Gordon and Molina win 2014 Rawlings Platinum Glove Awards™

NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation (NYSE: JAH), announced that Kansas City Royals™ left fielder Alex Gordon and St. Louis Cardinals™ catcher Yadier Molina won the 2014 Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ presented by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) in their respective Leagues.  The winners were unveiled tonight during the 2014 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® Ceremony presented by Gold Sport Collectibles at The Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, where the game's defensive stars accepted their hardware from some of baseball's greatest legends.

Molina's win represents his third Rawlings Platinum Glove Award in the 4-year history of Rawlings' honoring the best defensive player among the nine Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners.  Molina earned 20.6 percent of the overall selection tally, edging New York Mets™ center fielder Juan Lagares (17.7 percent), and Atlanta Braves™ shortstop and 2013 Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winner Andrelton Simmons (15.5 percent) for the top honor in the National League™.

Gordon, celebrating his fourth consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award, received 21.6 percent of the total vote, besting Royals teammate and catcher Salvador Perez (15.9 percent) and Boston Red Sox™ second baseman Dustin Pedroia (13.2 percent) for the American League™ trophy.

The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners are determined by combining votes based on an adjusted SABR Defensive Index™ for each of the nine Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners in each League and the votes from baseball fans worldwide.

"Now in its fourth year, the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award fan inclusion platform continues to prove that baseball fans worldwide know, value and celebrate defensive greatness," said Mike Thompson, executive vice president of marketing for St. Louis-based Rawlings.  "This year's fan vote greatly exceeded our expectations; with passionate fans from countries across the globe letting us know who the best defenders are in baseball."

Based on the final SABR Defensive Index, Gordon led all American League outfielders with a 19.9 SDI, and Molina had the best SDI among all catchers in both Leagues with an 8.9 SDI.

"This year, the SABR Defensive Index and fan votes were closely aligned," said Vince Gennaro, president of SABR and chair of the SABR Fielding Committee.  "More and more fans are paying attention to defensive metrics, and it seems to be influencing their votes."

Voting began at the conclusion of the 2014 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Announcement Show presented by Dick's Sporting Goods on ESPN2's "Baseball Tonight" on November 4, 2014, and ended 24 hours later.  Fan discussion surrounding the Award on social media was fostered in part by some team's open campaigning for their respective nominees.  ESPN's Karl Ravech and SABR's Gennaro announced the winners live on stage during the Hollywood award show format.

Simmons and Baltimore Orioles™ third baseman Manny Machado won last year's Rawlings Platinum Glove Award in each League.

About the Rawlings Gold Glove Award^® and Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award^® is a registered trademark and the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ is a trademark owned by Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc.  The awards are correctly identified as the Rawlings Gold Glove Award and the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award in their entirety.  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 of all skill levels.  Rawlings' unparalleled quality 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.

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®, Greys®, Gulp!®, Hardy®, Invicta®, K2®, Madshus®, Marker®, Marmot®, Mitchell®, PENN®, Rawlings®, Ride®, Sevylor®, Shakespeare®, Stearns®, Stren®, Trilene®, Völkl®, Worth® and Zoot®; 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®, ProPak®, Quickie®, Spontex®, Tigex® and Yankee Candle®; and Consumer Solutions: Bionaire®, Breville®, Crock-Pot®, FoodSaver®, Health o meter®, Holmes®, Mr. Coffee®, Oster®, Patton®, Rival®, Seal-a-Meal®, Sunbeam®, VillaWare® and White Mountain®. Headquartered in Florida, Jarden ranks #356 on the Fortune 500 and has over 30,000 employees worldwide. For further information about Jarden, please visit www.jarden.com.

About SABR™
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering research and disseminating the history and record of baseball.  Founded in 1971, SABR has more than 6,500 members worldwide and has established itself as a vibrant baseball community and a premier distributor of ground-breaking baseball information.  SABR features 61 chapters and 28 research committees, and produces three annual publications – two editions of The Baseball Research Journal and The National Pastime – in addition to other print and e-books.  SABR also hosts annual events, including the National Convention each summer, and the SABR Analytics Conference in March in Phoenix.  For more information about SABR, go to SABR.org. 

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SOURCE Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc.

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