Minor League Baseball Names 2021 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® Winners

NEW YORK, Nov. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Minor League Baseball™ and Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., today announced the nine recipients of the 2021 Rawlings Gold Glove Award^® for defensive excellence. The announcement was made during tonight's MLB Network broadcast of the 2021 Defensive Awards.

The winners at each position were selected from players in the 11 full-season Minor Leagues. Each player will receive his own Rawlings Gold Glove Award, modeled after the iconic award given to Major League Baseball's top defensive players, during the 2022 season.

"We'd like to welcome the 2021 Minor League recipients of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award® to a special class of defensive greats deemed 'The Finest in the Field'," said Mike Thompson, chief marketing officer for Rawlings. "Rawlings values our long-standing partnership with Minor League Baseball and our shared focus on growing the game of baseball while emphasizing defensive excellence."

"These nine players displayed tremendous defensive skills in 2021 and we are pleased to recognize them with Rawlings Gold Glove Awards," said Peter Woodfork, Major League Baseball's Senior Vice President, Minor League Operations and Development. "On behalf of Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and our great partners at Rawlings, I congratulate each of the winners for their outstanding seasons."

The 2021 Minor League Baseball recipients of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award^® are as follows:

Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals) first baseman Nick Pratto recorded 879 total chances in 113 games between Omaha (AAA) and Northwest Arkansas (AA), posting 813 putouts and 64 assists. Pratto, 23, was selected by Kansas City in the first round (14^th overall) of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Huntington Beach High School in Huntington Beach, California.

Quad Cities River Bandits (Royals) second baseman Michael Massey handled 284 total chances and helped turn 32 double plays in 81 games. Massey, 23, was selected by Kansas City in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Illinois.

Lake County Captains (Indians) shortstop Jose Tena handled 256 total chances, had a hand in 34 double plays and finished with 157 assists in 81 games at shortstop. Tena, 20, was signed by the Indians as an international free agent out of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, on July 2, 2017.

Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pirates) third baseman Jared Triolo extends the streak of a Pirates minor leaguer winning a Rawlings Gold Glove Award at third base to four years after Ke'Bryan Hayes won three consecutive awards from 2017-19. Triolo had 254 total chances with 163 assists and helped turn 19 double plays. Triolo, 23, was selected by the Pirates in the Competitive Balance Round B (72^nd overall) of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Houston.

Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) outfielder Cristian Pache handled 156 total chances and recorded three outfield assists. Pache, 22, was signed by the Braves as an international free agent out of Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic, on July 4, 2015.

Spokane Indians (Rockies) outfielder Brenton Doyle recorded 13 outfield assists and 157 putouts in 83 games. Doyle, 23, was selected by Colorado in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Rome Braves outfielder Michael Harris II recorded 10 outfield assists and had 216 total chances in 92 games. Harris, 20, was selected by Atlanta in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Stockbridge, High School in Stockbridge, Georgia.

Norfolk Tides (Orioles) catcher Adley Rutschman appeared in 82 games behind the plate and handled 887 chances over 701.1 innings. Rutschman, 23, was the first pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Oregon State University.

Amarillo Sod Poodles (Diamondbacks) right-hander Drey Jameson recorded 24 total chances in 110.2 innings pitched for Hillsboro and Amarillo. Jameson, 24, was selected by Arizona in Compensation Round 1 (34^th overall) of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Ball State University.

About Minor League Baseball 
Minor League Baseball consists of 120 teams across four classification levels (Low-A, High-A, Double-A and Triple-A) that are affiliated with Major League Baseball's 30 teams. Fans flock to Minor League Baseball games to see baseball's future stars and experience the affordable family-friendly entertainment that has been a staple of Minor League Baseball since 1901. For more information, visit MiLB.com. Follow Minor League Baseball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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 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; Minor League Baseball