2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® Winners Announced

Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ voting is now open until Nov. 8th on Rawlings.com

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Nov 04, 2018, 23:28 ET

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., announced the winners for the 2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Award®, honoring the best individual fielding performances at each position in the American League™ and National League™. Winners were unveiled during a live, one-hour "Baseball Tonight – The 2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® Announcement Show" on ESPN presented by Dick's Sporting Goods.

Rawlings Gold Glove Award(R) New Sabermetric Component Revealed; sabermetric experts construct new SABR Defensive Index(TM) to join managers and coache' votes starting with upcoming 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process. (PRNewsFoto/Rawlings)

Traditionally there are 18 winners for the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, but for the fourth time since the award's inception in 1957, the 2018 class includes 19 winners. First base in the National League resulted in a tie between Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves' Freddie Freeman. 2012, 2007 and 1985 were the only other years that 19 winners were named.

Recognized as the best defensive players at their respective positions, this year's class of honorees includes 13 past winners of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award and six first-time winners. Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies is the consecutive award leader with six straight awards. Yadier Molina leads this year's class with nine Rawlings Gold Glove Awards.

"Now in our 61^st year of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, this year's honorees are well deserved and truly define defensive excellence," said Mike Thompson, Chief Marketing Officer for Rawlings Sporting Goods. "Since the award's inception in 1957, it has become the standard by which defensive plays are measured, and to this day the award continues to be one of the most iconic awards in all of sports."

Fans can now vote for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ winner presented by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) in each League on Rawlings.com. Voting opens at 9 p.m. CT on Nov. 4^th and will end at 9 p.m. CT on Nov. 8^th. Fans can only select one player in each league among the 2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners to take home the "Best of the Best" honor, to be unveiled at the 2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony on Friday, November 9, 2018.

Each manager and up to six coaches on his staff vote from a pool of qualified players in their league, and cannot vote for players on their own team. In 2013, Rawlings added a sabermetric component to the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process as part of its new collaboration with the SABR. The SABR Defensive Index™ comprises approximately 25 percent of the overall selection total, while the managers and coaches vote continues to carry the majority.

The American League features four 2017 winners and the National League has six 2017 winners. Below is the complete roster of 2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners from each League, and the number of Rawlings Gold Glove Awards each player has won in his career:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
	Pos	Player	2018 Team	Award(s) Won
	P	Dallas Keuchel	Houston Astros™	4 ('14, '15, '16)
	C	Salvador Perez	Kansas City Royals™	5 ('13, '14, '15, '16)
	1B	Matt Olson	Oakland Athletics™	1
	2B	Ian Kinsler	Boston Red Sox™	2 ('16)
	3B	Matt Chapman	Oakland Athletics™	1
	SS	Andrelton Simmons	Los Angeles Angels™	4 ('13, '14, '17)
	LF	Alex Gordon	Kansas City Royals™	6 ('11, '12, '13, '14, '17)
	CF	Jackie Bradley Jr.	Boston Red Sox™	1
	RF	Mookie Betts	Boston Red Sox™	3 ('16, '17)

NATIONAL LEAGUE
	Pos	Player	2018 Team	Award(s) Won
	P	Zack Greinke	Arizona Diamondbacks™	5 ('14, '15, '16, '17)
	C	Yadier Molina	St. Louis Cardinals™	9 ('08, '09, '10, '11, '12,'13, '14, '15)
	1B	Anthony Rizzo	Chicago Cubs™	2 ('16)
	1B	Freddie Freeman	Atlanta Braves™	1
	2B	DJ LeMahieu	Colorado Rockies™	3 ('14, '17)
	3B	Nolan Arenado	Colorado Rockies™	6 ('13, '14, '15, '16, '17)
	SS	Nick Ahmed	Arizona Diamondbacks™	1
	LF	Corey Dickerson	Pittsburgh Pirates™	1
	CF	Ender Inciarte	Atlanta Braves™	3 ('16, '17)
	RF	Nick Markakis	Atlanta Braves™	3 ('11, '14)

In addition to recognizing this year's winners at the ceremony in New York, Rawlings will honor the legendary Major League Baseball® broadcaster Bob Costas with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Also, Keith Hernandez will be inducted into the Rawlings Gold Glove Award Hall of Fame as part of the night's festivities.

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.rawlings.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 of all skill levels. Rawlings' unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Ball Supplier and Batting Helmet 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.

SOURCE Rawlings