Tatis, Giménez honored for defense with Platinum Glove Award
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The results are in, and the fans have decided who the top defensive players and teams were in the 2023 season.
Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. and Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez were voted as the winners of the Rawlings Platinum Glove Awards in ‘23, while the Blue Jays were voted as the top AL defense and the Brewers were voted as the top NL defense.
Tatis is the first right fielder to win this award, doing so after a tumultuous few years leading up to it. He missed the entire 2022 season due to injuries and a PED suspension, then changed positions from shortstop to right field when he returned this year. Tatis made a seamless transition, finishing second among outfielders in Defensive Runs Saved (+27) and Ultimate Zone Rating (+12.3), tied for third in outfield assists (12) and tied for seventh in Outs Above Average (+9).
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Giménez, meanwhile, became the first second baseman to win a Platinum Glove, joining Francisco Lindor (2016) as the only Cleveland player to win the award. The 25-year-old ranked third in the Majors with 18 Outs Above Average and was third with 23 Defensive Runs Saved, behind only Tatis and Daulton Varsho (+29).
On the team side, Toronto was the AL recipient after leading all defenses with 85 DRS and finishing in the top 10 of both UZR (+29.6) and OAA (+10). Milwaukee was equally good, leading the Majors in OAA (+40) and UZR (+39.2) while finishing second in DRS (+68).
Unveiled in 2011, the Platinum Glove Awards are still relatively new and are decided by the fans, who vote for each of the league’s top defensive players among that season’s Gold Glove Award winners. This year’s results ended Nolan Arenado’s run of six consecutive NL awards, while the AL has seen a different winner in each of the past five years.