Three Los Angeles Dodgers players, including Mookie Betts at both right field and utility, were selected as finalists for the 2023 Gold Glove Award.

Right fielder Betts has won six Gold Gloves, and this offseason, he was already honored with the 2023 multi-position Fielding Bible Award.

He, Ha-Seong Kim of the San Diego Padres, and Mauricio Dubón of the Houston Astros are the only two players nominated for a Gold Glove Award who play in two separate positions.

That was made possible in large part by Gold Glove’s decision to start honoring utility players with the awards from the previous year.

This past season, Betts started 107 games in right field and made just one error. Sports Info Solutions and FanGraphs both calculated that he had eight assists and was worth three defensive runs saved.

In addition, Betts played in 70 games at second base and 16 more as a shortstop, showcasing his versatility. He was the only player in 2023 to log at least 400 innings at each position and to have positive defensive runs saved at both infield and outfield positions.

Along with 33 double plays, six defensive runs saved, and a.991 fielding percentage at second base, Betts had an impressive finish. At shortstop, he had a.935 fielding percentage.

At second base, Betts’ OAA and runs prevented were both -1, while at shortstop, he recorded a total of -2 for each.

Gold Glove Award history could be made by Mookie Betts.
Betts can become the first player in MLB history to earn a Gold Glove Award in more than one position in the same season, though that may not be a realistic conclusion.

The sole parallel in the history of the MLB awards season is when J.D. Martinez won the 2018 American League Silver Slugger while serving as both a designated hitter and an outfielder. The only player to ever win two Silver Slugger Awards in a single season is still Martinez.

On Sunday, starting at 4:30 p.m. PT, ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” will reveal the winners of the 2023 Gold Glove Award.

A vote by team managers and up to six coaches from each club determines the Gold Glove winners for the nine standard positions. Only players in their league may be nominated by managers and coaches; they are not allowed to vote for their own players.

That makes up 75% of the selection total; the remaining 25% is made up of the SABR Defensive Index.

In addition to the standard selection procedure, Rawlings and SABR work together to develop a unique defensive formula for the utility Gold Glove Award.