2023 Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists announced
OCTOBER 18, 2023 — For the eleventh consecutive season, the SABR Defensive Index (SDI) will be used to help select the winners of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award® and Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™, presented by SABR.
On Wednesday, Rawlings announced the finalists for the 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove Award, honoring the best individual fielding performances at each position in the American League™ and National League™. The winners will be unveiled during a one-hour, special-edition ESPN Baseball Tonight broadcast at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 5.
Following the show, voting will begin online for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award, presented by SABR. A combination of the SABR Defensive Index and the national fan vote will determine who takes home the honor in each League. The final SABR Defensive Index rankings will be released at SABR.org/SDI on November 5, immediately following the ESPN broadcast. The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners will be unveiled at the Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony on Friday, November 10 in New York.
“There has been no shortage of incredible displays of defense this season, and the 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists truly represent the best of the best when it comes to superior fielding ability,” said Mike Thompson, chief marketing officer of Rawlings. “This year’s finalists are comprised of a great mix of established veterans and talented newcomers which should make for an exciting debate around defense as the winners are announced.”
To determine the winners of the 18 defensive position awards, each team’s manager and up to six coaches on his staff vote from a pool of qualified players in their league and cannot vote for players from their own team. In 2013, Rawlings added the SABR Defensive Index™ (SDI) to the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process, which comprises approximately 25 percent of the overall selection total, with the managers’ and coaches’ votes continuing to carry the majority. To identify the utility award winners, Rawlings collaborated with SABR to create a specialized defensive formula separate from the traditional selection process for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award position winners. Utilizing the SABR formula and additional defensive statistics, Rawlings will select one utility winner from each league.
The 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® finalists are:
AL finalists
- P: José Berríos (TOR), Sonny Gray (MIN), Pablo López (MIN)
- C: Jonah Heim (TEX), Alejandro Kirk (TOR), Adley Rutschman (BAL)
- 1B: Nathaniel Lowe (TEX), Ryan Mountcastle (BAL), Anthony Rizzo (NYY)
- 2B: Mauricio Dubón (HOU), Andrés Giménez (CLE), Marcus Semien (TEX)
- 3B: Alex Bregman (HOU), Matt Chapman (TOR), José Ramírez (CLE)
- SS: Carlos Correa (MIN), Corey Seager (TEX), Anthony Volpe (NYY)
- LF: Austin Hays (BAL), Steven Kwan (CLE), Daulton Varsho (TOR)
- CF: Kevin Kiermaier (TOR), Luis Robert Jr. (CWS), Julio Rodríguez (SEA)
- RF: Adolis García (TEX), Kyle Tucker (HOU), Alex Verdugo (BOS)
- UTILITY: Mauricio Dubón (HOU), Zach McKinstry (DET), Taylor Walls (TBR)
NL finalists
- P: Jesús Luzardo (MIA), Taijuan Walker (PHI), Zack Wheeler (PHI)
- C: Patrick Bailey (SFG), Gabriel Moreno (ARI), J.T. Realmuto (PHI)
- 1B: Freddie Freeman (LAD), Carlos Santana (PIT/MIL), Christian Walker (ARI)
- 2B: Nico Hoerner (CHC), Ha-Seong Kim (SDP), Bryson Stott (PHI)
- 3B: Ke’Bryan Hayes (PIT), Ryan McMahon (COL), Austin Riley (ATL)
- SS: Francisco Lindor (NYM), Dansby Swanson (CHC), Ezequiel Tovar (COL)
- LF: Ian Happ (CHC), David Peralta (LAD), Eddie Rosario (ATL)
- CF: Brenton Doyle (COL), Michael Harris II (ATL), Alek Thomas (ARI)
- RF: Mookie Betts, (LAD), Fernando Tatis Jr. (SDP), Lane Thomas (WSN)
- UTILITY: Mookie Betts (LAD), Tommy Edman (STL), Ha-Seong Kim (SDP)
To learn more about the SABR Defensive Index, visit SABR.org/SDI.
Originally published: October 18, 2023. Last Updated: October 18, 2023.