Two Diamondbacks, Two Padres, Three Cubs Earn NL Gold Gloves
The Rawlings Gold Glove winners were announced Sunday night. In the National League, three Chicago Cubs, two Arizona Diamondbacks, and two San Diego Padres were among the winners, as was a rookie. In addition, the Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies, and Pittsburgh Pirates had one player each earn Gold Glove honors. Seven of the ten NL honorees are first-time winners.
| Position | Player | Team | Gold Gloves |
| 1B | Christian Walker | Diamondbacks | 2nd |
| 2B | Nico Hoerner | Cubs | 1st |
| 3B | Ke’Bryan Hayes | Pirates | 1st |
| SS | Dansby Swanson | Cubs | 2nd |
| C | Gabriel Moreno | Diamondbacks | 1st |
| P | Zack Wheeler | Phillies | 1st |
| LF | Ian Happ | Cubs | 2nd |
| CF | Brenton Doyle (R) | Rockies | 1st |
| RF | Fernando Tatis Jr | Padres | 1st |
| Utility | Ha-Seong Kim | Padres | 1st |
NL Gold Glove Winners, a Breakdown
First Base: Christian Walker, Diamondbacks
Christian Walker of the Arizona Diamondbacks is the NL Gold Glove first baseman for the second straight season. He led all first basemen in the majors with nine runs prevented and 11 outs above average. By comparison, the NL runners-up in these categories had three in each category. In addition, on balls hits to Walker’s right, he made seven more outs than the average first baseman, nearly four times as many as the runner-up, who had two. Walker is one of two Diamondbacks first basemen ever to win a Gold Glove, along with Paul Goldschmidt (2013, 2015, 2017).
Second Base: Nico Hoerner, Cubs
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner is a first-time winner. He tied for the NL lead for second basemen with 12 defensive runs saved (Rdrs on Baseball Reference). Other Cubs to win the award include Ken Hubbs (1962 as a rookie), Glenn Beckert (1968), Darwin Barney (2012), and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg (nine straight between 1983 and 1991).
Third Base: Ke’Bryan Hayes, Pirates
Ke’Bryan Hayes is the first Pirates third baseman to ever win a Gold Glove. His win in 2023 has broken the 10-year streak of Nolan Arenado, who won eight with the Colorado Rockies and two with the St. Louis Cardinals. Hayes led all major league third basemen with 17 outs above average, four higher than the AL leader and six higher than the NL runner-up. He also led all third basemen in the majors with 13 runs prevented, three higher than the AL leader and four higher than the NL runner-up. Hayes’ defensive prowess combined to give him 21 Rdrs, tops in the majors.
Shortstop: Dansby Swanson, Cubs
Dansby Swanson joins his double play partner, notching his second straight NL Gold Glove at shortstop. Swanson led all major league shortstops in outs above average (20), runs prevented (15), and defensive runs saved (18). He is the fourth Cubs shortstop to win a Gold Glove, joining Don Kessinger (1969, 1970), Javier Baez (2020), and Hall of Famer Ernie Banks (1960).
Catcher: Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks
Gabriel Moreno is the first Diamondbacks catcher to ever win a Gold Glove. His caught stealing percentage is 39%, tops among major league catchers with at least 500 innings. His nine caught stealings above average led the majors and translated to six runs above average. Moreno also led the majors in defensive runs saved by a catcher, with 20.
Pitcher: Zack Wheeler, Phillies
Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies is another NL first-time Gold Glove winner. His win in 2023 breaks the streak of three held by Atlanta Braves hurler Max Fried. Wheeler put up four defensive runs saved. He is the fourth Phillies pitcher to win a Gold Glove, joining Bobby Shantz (1964) and a pair of Hall of Famers, Jim Kaat (1976, 1977) and Steve Carlton (1981).
Left Field: Ian Happ, Cubs
Ian Happ is the NL Gold Glove left fielder for the second straight season. He is the fourth Cubs outfielder to win a Gold Glove, and he is the only one to win it while primarily playing left field. In addition, he is the third Cubs outfielder to win multiple Gold Gloves, joining Jason Heyward (2016, 2017) and Andre Dawson (1987, 1988). Both Heyward and Dawson won their awards as right fielders, while Bob Dernier won it in 1984 as a center fielder.
Center Field: Brenton Doyle, Rockies
Rookie Brenton Doyle became the third Colorado Rockies outfielder to win a Gold Glove, joining Carlos Gonzalez (2010, 2012, 2013) and Hall of Famer Larry Walker (1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002). Doyle led all major league center fielders with 16 outs above average and 14 runs prevented. As a bonus, on September 2, he launched the fastest throw ever recorded by Statcast — 105.7 mph.
Right Field: Fernando Tatis Jr. Padres
Fernando Tatis Jr.is another first-time Gold Glove winner, doing so in right field. Tatis led all major league right fielders with 29 defensive runs saved — 20 more than the AL leader and 24 higher than the NL runner-up, Heyward. He also had 11 outs above average and prevented 10 runs, both tops in the NL by a wide margin. Tatis is the fifth Padres outfielder to win a Gold Glove. The others are Trent Grisham (2022, 2020), Mike Cameron (2006), Steve Finley (1995, 1996), and a pair of Hall of Famers, Dave Winfield (1979, 1980) and Tony Gwynn (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991).
Utility: Ha-Seong Kim, Padres
Kim played second base, shortstop, and third base for the Padres in 2023. Most of his time came at second. Among the three positions, Kim combined for 16 defensive runs saved. Ten of them came at second, trailing only the co-leaders — Hoerner and Brice Turang, who plays for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Selection Process
The votes were taken around September 11, 2023. To be eligible, players must have a certain number of games or innings played at the position by his team’s 138th game. There are two factors in the awards: votes and the SABR Defensive Index. The SDI combines the stats listed earlier with some other criteria, such as turning double plays (2B and SS), fielding bunts (P, C, 3B, 1B), and scooping throws in the dirt (1B). Voting comes from each team’s manager plus six coaches, totaling seven votes per team. Managers and coaches may only vote for players in their own league and may not vote for their own players.
