MLB announced the finalists for the 2025 Gold Glove Awards a few days ago, and if you had five guesses who the only finalist on the Los Angeles Angels would be, there is no way you would have thought of Luis Rengifo. Coming into 2025, Rengifo has been a -16 DRS player when taking into account all the different positions he plays. Now, when it comes to a player like Rengifo who plays many different positions, there are, of course, going to be places where he’s stronger than others. While this is technically true, his best positions are tied, split between time in left field and right field, with an astounding 0 DRS in his career. His best position, over the span of his career, is actively league average.
Luis Rengifo is a Surprising Choice as a Gold Glove Finalist
Congratulations to Luis Rengifo on being named a Gold Glove Award Finalist! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5kDxEiz5Ze
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) October 15, 2025
When MLB announces the Gold Glove finalists, they will usually add a little blurb regarding every player who has made it to this point in the awards process. For Rengifo, it says this: “Rengifo had his best defensive season thus far, entering the 2025 campaign with -9 defensive runs saved for his career at the position but finishing this past season at +5. ” This is not true!
When going to Baseball Reference, it does show that he was worth +5 DRS at second base in 74 games in 2025, which, in general, is a great improvement at the position. His previous high was in 2020, when he put up a +1 in an abbreviated season. The problem with this, though, is that Rengifo also appeared in 76 games at third base, where he was worth -5 DRS. When you add up all the different positions Rengifo appeared at in 2025, he was worth exactly 0 once again. Is this an improvement over his past seasons? Technically, yes, but there are a few other Angels that deserved consideration long before Rengifo.
Which Angel Deserved to be Here?
If you ask any Angels fan who deserved a Gold Glove, they’d all yell Zach Neto. In 2025, he accumulated +13 runs saved while playing a premium position. It should be noted that this is also a 2-run improvement from last year as well. On top of this, this is the second year in a row that Neto has finished in the top five in defensive WAR, and is third among shortstops, only behind Taylor Walls and Corey Seager.
Gold Gloves arguably used to be a second batting award, where historically, they’d give it to the best hitting player at a position that didn’t totally suck defensively. (looking at you, Derek Jeter). But even if you wanted to look at it through this lens, there isn’t a world where Rengifo was more valuable than Neto. Rengifo in 2025 had a 73 OPS+, while Neto had a 117. Rengifo is a baffling choice as a Gold Glove finalist, and the fact Neto didn’t get a nod is puzzling as well.
Main Photo Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports
