Arenado goes platinum at GG Awards ceremony

DENVER -- Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado was named the 2017 Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winner for the National League on Friday night during the annual Gold Glove Award ceremony in New York City.
The Platinum Glove Award is given to the best overall defensive player in each league as determined by a combination of fan votes and the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Defensive Index. Twins center fielder Byron Buxton won the honor for the American League.
• List of all-time NL Platinum Glove winners
Arenado, 26, won his fifth NL Gold Glove Award in as many seasons on Tuesday, becoming the first infielder to do so. The only player with more consecutive Gold Glove Awards to start his career is Ichiro Suzuki, who had 10 from 2001-10.

Since 2011, when Rawlings began awarding the Platinum Glove, Adrián Beltré (2011-12) and Manny Machado (2013) have won as third basemen in the American League. Arenado was the first NL third baseman to win the award.
Earlier on Friday, Arenado was also named the 2017 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year at third base for the third consecutive year. The award, which began in 2012, is given to the best defensive player in MLB at each position. The honor takes into account defensive wins above replacement, defensive runs saved, and Inside Edge ratings for fielding and arm strength.
Arenado led all MLB third basemen in defensive WAR (2.3) and defensive runs saved (20) in 2017, and was only one defensive run saved shy of leading all NL players in that category (Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart had 21).
Arenado's highlight-reel-caliber plays have become common throughout his career, but perhaps his best play of 2017 -- and the one most often shown in Arenado defensive highlights -- came against the Giants at AT&T Park on June 28. In the third inning, he dove full-extension to his left to knock down a Ty Blach ground ball. As it kicked away from him, Arenado snared it, spun around and made a Statcast-projected 117-foot throw to first from a seated position to nab Blach. That gem is a nominee for Best Defensive Play in the MLB Esurance Awards.

Award season has been a busy one for Arenado. In addition to the aforementioned bevy of defensive accolades, he also won the Fielding Bible Award as MLB's best third baseman in 2017. Following a season in which he posted a career-high 132 OPS+ and hit 37 home runs, Arenado was also a finalist for the Players Choice Awards for Major League Player of the Year and National League Outstanding Player.
The Astros' Jose Altuve won the MLB Player of the Year honor, and the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton won the NL Outstanding Player Award.