Three Cubs named 2023 Gold Glove finalists
The Cubs predicated themselves on pitching and defense.
Wednesday afternoon, they received some outside recognition for their fielding prowess.
Three Cubs players were named Gold Glove finalists at their respective positions — Nico Hoerner (second base), Dansby Swanson (shortstop) and Ian Happ (left field). Swanson and Happ are the reigning winners at their respective positions.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1714715890430742675
It’s the most finalists the Cubs have had since 2020, when they had seven.
Swanson, a finalist along with the Mets’ Francisco Lindor and the Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar, led all of baseball with 20 Outs Above Average (OAA), 4 more than the next closest shortstop, Milwaukee’s Willy Adames. The 29-year-old was signed in the offseason to a 7-year contract as part of a premier shortstop free agent class.
The former first overall pick was lauded for his defensive acumen, and he lived up to it, forming an elite defensive pairing up the middle with Hoerner.
“He’s such a good defender — it’s sort of insulting to say — he’s so steady defensively because he made so many spectacular plays,” Jed Hoyer said at his end-of-season press conference. “But just knowing that the ball hit to shortstop is an out, always.”
Hoerner was named a finalist at second for the second time in his career (2020). He’s joined by San Diego’s Ha-Seong Kim and Philadelphia’s Bryson Stott.
The 26-year-old was 5th in OAA (14) at second base in baseball and third in the NL, behind Stott and San Francisco’s Thairo Estrada.
Ian Happ won the Gold Glove award for left fielders last season and is up against the Dodgers’ David Peralta and Atlanta’s Eddie Rosario. Happ had 12 outfield assists, the most among left fielders.