When the 2018 Gold Glove winners were announced Sunday evening, Major League Baseball fans noticed one quirk. There were two National League winners for the award at first base.
In an interesting bit of history, Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves and Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs tied for the award. According to The Athletic’s David O’Brien, it was just the fourth tie in the history of the Gold Glove.
#Braves' Freddie Freeman tied Anthony Rizzo for the NL Gold Glove at 1st base, the first GG for Freeman. Only fourth tie in Gold Glove history.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 5, 2018
Freddie Freeman, Anthony Rizzo Combine for Quirky Gold Glove Feat
History
The first time a tie for a Gold Glove occurred was in 1985. During that season, a tie for the third AL outfielder spot led to Dwight Evans, Dwayne Murphy, Dave Winfield, and Gary Pettis receiving the honor. A similar occurrence took place in the NL outfield award during 2007 with Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran, Aaron Rowand, and Jeff Francoeur being honored. The other tie took place in 2012 when pitchers Jake Peavy and Jeremy Hellickson tied for the Gold Glove in the AL.
Freeman’s First
Fans of the Braves have recognized Freeman as a quality defender for some time. Now in his ninth MLB season, the rest of the country has taken notice. His stretch is one of the best in baseball as Freeman has saved many errant throws over the years.
Freeman finished second in MLB with 12 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) at the position. Only Oakland’s Matt Olson (14) finished with more. Olson (11.6) and Freeman (7.8) also finished 1-2 in UZR.
Congratulations to @FreddieFreeman5 for winning his first Gold Glove!#ChopOn pic.twitter.com/9tqU2NGoIP
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 5, 2018
Rizzo’s Second
Rizzo claimed the second Gold Glove of his career after also winning the award in 2016. He is certainly recognized as being a cornerstone member of Chicago’s infield and a dependable player at first base. Though he did not finish quite as high as Freeman in certain defensive numbers, Rizzo still posted four DRS in over 1,300 innings in 2018. His UZR of 3.3 ranked fifth in MLB at the position.
Congratulations to @ARizzo44, who wins his second career #GoldGlove! pic.twitter.com/vXHuQcsp5g
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) November 5, 2018
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
