In 1st year in left, Ozuna wins 1st Gold Glove

In 1st year in left, Ozuna wins 1st Gold Glove

November 8th, 2017

MIAMI -- Marlins All-Star left fielder has cemented himself as a complete player. The 26-year-old now has the hardware to prove it.
Ozuna claimed his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award on Tuesday night, receiving the National League honor in left field over of the Rockies and of the Reds.
"It means a lot to me because it is one more achievement in my career -- something that every player would like to win," Ozuna said. "And thank God I was able to achieve it."
Ozuna is the second outfielder in Marlins history to win a Gold Glove Award, joining , who was recognized as the top defensive left fielder in the NL in 2014. Ozuna is also Miami's first Gold Glove Award winner since Dee Gordon was recognized as tops among NL second basemen in 2015.

Ozuna was one of three Marlins named finalists for a Gold Glove Award, but the team's lone winner. was in the mix in right field, and Gordon was seeking his second Gold Glove at second.
At second base, Colorado's DJ LeMahieu was the winner over Gordon and of the Cubs. Stanton's bid for his first Gold Glove Award was denied by Cubs right fielder . Los Angeles' was the other finalist in right.
• Complete 2017 Awards coverage
In a season in which the Marlins finished 77-85, the organization had several players achieve personal success. Stanton, who paced the Majors with 59 home runs, has already been named the NL winner of the Hank Aaron Award. The slugger also is a finalist for NL MVP, which will be announced Nov. 16.
Stanton's big year hasn't completely overshadowed Ozuna's breakthrough season.
Voted by the fans as the NL's starting left fielder in the All-Star Game, Ozuna established himself as a force at the plate. He batted .312 with 37 home runs and 124 RBIs. He also made an impact in the field, posting a fielding percentage of .984 while committing just five errors over 1,335 innings in left.

The Gold Glove Award selection process combines the human eye test and analytics. SABR-developed defensive metrics accounted for 25 percent, and the other 75 percent was the votes of managers and coaches. According to Fangraphs, Ozuna had 10 defensive runs saved.
Ozuna claimed the Gold Glove in his first season in left field. Previously, he played mostly in center field, but the Marlins switched Ozuna and Yelich this year.
It didn't take long for Ozuna to feel at home at the position, especially at spacious Marlins Park. Showing his athletic and climbing abilities, Ozuna turned in two of the Marlins' top defensive plays. Both resulted in him hanging onto the wall and taking away home runs.

The fences were lowered in parts of the ballpark from 11 1/2 feet to seven feet. Ozuna used that to his advantage and took a potential home run away from of the Dodgers on July 16. In April, Ozuna made a similar Spider-man-style catch to rob of the Mets.
The Gold Glove may not be the only postseason award Ozuna receives this week. The Silver Slugger Awards will be announced on Thursday.