For the primary time in franchise historical past, the Chicago Cubs have three gamers named Gold Glove defensive award winners in a season.
Second baseman Nico Hoerner gained his first National League Gold Glove award Sunday evening whereas shortstop Dansby Swanson and left fielder Ian Happ each gained the second of their profession coming in back-to-back years.
“Really cool anytime you can be a part of Cubs history like that, first to do something, is pretty special for an organization that has been around a long time,” Happ stated. “There’s a lot of credit to a lot of the other guys that were on the field every day playing with us.”
Swanson is the fourth Cubs shortstop to win the award after Javier Báez (2020), Don Kessinger (1969 and 1970) and Ernie Banks (1960).
Hoerner, a finalist in 2020, is the fourth Cubs second baseman to win the award, becoming a member of Darwin Barney (2012), Ryne Sandberg (9 occasions, final in 1991), Glenn Beckert (1968) and Ken Hubbs (1962). He teamed up with Swanson as probably the greatest center infield duos within the majors, fittingly incomes them each {hardware}.
Hoerner known as the first-time honor “really, really special.”
”The thrill of seeing Ian win his first final yr and I didn’t know Dansby then but it surely’s a lot time that goes into that and those that assist alongside the best way. I particularly consider my dad and the time that he spent with me, simply the countless scrambles and whatnot,” Hoerner stated. “Cool to get recognition for it.”
Swanson’s defensive wizardry was as marketed throughout Year 1 in Chicago, a giant a part of why the Cubs signed him to a seven-year, $177 million contract final offseason. His 20 Outs Above Average (OAA) led all gamers this yr and his 18 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) have been probably the most amongst MLB shortstops and likewise tied him for fifth amongst all positions.
Hoerner and Swanson are the primary center infield teammates to win the Gold Glove award in the identical season since San Francisco Giants Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford in 2016.
”The work that will get put in, and the extra that you just put in that work after which clearly the communication issue, rising in simply our relationship usually, our friendship and rising as teammates actually, actually helped,” Swanson stated. “Because it began to know inquiries to ask, solutions to present, like, find out how to ask issues, find out how to choose somebody’s mind. It’s not simply as simple as saying, ‘Oh, where do you want your double-play feed?’
”And it’s this ever-evolving factor. It’s not simply so simple as we simply turned good. Like, the person stuff occurred, yeah we labored our butts off to have the ability to be good in that regard. But the camaraderie and the chemistry takes time and can solely proceed to get higher as time goes alongside.”
Happ had an amazing view of the defensive magic from left area, notably on balls to Swanson’s proper that appeared headed for hits to the outfield.
”There have been lots of occasions that me and (Mike) Tauchman or me and (Cody Bellinger) would have a look at one another after performs these two made, somewhat, ‘Oh my God’ acknowledgment between the 2 of us,” Happ stated.
More conventional stats favored Happ’s Gold Glove award candidacy. His 12 outfield assists topped all big-league outfielders and the 253 putouts he tallied have been second-most for NL left fielders.
“The first one was really awesome, but to be able to back it up with another one and you’ll have that on the resume, I think that’s a really special thing,” Happ stated. “And to be able to do it in Wrigley again and twice in a Cubs uniform is a pretty cool thing that I’ll cherish.”
The Cubs took a deliberate strategy to enhance their group protection final offseason by signing Swanson and Bellinger.
”From the start of the yr, it was one thing that was fairly nicely lined that as a group we have been going to essentially worth run prevention and so whether or not we obtained the awards or not, I felt that our group actually did that past the three of us,” Hoerner stated. “And so to get the recognition now feels great, especially with that goal in mind, but so many other guys were contributing to that as well.”
For the White Sox, heart fielder Luis Robert Jr. was the group’s solely Gold Glove finalist but it surely was the Toronto Blue Jays’ Kevin Kiermaier who gained for the American League at that place.
Chicago native Alek Thomas was a National League finalist at heart area for the Arizona Diamondbacks however misplaced to Brenton Doyle of the Colorado Rockies.
Gold Glove finalists are decided by a mix of 75% voting amongst managers and coaches and 25% use of a proprietary metric often called the SABR Defensive Index (SDI).
Now that the winners have been introduced, a mix of fan voting and SDI will decide the Platinum Glove winner from every league. Those winners can be revealed on the Gold Glove award ceremony on Nov. 10.
Also on Sunday, the Cubs introduced they exercised the 2024 group choices for beginning pitcher Kyle Hendricks ($16 million) and catcher Yan Gomes ($6 million). Hendricks stays the longest-tenured Cub on the roster as he enters his eleventh big-league season with the membership.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com