Chicago Cubs

Cubs Stars Kyle Hendricks, Anthony Rizzo Among Gold Glove Award Finalists

Cubs pitcher Alec Mills also made the cut, along with Willson Contreras and Javier Baez

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

The Chicago Cubs may not have gone far in the MLB postseason, but some of their players are still being honored for their achievements on this field during the regular season, as the club boasts seven Gold Glove award finalists.

On Thursday, Rawlings unveiled their finalists for the prestigious awards, given to the best fielding players at each position on the diamond.

The Cubs were recognized with a pair of nominees at the pitching position, as both Kyle Hendricks and Alec Mills were named finalists for the award.

Hendricks posted a perfect fielding percentage this season, with 20 total chances resulting in seven putouts and 13 assists. He also posted a +3 BIS runs saved above average, according to Baseball Reference, and he also registered a pair of pickoffs and didn’t allow any runners to steal a base against him in 12 starts.

In addition to throwing a no-hitter this season, Mills posted a perfect fielding percentage on 16 total chances, registered a pickoff and allowed just one stolen base on three attempts this season. He also posted a +3 BIS runs saved above average rate.

Atlanta Braves hurler Max Fried was also recognized as a finalist.

Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was also named as a finalist as one of the league’s best defensive backstops, joining Cincinnati’s Tucker Barnhart and Pittsburgh’s Jacob Stallings.

Contreras nailed nine of 26 total runners that tried to steal against him this season, posting a .994 fielding percentage on 326 total chances.

First baseman Anthony Rizzo, a three-time Gold Glove winner and a former Platinum Glove winner, was once again nominated at his position, joining San Francisco's Brandon Belt and St. Louis' Paul Goldschmidt as finalists for the prize.

Rizzo posted a sparkling .998 fielding percentage, with just one error on 463 chances this season.

The Cubs will also have a finalist at second base, as Nico Hoerner was among the three finalists chosen for the award, joining Pittsburgh’s Adam Frazier and St. Louis’ Kolten Wong.

Hoerner made two errors in 87 total chances this season, posting a fielding percentage of .977. He posted a +5 DRS above average, according to Baseball Reference.

Cubs shortstop Javier Báez was named as a finalist at his position, along with Miami's Miguel Rojas and Atlanta's Dansby Swanson.

Báez posted a .968 fielding percentage this season, along with a +7 defensive runs saved above average, making eight errors on 153 chances.

Jason Heyward will look for his sixth career Gold Glove Award in right field, as he was named as a finalist, along with Los Angeles' Mookie Betts and Colorado's Charlie Blackmon.

Heyward, who won the fifth of his Gold Gloves in 2017, hopes to break a recent losing streak in that category this time around. He posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on exactly 100 chances this season, registering a +9 Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Average, according to Baseball Reference.

Contact Us