Swanson, Fried earn Gold Glove Awards

ATLANTA -- If Dansby Swanson wants to know how to best display his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award, Max Fried can provide some experienced advice.

Swanson claimed his first Gold Glove and Fried received his third when the awards were announced Tuesday evening. They were the only two Braves to receive this honor, which annually recognizes the best defensive player at each position in both the National and American Leagues.

• All-time Gold Glove winners

Fried has won three straight Gold Glove Awards. He stands with Greg Maddux (10) and Phil Niekro (five) as the only Braves pitchers to win the award multiple times.

Swanson joins Andrelton Simmons as the only shortstops to win this honor while playing for the Braves. Simmons became the first Atlanta shortstop to win the award in 2013. He received the honor again the following year.

Swanson led all NL players with 21.4 Defensive Runs Above Average (Def), per FanGraph’s model. The Mets’ Francisco Lindor ranked second among all other shortstops with 16.1.

Swanson’s 21 puts above average (OAA) ranked second among all qualified MLB players, trailing only Tigers second baseman Jonathan Schoop (27). Lindor and the Cubs’ Nico Hoerner ranked second among all MLB shortstops with 13 OAA each.

Fried’s defensive skills have helped him produce MLB’s third-best ERA (2.68) since the start of 2020 (min. 400 IP). He ranked third among all qualified pitchers this past season with three defensive runs saved (DRS). The Braves’ left-hander was tied for fourth with three pickoffs.

Opponents have become hesitant to run on Fried, who has an MLB-high 18 pickoffs since the start of 2019. Patrick Corbin ranks second with 12 pickoffs within this span.

This is the second season in a row that the Braves have had multiple Gold Glove winners. Fried and Adam Duvall (right field) took home the honors in 2021.