Gordon, Arenado win 2020 Rawlings Platinum Glove Awards, presented by SABR
NOVEMBER 6, 2020 — Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., announced that left fielder Alex Gordon of the Kansas City Royals™ and third baseman Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies™ won the 2020 Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ presented by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) in their respective Leagues. The winners were unveiled exclusively on MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning MLB Tonight.
This makes the fourth consecutive Rawlings Platinum Glove Award for Arenado and Gordon’s second Platinum Glove Award since winning his first in 2014.
Arenado ties catcher Yadier Molina with four Platinum Glove Awards each, the most in either League. He is the first infielder to start his career with eight consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Awards.
In his final Major League season, Gordon, who has won eight Rawlings Gold Glove Awards throughout his 13-year career, joins Adrian Beltre and Matt Chapman as one of three players in the American League™ to win multiple Rawlings Platinum Glove Awards since the Award’s inception in 2011.
The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners are determined by combining votes based on an adjusted SABR Defensive Index™ for each of the nine Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners in each League and votes from baseball fans worldwide.
“Now in its tenth year, the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award gives the fans a chance to weigh in on their favorite defenders in each league while showing their passion and appreciation for superior defensive performance,” said Mike Thompson, chief marketing officer of Rawlings. “It’s always exciting to see who the fans select as Platinum Glove Award winners knowing it means so much to the athletes that are recipients of the honor.”
Based on the final SDI rankings, Arenado was the top overall defender in the National League with an 8.5 SDI, and Gordon finished with a 3.8 SDI, which ranked 12th overall in the American League.
“We enjoy providing fans with useful metrics and data that can be utilized as they vote for their favorite defenders in the game,” said Scott Bush, chief executive officer of SABR. “The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award, presented by SABR, is truly recognizing the best of the best when it comes to defensive performance.”
The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians were also announced as the winners of the newly created 2020 Rawlings Gold Glove Team Award, based on their SABR Defensive Index rankings.
Voting for Rawlings Platinum Glove Award began at the conclusion of the 2020 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Announcement Show that aired on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight on November 3 and ended on November 5. Fans took to Rawlings.com to voice who they thought was the best defender in each League.
- Click here to view the final results of the SABR Defensive Index for the 2020 season
- Check out the winners of the 2020 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards here
- Learn more about the SABR Defensive Index’s role in the Gold Glove process at SABR.org/SDI
About the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award®
The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ is a trademark owned by Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. The award is correctly identified as the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award. The name should not be shortened, abbreviated, or otherwise misused. Proper identification of this service mark using the registration symbol and the Rawlings name is important to protect the integrity of the program and perpetuate this worthy tradition. For more information, please visit www.rawlings.com.
About Rawlings
Established in 1887, Rawlings is a leading global sports brand and manufacturer of premium baseball and softball equipment. Rawlings’ unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Baseball, Helmet, Face Guard and Glove of Major League Baseball®, the Official Baseball of Minor League Baseball™ and the Official Baseball and Softball of the NCAA® and NAIA®. For more information, please visit Rawlings.com.
About SABR™
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering research and disseminating the history and record of baseball. Founded in 1971, SABR has more than 6,000 members worldwide and has established itself as a vibrant baseball community and a premier distributor of ground-breaking baseball information. SABR features 75+ chapters and 30+ research committees, and produces three annual publications — two editions of The Baseball Research Journal and The National Pastime — in addition to other print and e-books. SABR also hosts annual events, including the National Convention each summer, and the SABR Analytics Conference in March in Phoenix. For more information about SABR, go to SABR.org.
Originally published: November 6, 2020. Last Updated: November 6, 2020.