7 Cubs nominated for Gold Gloves, including Báez and Rizzo originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Not one, not two, not three...
Rawlings revealed the 2020 Gold Glove Award finalists on Thursday, and seven Cubs are up for the honor.
Pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Alec Mills, catcher Willson Contreras, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, second baseman Nico Hoerner, shortstop Javier Báez and right fielder Jason Heyward are each nominated.
Hendricks and Mills finished tied for first in Defensive Runs Saved (3) among qualified MLB pitchers this season, both making no errors.
Contreras' pitch framing took a big step forward this season. He sported a 1.7 framing runs, according to FanGraphs' metric, a significant improvement from the -8.9 figure he posted in 2019. He nabbed 35 percent of attempted base stealers and was charged with no passed balls.
Among qualified first basemen, Rizzo finished first in the NL in DRS (3), first in baseball in Ultimate Zone Rating (3.9) and tied for fewest errors (1).
Hoerner transitioned to second base from shortstop this season, also playing some third and short, and flourished. He finished with 5 DRS and 5 Outs Above Average (4 at second). Among all players at any position, only 16 others finished with 5 OOA or better.
Báez, a 2018 finalist at second base, is looking to win his elusive first Gold Glove. (He wasn't among the NL's shortstop nominees in 2019.) This season, Báez finished third among all qualified shortstops in DRS (7) and tied for fourth in OAA (4). He made eight errors, however.
Heyward, a five-time winner, played his typical stellar defense this season, making no errors. He finished sixth among qualified right fielders in DRS (1) and tied for seventh in OOA (1).
All the NL nominees:
Pitcher: Hendricks, Mills, Max Fried (Braves)
Catcher: Contreras, Tucker Barnhart (Reds), Jacob Stallings (Pirates)
First base: Rizzo, Paul Goldschmidt (Cardinals), Brandon Belt (Giants)
Second base: Hoerner, Kolten Wong (Cardinals), Adam Frazier (Pirates)
Third base: Manny Machado (Padres), Nolan Arenado (Rockies), Brian Anderson (Marlins)
Shortstop: Báez, Dansby Swanson (Braves), Miguel Rojas (Marlins)
Left field: Shogo Akiyama (Reds), Tyler O'Neill (Cardinals), David Peralta (Diamondbacks)
Center field: Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves), Cody Bellinger (Dodgers), Trent Grisham (Padres)
Right field: Heyward, Mookie Betts (Dodgers), Charlie Blackmon (Rockies)
