Rodgers claims first career Gold Glove Award
¡®That¡¯s always been in the back of my mind,¡¯ says 2B
Thomas Harding
@harding_at_mlbDENVER -- The space on his trophy shelf that Brendan Rodgers has reserved -- since his high school days -- for a Rawlings Gold Glove Award will now be filled.
Rodgers joined three-time winner DJ LeMahieu (2014, 2017-18) as the only Rockies second basemen in club history to win the award, which was announced Tuesday. Gold Gloves are determined via voting by the league¡¯s managers and coaches, plus a SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) Defensive Index.
¡°I got a Gold Glove thing for Perfect Game when I was in high school,¡± Rodgers said last week, when he learned he would receive the Fielding Bible Award as MLB¡¯s top overall second baseman. ¡°I have it at the house, and like I always told myself, if I got a real Gold Glove, it would be a lot cooler next to it. So that¡¯s always been in the back of my mind.¡±
Rodgers, 26, appeared in a career-high 137 games and led all second basemen with 99 double plays, 411 assists, 3.17 assists-per-nine innings and 19 diving plays.
Rodgers is the eighth player overall in Rockies history to win the award. Others were LeMahieu, third baseman Nolan Arenado (2013-20), outfielder Carlos Gonz¨¢lez (2010, 2012-13), shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2010-11), first baseman Todd Helton (2001-02, 2004), shortstop Neifi Perez (2000) and outfielder Larry Walker (1997-99, 2001-02).
It took a position change from shortstop, where Rodgers was playing at Lake Mary (Fla.) High School before being drafted by the Rockies with the No. 3 overall pick in 2015, as well as on-the-job learning to reach this point. Rodgers began playing second base in the Minors, but his entry to the Majors was shortened by shoulder and hamstring injuries in 2019 and ¡®20, and then his ¡¯21 season was delayed because of another hamstring issue.
The 2021 season saw Rodgers flash some talent, but he also experience growing pains. He started slowly in ¡¯22 with some errors, but the anticipation and knowledge of the opposition that he at times lacked in ¡¯21, especially in late-game situations, began to show up.
¡°When I was coming up through the Minors, I was hearing, ¡®He¡¯s got the hit tool, but is he going to stay at short or stay in the middle?¡¯¡± Rodgers said. ¡°I wanted to stay in the middle of the field. I pride myself on that. I wanted to be in a prime position.
¡°But it took some gaining confidence, and that was a matter of getting game reps. It¡¯s a lot different from your work in the offseason. You have to get your internal clock. Some of that comes from knowing the runners and the opponent. If it¡¯s a DH or a first baseman, you have a little extra time, but if a center fielder hits a chopper, you have to make the play quickly. Some teams run hard, and some are walkers and sluggers. By learning that, I was able to slow the game down and not put pressure on myself.¡±
Rodgers led all MLB second basemen and finished second to Pirates third baseman Ke¡¯Bryan Hayes among all players in the Majors in Defensive Runs Saved with 22 (Hayes had 24). According to Baseball-Reference, Rodgers and Hayes tied for the MLB lead in defensive Wins Above Replacement at 3.0.
Third baseman Ryan McMahon was also a National League finalist for the Gold Glove at third base, but the Cardinals¡¯ Arenado won it for the 10th straight year. Arenado¡¯s first eight came with the Rockies.