MLB Players to win back-to-back Gold Gloves 2024

On Sunday night, the recipients of the 2024 MLB Gold Glove awards in both the American League and National League were revealed.

The list of 60 finalists for the yearly awards given to the top defenders in Major League Baseball was first announced on October 15th.

The criteria for selecting the winners stayed consistent with previous years. 30 MLB managers and a maximum of six coaches per team casted their votes from a selection of players in their league, with the exception of players from their own team.

The votes made up 75 percent of the total number of selections. The remaining 25 percent was captured by the SABR Defensive Index.

Here is the full list of champions:

American League

C: Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners

1B: Carlos Santana, Minnesota Twins

2B: Andrés Giménez, Cleveland Guardians

SS: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

3B: Alex Bregman, Houston Astros

LF: Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians

CF: Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays

RF: Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox

P: Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals

Utility: Dylan Moore, Seattle Mariners

National League

C: Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants

1B: Christian Walker, Arizona Diamondbacks

2B: Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers

SS: Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies

3B: Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants

LF: Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs

CF: Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies

RF: Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers

P: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

Utility: Jared Triolo, Pittsburgh Pirates

14 new players won for the first time, matching 2022 for the highest number of first-time winners in a single year since the awards began. It is important to mention that the utility position was also established in 2022. No team had more than two winners in any league.

Christian Walker, Ian Happ, Matt Chapman, Brenton Doyle, Steven Kwan and Andrés Giménez were the sole recipients of a Gold Glove, having all previously earned one in 2023.

At age 38, Carlos Santana became the oldest position player to win his first Gold Glove award. He was also the initial Twin to receive the recognition since 2017. Giménez earned his third consecutive Gold Glove by finishing another solid defensive season with the Guardians.

He topped the major leagues by having 21 outs above average. Giménez ended the season with 20 defensive runs saved, second only to Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers among all second baseman in 2024.

After another strong defensive season with the Guardians, Giménez earned his third consecutive Gold Glove award. He was the top performer in the majors with 21 outs above average. Giménez ended with 20 defensive runs saved, second only to Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot among all second basemen in 2024.

In addition, Turang accumulated some awards, as the 24-year-old also topped all infielders with 22 defensive runs prevented.

Following his guidance, the Kansas City Royals made their first postseason appearance since winning the World Series in 2015, resulting in Bobby Witt Jr. securing his initial Gold Glove win. Along with his impressive performance at the plate with 32 home runs, 109 RBIs, and a .332 batting average, Witt led all AL shortstops in 2024 with 16 outs above average.

He surpassed Anthony Volpe from the New York Yankees, who won in 2023, as well as Brayan Rocchio from the Guardians. Chapman secured his second consecutive Gold Glove award playing third base, which makes it his fifth career victory in total. He had the highest amount of defensive runs saved among all third basemen in the major leagues, with a total of 33.

Chapman joined the ranks of active players with five or more Gold Glove awards. Chris Sale and Seth Lugo were recognized as the top pitchers in their respective leagues. Sale went error-free in 177.2 innings for the Braves in 2024 (according to Baseball Reference).

Together with Lugo, the eight-time All-Star also wrapped up the season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

Image Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images