2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® Winners Announced

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation (NYSE: JAH), today unveiled the 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® winners for both the American League™ and National League™ during an hour-long "Baseball Tonight – The 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Announcement Show presented by American Airlines" on ESPN2.

(Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130819/CG65730)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130308/CG73226)

Recognized as the best defensive players at their respective positions, the 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award class of honorees include eight, first-time winners, including Colorado rookie third baseman Nolan Arenado.  The 2009 second-round draft pick joins nine other players who won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award in his first season: Boston Red Sox™ third baseman Frank Malzone (1957, the inaugural year of the Award), Chicago Cubs™ second baseman Ken Hubbs (1962), Chicago White Sox™ outfielder Tommie Agee (1966), Cincinnati Reds™ catcher Johnny Bench (1968), Boston catcher Carlton Fisk (1972), Boston outfielder Fred Lynn (1975), Cleveland Indians™ catcher Sandy Alomar, Jr. (1990), Florida Marlins™ catcher Charles Johnson (1995), and Seattle Mariners™ outfielder Ichiro Suzuki (2001).

St. Louis Cardinals™ catcher Yadier Molina won his sixth consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award and Kansas City Royals™ left fielder Alex Gordon secured his third straight Rawlings Gold Glove Award.  Baltimore Orioles™ shortstop J.J. Hardy and center fielder Adam Jones repeated, as did Colorado left fielder Carlos Gonzalez.

Arizona Diamondbacks™ right fielder Gerardo Parra became the first player to win two, outfield position-specific Awards since Rawlings reverted back to its inaugural setup of honoring left fielders, center fielders and right fielders separately.  Parra won his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award as a left fielder in 2011.

Milwaukee Brewers™ center fielder Carlos Gomez is the first Brewer to win a Rawlings Gold Glove Award since shortstop Robin Yount did in 1982, ending the longest drought between winners in the Award's 57-year history.

Each manager and up to six (6) coaches on his staff vote from a pool of qualified players in their League, and cannot vote for players on their own team.  For the first time in its 57-year history, Rawlings added a sabermetric component to the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process, as part of its new collaboration with the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).  The SABR Defensive Index comprised of approximately 25 percent of the overall selection total, with the managers and coaches' vote continuing to carry the majority.

"The Rawlings Gold Glove Award is one of the most iconic awards in all of sports, and this year's inclusion of the new SABR Defensive Index on the managers and coaches' ballots and as part of the selection process reaffirms our goal to evolve the Award platform as the definitive industry standard honoring defensive excellence at the highest level of baseball," said Mike Thompson, executive vice president and general manager, diamond sports at St. Louis-based Rawlings.

Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado and Atlanta Braves™ shortstop Andrelton Simmons had two of the best statistical defensive seasons in history in 2013, helping them earn their first Rawlings Gold Glove Award.  Other first-time honorees include Toronto Blue Jays™ pitcher R.A. Dickey, Arizona Diamondbacks™ first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Kansas City first baseman Eric Hosmer and catcher Salvador Perez.

Unlike last year when only two teams had multiple winners, six teams accounted for 14 of the 18 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, led by Baltimore and Kansas City (three recipients each) with Arizona, Boston, Colorado and St. Louis just behind with two winners apiece.

Below is the complete roster of 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners from each League, and the number of Rawlings Gold Glove Awards each player has won in his career:

As part of its new collaboration with Rawlings, SABR now presents the 3-year-old Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ fan vote that began at the conclusion of the announcement show telecast at www.rawlings.com.  The final SABR Defensive Index will join the international fan vote to determine the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award presented by SABR winners in each League.  Fans can only select one player among the 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners to take home the "best of the best" honor.

The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners will be unveiled during the 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony presented by Gold Sport Collectibles on Friday, November 8, 2013, at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. 

In addition to the Award presentation to this year's winners, Rawlings will honor 12-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner Willie Mays with its Lifetime Achievement Award along with inducting 18-time, Rawlings Gold Glove Award-winning pitcher Greg Maddux into the Rawlings Gold Glove Award Hall of Fame.

About the Rawlings Gold Glove Award®
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award^® is a registered trademark owned by Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc.  The award is correctly identified as the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The name should not be shortened, abbreviated or otherwise misused.  Proper identification of this service mark using the registration symbol and the Rawlings name is important to protect the integrity of the program and perpetuate this worthy tradition.  For more information, please visit www.rawlingsgoldglove.com.

About Rawlings
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide.  Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes from the sandlot to the pros.  Rawlings' unparalleled quality and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more athletes choose Rawlings, and why Rawlings is the Official Batting Helmet and Ball Supplier of Major League Baseball®, the official baseball of Minor League Baseball™ and the NCAA®, and the approved baseball, basketball, football and softball of the National High School Federation®.  For more information, please visit Rawlings.com or by phone at (314) 819-2800.

About Jarden Corporation
Jarden Corporation is a leading provider of a diverse range of consumer products with a portfolio of over 120 trusted, quality brands sold globally. Jarden operates in three primary business segments through a number of well recognized brands, including: Outdoor Solutions: Abu Garcia®, AeroBed®, Berkley®, Campingaz® and Coleman®, ExOfficio®, Fenwick®, Gulp!®, Invicta®, K2®, Marker®, Marmot®, Mitchell®, Penn®, Rawlings®, Shakespeare®, Stearns®, Stren®, Trilene®, Volkl® and Zoot®; Consumer Solutions: Bionaire®, Breville®, Crock-Pot®, FoodSaver®, Health o meter®, Holmes®, Mr. Coffee®, Oster®, Patton®, Rival®, Seal-a-Meal®, Sunbeam®, VillaWare® and White Mountain®; and Branded Consumables: Ball®, Bee®, Bernardin®, Bicycle®, Billy Boy®, Crawford®, Diamond®, Dicon®, Fiona®, First Alert®, First Essentials®, Hoyle®, Kerr®, Lehigh®, Lifoam®, Lillo®, Loew Cornell®, Mapa®, NUK®, Pine Mountain®, Quickie®, Spontex®, Tigex®, and Yankee Candle®. Headquartered in Rye, N.Y., Jarden ranks #383 on the Fortune 500 and has over 25,000 employees worldwide. For further information about Jarden, please visit www.jarden.com.

SOURCE Rawlings