baseman in the NL this season by nearly every metric. His 14 DRS were six more than any other NL player at his position, while he also led the way in UZR, defensive WAR and out-of-zone plays made.
Runners-up: Ozzie Albies, ATL; Adam Frazier, PIT
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SHORTSTOP
American League winner: Francisco Lindor, CLE
Lindor claimed his second career Gold Glove Award, with the other coming in 2016. He had yielded the honor to four-time winner -- and fellow 2019 finalist -- Andrelton Simmons in each of the past two seasons. Lindor is also a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner and has had a number of other close finishes. The 25-year-old shortstop finished as runner-up for the '15 AL Rookie of the Year Award and has received a share of AL MVP Award votes in each of the previous three seasons.
Runners-up: Marcus Semien, OAK; Andrelton Simmons, LAA
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National League winner: Nick Ahmed, ARI
Ahmed won his second consecutive Gold Glove Award after another impressive all-around season for the D-backs. He led all NL shortstops with 18 DRS, while also making an NL-leading 150 out-of-zone plays, according to Fangraphs.
Runners-up: Paul DeJong, STL; Trevor Story, COL
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THIRD BASE
American League winner: Matt Chapman, OAK
Chapman won his second consecutive Gold Glove Award. He led AL third basemen in DRS -- by a lot. He had 18, and no other AL third baseman had more than three. Last year, Chapman became the second A¡¯s player to win a Gold Glove at third base, joining Eric Chavez, who won six in his career.
Runners-up: Alex Bregman, HOU; David Fletcher, LAA
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National League winner: Nolan Arenado, COL
Arenado won his seventh Gold Glove Award in as many big league seasons. The defensive stalwart not only led all NL third basemen in UZR, but his 10.3 mark was three times better than any other player at the position. Arenado¡¯s seven Gold Gloves are the fourth-most by any third baseman in Major League history, trailing only Brooks Robinson (16), Mike Schmidt (10) and Scott Rolen (8).
Runners-up: Anthony Rendon, WSH; Josh Donaldson, ATL
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LEFT FIELD
American League winner: Alex Gordon, KC
Gordon took home his seventh career Gold Glove Award, second-most in Royals history behind Frank White, who won eight. Gordon played 1,260 innings in left, second-most in the Majors this year, behind then 20-year-old Juan Soto. At 35 years old, Gordon is the oldest outfielder to win a Gold Glove since Ichiro Suzuki in 2010.
Runners-up: Robbie Grossman, OAK; Andrew Benintendi, BOS
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National League winner: David Peralta, ARI
After winning his first career Silver Slugger Award last season, Peralta proved he can also get it done with his glove en route to earning his first career Gold Glove Award. The D-backs outfielder led all NL left fielders with 10 DRS, doubling his previous career high set last season.
Runners-up: Juan Soto, WSH; Hunter Renfroe, SD
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CENTER FIELD
American League winner: Kevin Kiermaier, TB
Kiermaier won back-to-back Gold Glove Awards in 2015 and '16, and he now has a third to his name in '19. His 17 Outs Above Average were second among Major League outfielders, behind only Soto. Kiermaier led all players in Outfielder Jump, at plus-3.8 feet compared to average.
Runners-up: Mike Trout, LAA; Jackie Bradley Jr., BOS
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National League winner: Lorenzo Cain, MIL
Though he has long been one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, Cain had never won a Gold Glove Award -- until now. The 10-year veteran took home his first career Gold Glove after finishing third among all outfielders with 14 Outs Above Average. Cain set the tone for his award-winning season early, making a game-saving home run robbery to end Milwaukee¡¯s Opening Day victory.
Runners-up: Victor Robles, WSH; Harrison Bader, STL
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RIGHT FIELD
American League winner: Mookie Betts, BOS
Betts earned his fourth straight Gold Glove Award. The 27-year-old finished seventh among all AL outfielders and tied for 10th overall in MLB with 15 DRS in 2019. Betts has recorded a big league-leading 98 DRS since the start of '16, topping the next closest player (Simmons) by 13.
Runners-up: Kole Calhoun, LAA; Josh Reddick, HOU
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National League winner: Cody Bellinger, LAD
Though often overshadowed by his prowess at the plate, Bellinger wasn't too shabby in the field this season, either. The NL MVP Award candidate racked up 19 DRS, tied with the Yankees' Aaron Judge for the most among right fielders across the Majors. Bellinger, the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year, can now add his first career Gold Glove to his trophy case.
Runners-up: Bryce Harper, PHI; Jason Heyward, CHC
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CATCHER
American League winner: Roberto Pérez, CLE
P¨¦rez won his first career Gold Glove Award, and just the fourth by a catcher in franchise history, joining Sandy Alomar and Ray Fosse (two). P¨¦rez did not allow a passed ball in 2019, becoming the fourth catcher since 1930 to catch as many games as he did without allowing a passed ball. He led all Major League catchers in DRS with 29.
Runners-up: Danny Jansen, TOR; Christian Vázquez, BOS
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National League winner: J.T. Realmuto, PHI
If you¡¯re thinking about running on Realmuto as a baserunner, the best advice is not to. And now, Realmuto has his first career Gold Glove Award to lend further proof to his defensive prowess. Realmuto¡¯s average pop time of 1.88 on throws to second base led all catchers this season with at least five attempts. His 88.4 mph average arm strength led all catchers with at least 20 throws this year. He led the Majors with 43 baserunners caught stealing -- nobody else had more than 27.
Runners-up: Austin Hedges, SD; Yadier Molina, STL
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PITCHER
American League winner: Mike Leake, SEA/ARI
Leake was traded to the D-backs at the Trade Deadline, but he did enough in the AL before the trade to win the Gold Glove Award at pitcher -- the first of his career. Leake was tied for the lead among AL pitchers with Lucas Giolito in the SABR Defensive Index rankings, which is a component of the Gold Glove Award selection and draws on a number of defensive metrics.
Runners-up: José Berríos, MIN; Lucas Giolito, CWS
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National League winner: Zack Greinke, ARI/HOU
Despite being traded to the Astros ahead of the Trade Deadline, Greinke still did enough defensively in his time with the D-backs to earn his sixth consecutive Gold Glove Award. Greinke, who qualified for the NL award by racking up 146 innings with Arizona, became the third NL pitcher to win at least six consecutive Gold Gloves, joining Bob Gibson (1965-73) and Greg Maddux (1990-2002).
Runners-up: Jack Flaherty, STL; Aaron Nola, PHI
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