Cubs' Báez, Rizzo win Gold Gloves originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

After leading all teams in Gold Glove finalists, just two Cubs won the awards.

Shortstop Javier Báez and first baseman Anthony Rizzo were named 2020 Gold Glovers, ESPN’s Baseball Tonight show unveiled Tuesday. Two is tied for the most Gold Gloves won by Cubs in a season, most recently achieved by Rizzo and Jason Heyward in 2016.

“Pitching and defense has been kind of our thing this year,” Cubs manager David Ross said in September, “since our offense hasn’t gotten going.”

Now, two Cubs have the hardware to show for it.

This year, Rawlings amended the Gold Glove qualifications to be based solely on the SABR Defensive Index, due to the shortened season. The SDI combines various defensive metrics into one rating.

This unprecedented year, Báez won the first Gold Glove of his career.

Báez, famous for making seemingly impossible plays in the infield, was an All-Star the last two years and finished second in MVP voting in 2018. But he lost the Gold Glove to Colorado’s DJ LeMahieu at second base that year, and to Arizona’s Nick Ahmed at shortstop the next season. This year, Báez becomes the first Cub shortstop in 50 years to win a Gold Glove. Ernie Banks (1960) and Don Kessinger (1969, 70) were the only other Cubs shortstops to win the award.

Rizzo took home the fourth Gold Glove of his career and third in a row. He finished second in putouts among NL first basemen (418), behind only the Braves’ Freddie Freeman (427), and committed just one error.

The Cubs’ seven finalists also included Heyward, second baseman Nico Hoerner, catcher Willson Contreras and pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Alec Mills.