Anthony Volpe is now able to claim the title of Gold Glove winning shortstop after a strong debut campaign with the Yankees.
The 22-year-old was given the greatest defensive trophy in baseball when MLB announced the winners of its Gold Glove awards on Sunday.
After spring training, Volpe earned the starting shortstop position with the Yankees and performed well overall, particularly in the field.
According to The Fielding Bible, he was just one behind Wander Franco among shortstops in the American League with 15 defensive runs saved. Additionally, it’s more than ten times as much as the other two shortstops in the category, Carlos Correa (-2) and Corey Seager (5).
Volpe prevented Seager from adding his first Gold Glove and prevented Correa from winning his second.
While he was a member of the Yankees, Anthony Rizzo, a four-time winner, was not able to win first base. The decision was made by Texas Rangers’ Nathaniel Lowe.
Rizzo led all AL first basemen in +6 Outs Above Average in 2023 despite not winning.
Former Vanderbilt star Dansby Swanson wins Gold Glove for second year in a row with Cubs
Dansby Swanson has won the National League’s shortstop Gold Glove for the past two seasons. But this time, instead of the Braves, he did it with the Cubs.
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Along with Ian Happ, the left fielder, and Nico Hoerner, the middle infield mate, Swanson was one of three Cubs to win a trophy for being the strongest fielder at his position this season.
According to Baseball Savant, Swanson led all qualifying Major Leaguers with an incredible 20 outs above average. In addition, he turned 72 double plays this season, ranking seventh among MLB shortstops, and led the league in runs prevented (15).
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With Swanson’s win, the Cubs now have four Gold Glove winners at shortstop: Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, Don Kessinger, and Javier “El Mago” Baez.
Cubs manager David Ross described Swanson and Hoerner as “those guys up the middle are kind of the leaders of that infield,” according to MLB.com. “And the essentials that will be here for a very long time. The sensation of the ball touching the ground is really reassuring.”
With a fielding percentage of 98.1 percent, Swanson achieved a four-year streak above 98 percent. This season, he was selected for his second consecutive All-Star Game and added 22 home runs to his impressive glove.