A closer look at the Cleveland Guardians’ four Gold Glove winners

With the baseball season reaching its end, individual regular-season awards have begun to be announced. The Cleveland Guardians have taken home some serious hardware already with center fielder Myles Straw and left fielder Steven Kwan being named as the top fielders at their positions by the Fielding Bible. On the heels of the Fielding Bible awards, five Guardians were named as finalists for Gold Glove Awards.

While the Fielding Bible awards are determined by a panel of 15 experts, the Gold Glove is a combination of votes from managers and coaches along with the SABR Defensive Index.

Four of the five Guardians nominated won the Gold Glove award, which is a record for Cleveland. Their previous high was three winners in 2000, when shortstop Omar Vizquel, second baseman Roberto Alomar Jr. and third baseman Travis Fryman all won.

Let’s take a deeper look at the winners this year:

Rookie Left Fielder Wins First Gold Glove

Steven Kwan beat out the reigning 2021 Gold Glove Award winner Andrew Benintendi, as well as Brandon Marsh, to win his first Gold Glove. Benintendi split time between Kansas City and the New York Yankees in 2022, while Marsh was traded mid-season from the Los Angeles Angels to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Kwan was a rookie sensation for the Guardians this year, providing a spark at the top of their lineup, batting .298 with a .373 OBP and scoring 89 runs. However, he may have provided even more value in the field where his 21 Defensive Runs Saved ranked first among left fielders, and he posted a .991 fielding percentage with just two errors in 233 total chances. The 24-year-old is a key part of a young core of two-way players that should allow the Guardians to remain competitive for the next several years.

Center Fielder Myles Straw Provided Plenty of Value Defensively

Straw remained in the Guardians lineup despite struggling with the bat for much of the season because of his defensive value. His defensive value increased significantly this year, allowing manager Terry Francona to let his center fielder work through struggles at the major-league level. In four fewer games, and nine fewer total chances when compared to 2021, Straw saved 13 more runs when measured by Defensive Runs Saved in 2022. His 17 total DRS ranked second among center fielders this year and allowed him to capture the award over Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins and Kansas City’s Michael Taylor, who won the award in 2021.

Ultimately Straw’s future may depend on if his bat develops.  In order to remain a regular starter, he will likely need to return closer to his career average of .247 and continue providing value on the basepaths along with his elite defensive production.

Second Baseman Andrés Giménez Blossomed Into Core Piece for Guardians

Giménez, also nominated for a Silver Slugger, beat out Detroit’s Jonathan Schoop and Texas’ Marcus Semien to win his first Gold Glove. The now-24-year-old, in his third major-league season, blossomed in a huge way with both the bat and the glove this year, also making his first All-Star team. A major part of the trade return from the Mets for Francisco Lindor, Giménez gives the Guardians another young, controllable two-way star to build around.

Defensively in 2022, Giménez actually posted his lowest fielding percentage at second base (.984) in 552 total chances. That translated into 16 total Defensive Runs Saved, which ranked second best among second basemen this year. His range was also rated as elite, showing a significant improvement over last year at the keystone. Giménez is still young enough that this could be a floor for him, and he could continue to develop into the star that made him a highly-touted prospect coming up through the Mets’ system.

José Ramírez Was Guardians’ Fifth Gold Glove Finalist

Ramírez did not win the Gold Glove this year, losing out to Baltimore third baseman Ramón Urias. Ramírez, a four-time All-Star, has never won a Gold Glove. In 2022, he posted his best fielding percentage (.970) since 2017, though Fielding Bible rated him as just the 13th-best third baseman in terms of Defensive Runs Saved. Some of that ranking may have been due to missed time related to tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb in June, as Ramírez only played a total of 127 games at third base this year.