Two Cubs among National League Gold Glove Finalists
A pair of Cubs will have the chance to defend their Gold Glove titles.
Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ were the lone Cubs’ finalists for Gold Glove awards, which were announced Tuesday. Both have won back-to-back Gold Gloves at shortstop and left field, respectively.
Swanson is a finalist with St. Louis’ Masyn Winn and Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar. Happ was joined by Arizona’s Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Philadelphia’s Brandon Marsh for the finest-in-the-field award at left field in the NL.
Winners are selected on a combination of voting — the manager and 6 coaches from each team vote — and SABR defensive index, which measures the number of runs saved by a player’s defense, “compared to the average defensive player at that position.”
Swanson ranked first among all shortstops in Outs Above Average (18) and was fifth in defensive runs saved (7). His .990 fielding percentage was tops in baseball among shortstops.
Happ was second in baseball in outfield assists (11), trailing only Boston’s Jarren Duran. He led National League left fielders in DRS (8) and fielding percentage (.997).
There’s an argument the Cubs could have had another 3 finalists. Nico Hoerner (2B), Michael Busch (1B) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (CF) all had strong cases for a finest-in-the-field award.
Hoerner will not repeat as Gold Glove winner at second base — Ketel Marte (Arizona), Brice Turang (Milwaukee) and Bryson Stott (Philadelphia) were the finalists at the position this year. He was 4th in the NL in DRS (4) but led the league in OAA (10).
[WATCH: Hoyer impressed with Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong’s rookie campaigns]
Crow-Armstrong spent the majority of the season in the majors, amassing a 12 DRS (tied for most) and a 14 OAA (third-most in the NL). His 8 outfield assists were tied for second-most in baseball.
All those numbers are even more impressive when you factor in he played nearly 300 fewer innings than Colorado’s Brenton Doyle and Washington’s Jacob Young, two of the finalists. Milwaukee’s Blake Perkins was the last finalist.
Busch, who was acquired last offseason from the Dodgers, played first base extensively for the first time in his professional career and thrived after some early struggles. He finished fourth in the NL in DRS (5) and OAA (2).
The Phillies’ Bryce Harper, the Braves’ Matt Olson and the Diamondbacks’ Christian Walker were the finalists at first base.