Colorado Rockies: Nolan Arenado wins 8th consecutive Gold Glove
While things may not have gone as well as the plate for Nolan Arenado in 2020, the defensive skills of the Colorado Rockies All-Star third baseman were once again the best at his position in the National League.
After leading all of Major League Baseball with 15 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), Nolan Arenado earned the 2020 Gold Glove Award, presented by Rawlings, over Miami’s Brian Anderson and San Diego’s Manny Machado. Manning the hot corner for the Colorado Rockies, Arenado’s 15 DRS were more than Anderson (seven) and Machado (four) had combined.
The 29-year-old Arenado has taken home the Gold Glove at third base every season since he debuted with the Rockies in April of 2013. However, he still has a ways to go to catch Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson, who earned a Gold Glove at third base 16 times from 1960-1975.
Arenado was masterful at third base once again in 2020, despite injuring his left shoulder on a diving stop in Colorado’s second series of the season in Oakland. Here’s an example once again of #NolanBeingNolan in 2020, despite the pain from the AC joint injury.
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While Arenado was once again defensively dominant, the shoulder issue added to his struggles at the plate in 2020. He logged a .253/.303/.434 slash line and OPS+ of 84 (well below his career average of 120) and totaled 1.4 bWAR.
Earlier in the offseason, Arenado also won his fourth consecutive Fielding Bible Award, tying Adrian Beltre for the most at third base since the award began in 2006. It also marked the first time since 2017 that Arenado had earned the award, with Oakland’s Matt Chapman taking home the hardware the last two seasons.
Also in Rockies news, Charlie Blackmon was also up for a Gold Glove this season among NL right fielders, which would have been his first-ever. However, Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers earned the honor, beating out Blackmon and Jason Heyward of the Chicago Cubs.