Arenado and Chapman win 2019 Rawlings Platinum Glove Awards™
Combination of international fan vote and SABR Defensive Index elect “The Finest in the Field®”
NEW YORK – November 8, 2019 – Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., announced that Colorado Rockies™ third baseman Nolan Arenado and Oakland Athletics™ third baseman Matt Chapman won the 2019 Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ presented by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) in their respective Leagues. The winners were unveiled tonight during the 2019 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® Ceremony, where the game’s top defensive stars accepted their hardware from some of the games past winners and Hall of Famers. This makes back-to-back Rawlings Platinum Glove Awards for both Arenado and Chapman.
Arenado, a seven-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner, is the only Colorado Rockies player to win a Rawlings Platinum Glove Award. He is the first infielder to start his career with seven consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Awards.
In his third Major League season, Chapman, who has won two Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, joins Adrian Beltre as the only two players in the American League™ to win multiple Rawlings Platinum Glove Awards since the Award’s inception in 2011.
The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners are determined by combining votes based on an adjusted SABR Defensive Index™ for each of the nine Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners in each League and votes from baseball fans worldwide.
“Now in its ninth year, the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award continues to prove that baseball fans know, value and celebrate defensive greatness,” said Mike Thompson, Chief Marketing Officer for Rawlings. “This year’s fan vote greatly exceeded our expectations, with passionate fans from countries across the globe letting us know who they believe to be the best defenders in baseball.”
Based on the final SABR Defensive Index, Chapman was second in the American League with a 16.7 SDI, and Arenado finished with a 13.1 SDI, which was third overall in the National League.
“This year, the SABR Defensive Index and fan votes were closely aligned,” said Scott Bush, Chief Executive Officer of SABR. “We are seeing fans continue to gain an appreciation for defensive metrics and they are using this information when voting.”
Voting for Rawlings Platinum Glove Award began at the conclusion of the 2019 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Announcement Show that aired on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” on Nov. 3, 2019 and ended on Nov. 7th. Fans took to social media to voice who they thought was the best defender in each League. ESPN’s Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez and SABR’s Bush announced the winners live on stage at the conclusion of the Gold Glove ceremony.
About the Rawlings Gold Glove Award®
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award® is a registered trademark owned by Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. The award is correctly identified as the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The name should not be shortened, abbreviated or otherwise misused. Proper identification of this service mark using the registration symbol and the Rawlings name is important to protect the integrity of the program and perpetuate this worthy tradition. For more information, please visit www.rawlings.com.
About Rawlings
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes of all skill levels. Rawlings’ unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Ball Supplier and Batting Helmet of Major League Baseball®, the Official Ball Supplier of Minor League Baseball™ and the NCAA®. For more information, please visit www.rawlings.com.
About SABR™
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering research and disseminating the history and record of baseball. Founded in 1971, SABR has more than 6,500 members worldwide and has established itself as a vibrant baseball community and a premier distributor of ground-breaking baseball information. SABR features 75 chapters and 30 research committees, and produces three annual publications – two editions of The Baseball Research Journal and The National Pastime – in addition to other print and e-books. SABR also hosts annual events, including the National Convention each summer, and the SABR Analytics Conference in March in Phoenix. For more information about SABR, go to SABR.org.
For more information, please contact:
Mike Rains
(314) 819-2945
[email protected]