Andrés Giménez and Steven Kwan of the Guardians win Gold Glove Awards for the third consecutive year; José Ramírez denied again

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Guardians defensemen Andrés Giménez and Steven Kwan are gold medalists again.

The pair were honored Sunday with Gold Glove Awards for the third consecutive year as the American League's best defensive players at their respective positions.

Giménez and Kwan became the third pair of Cleveland teammates to win three consecutive Gold Glove Awards, and the first since Roberto Alomar and Omar Vizquel in 1999-2001.

Vizquel and Kenny Lofton also won three straight in Cleveland as teammates from 1994 to 1996.

Kwan is the first Cleveland outfielder since Lofton (1993-96) to win at least three Gold Gloves in a row, while Giménez joins Alomar as the only Cleveland second baseman to win the honor three times.

Guardians rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio and All-Star third baseman José Ramírez were among the AL finalists rejected in Sunday's announcement.

Ramírez has never taken home a Gold Glove, having been named a finalist six times (2021-24, 2018 and 2017).

Former Cleveland first baseman Carlos Santana, 38, won his first career Gold Glove Award, beating Nathaniel Lowe of the Rangers and Ryan Mountcastle of the Orioles.

Voting by all 30 managers and up to six coaches from each team took place before the end of the regular season. These ballots represented 75% of a player's total, with the other 25% coming from the SABR Defensive Index.

Giménez, the 2023 Platinum Glove Award winner in the AL, has posted a major league-best 59 defensive runs saved since 2022, including a league-best 20 in 2024. His 20 DRS were double that of fellow finalist Marcus Semien from Texas.

Manager Stephen Vogt said great plays were the order of the day when watching Giménez work on the ball. Vogt admitted he had tipped his hat after a Giménez game more times than he could remember in 2024. But there's more to appreciating Giménez's defense.

“He doesn’t embellish routine plays, he executes them,” Vogt said. “The meticulous practice he applies every day allows him to be the best he is. He takes so much pride in the little things on defense.”

And when plays fall apart, Giménez is the one Cleveland's defense turns to. Several times during the year, Giménez shortened runs at the plate with precise relay throws to Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges.

“He saved us so many runs this year,” Vogt said. “Not just with the great plays, but with his instincts and his communication with (Brayan) Rocchio and Naylor and the other guys on the field.”

Giménez and pitcher Tanner Bibee received Fielding Bible Awards last week as both leagues' best defenders at their positions.

Kwan, meanwhile, led all AL left fielders with nine DRS and ranked seventh in the majors with nine outfield assists. His 46 DRS are the third-most in the MLB since 2022 behind Pittsburgh's Ke'Bryan Hayes (59) and Giménez. Kwan was the highest-graded left fielder in the AL, according to FanGraphs, with higher outs than fellow finalists Alex Verdugo of the Yankees and Baltimore rookie Colton Cowser.

Ramírez had one of the best seasons of his career in the field, committing just nine errors in 1,108 innings, fewer than fellow finalist Alex Bregman of Houston (10) and former teammate Ernie Clement of Toronto (10). Clement posted 10 DRS to Ramírez's six, but played nearly half as many innings (661 1/3) at third base as the six-time All-Star.

Rocchio finished with 12 errors, the fewest among all shortstop finalists, including 2023 winner Anthony Volpe of the Yankees and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals. In total, he saved ten defensive runs – more than Volpe and Witt – but was a distant third with six outs above average, compared to 16 for Witt and 15 for Volpe.

The Platinum Glove Award, a symbol of the best overall defenseman in the American and National Leagues, will be presented on November 8th at the Gold Glove Award ceremony in New York. Online voting for the Platinum Awards is now open at rawlings.com and continues through Thursday at 11:59 p.m.

2024 Gold Glove Award Winner

American League

PITCHER: Seth Lugo, Royals.

CATCHER: Cal Raleigh, Mariners.

FIRST BASE: Carlos Santana, Twins.

SECOND BASE: Andrés Giménez, guard.

THIRD BASE: Alex Bregman, Astros.

SHORTSTOP: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals.

LEFT FIELD: Steven Kwan, guard.

MIDFIELD: Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays.

RIGHT FIELD: Wilyer Abreu, Red Sox.

BENEFIT: Dylan Moore, Mariners.

Bundesliga

PITCHER: Chris Sale, Braves.

CATCHER: Patrick Bailey, Giants.

FIRST BASE: Christian Walker, D-Backs.

SECOND BASE: Brice Turang, Brewers.

THIRD BASE: Matt Chapman, Giants.

SHORT STOP: Ezequiel Tovar, Rocky Mountains.

LEFT FIELD: Ian Happ, Cubs.

MIDFIELD: Brenton Doyle, Rocky Mountains.

RIGHT FIELD: Sal Frelick, Brewers.

BENEFIT: Jared Triolo, Pirates.