Varsho's elite defense leads to first career Gold Glove Award

TORONTO -- This is the moment the Blue Jays and their coaches spent all season campaigning for. Daulton Varsho has won the American League’s 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award in center field.

This is Varsho’s first career Gold Glove Award, and while fellow nominees Jake Meyers of the Astros and Jarren Duran of the Red Sox had fine seasons of their own, Varsho put together (another) one of the best defensive seasons we’ve seen in Toronto.

? All-time Gold Glove Award winners

Varsho’s teammates showered him with praise all season, particularly pitchers who have him to thank for a few points falling off their ERA. Manager John Schneider turned it into a catchphrase of sorts: “Daulton Varsho is the best outfielder in baseball” -- and he never ran out of reasons to use it. Now, Varsho has the hardware to back up what the rest of baseball already knows.

Varsho’s case this season was simplified, in a way, when Kevin Kiermaier -- another of the game’s elite defenders -- was dealt to the Dodgers at the Trade Deadline. Varsho had split his time between left field and center, but we were able to see the true ceiling of his defensive talent when he roamed center on an everyday basis. The eye test backs up the accolades, particularly on the countless catches Varsho made up against the wall, and the advanced metrics tell the same story.

Prior to Varsho’s season being cut three weeks short by a shoulder injury that eventually required rotator cuff surgery, the 28-year-old led all MLB outfielders with a +17 Fielding Run Value, which wrangles all of Statcast’s individual defensive metrics together into one ranking. When it comes to Outs Above Average, Varsho was tied for fifth among all MLB defenders at +16.

? Most Gold Glove Awards at each position

Varsho’s ball skills are exceptional -- something he credits to playing football and other sports growing up -- but what makes him truly special are his first few steps. We define an outfielder’s “jump” as the first three seconds after the ball is hit, and when it comes to getting jumps, Varsho is among the game’s elite.

Within those first three seconds after contact is made, Varsho covers 3.7 feet more than the average outfielder. Only Jacob Young of the Nationals covers more (3.8 feet), which is what puts Varsho in position to make so many plays in the outfield look easier than they should be.

While Varsho hit .214 with 18 home runs and a .700 OPS, his defensive value buoyed his WAR (FanGraphs) to 3.3, second on the team behind only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Varsho is beloved in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse, and while he’ll be one of the last players to put the spotlight on himself, his teammates have no problem doing that for him.

Varsho is the sixth Blue Jays player to win a Gold Glove Award in the outfield, joining Kiermaier (2023), Vernon Wells (2004-06), Shawn Green (1999), Devon White (1991-95) and Jesse Barfield (1986-87).