For the first time in franchise history, the Chicago Cubs have three players named Gold Glove defensive award winners in a season.
Second baseman Nico Hoerner won his first National League Gold Glove award Sunday night while shortstop Dansby Swanson and left fielder Ian Happ both won the second of their career coming in back-to-back years.
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He is the fourth Cubs shortstop to win the award after Javier Báez (2020), Don Kessinger (1969 and 1970) and Ernie Banks (1960).
Hoerner, a finalist in 2020, is the fourth Cubs second baseman to win the award, joining Darwin Barney (2012), Ryne Sandberg (nine times, last in 1991), Glenn Beckert (1968) and Ken Hubbs (1962). He teamed up with Swanson as one of the best middle infield duos in the majors, fittingly earning them both hardware.
“There’s no ball (Hoerner) feels like he can’t catch and make a play on,” Swanson told the Tribune. “And there will be times he dives and makes a play and can’t get the throw off and he’ll get (mad), but the fact (he) even got to the ball … that’s one thing that makes him a great defender.”
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Swanson’s defensive wizardry was as advertised during Year 1 in Chicago, a big part of why the Cubs signed him to a seven-year, $177 million contract last offseason. His 20 Outs Above Average (OAA) led all players this year and his 18 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) were the most among MLB shortstops and also tied him for fifth among all positions.
More traditional stats favored Happ’s Gold Glove award candidacy. His 12 outfield assists topped all big-league outfielders and the 253 putouts he tallied were second-most for NL left fielders.
For the White Sox, center fielder Luis Robert Jr. was the team’s only Gold Glove finalist but it was the Toronto Blue Jays’ Kevin Kiermaier who won for the American League at that position.
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Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson throws to the plate as second baseman Nico Hoerner watches at Wrigley Field on May 30, 2023. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago native Alek Thomas was a National League finalist for center field for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but lost to Brenton Doyle of the Colorado Rockies.
Gold Glove finalists are determined by a combination of 75% voting among managers and coaches and 25% use of a proprietary metric known as the SABR Defensive Index (SDI).
Now that the winners have been announced, a combination of fan voting and SDI will determine the Platinum Glove winner from each league. Those winners will be revealed at the Gold Glove award ceremony on Nov. 10.
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Also on Sunday, the Cubs announced they exercised the 2024 team options for starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks and catcher Yan Gomes. Hendricks remains the longest-tenured Cub on the roster.
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