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Cleveland Guardians set franchise record with four Gold Gloves in 2022

ryan lewis, akron beacon journal
·2 min read
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Cleveland Guardians' Myles Straw catches a fly ball by Kansas City Royals' Kyle Isbel during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
Cleveland Guardians' Myles Straw catches a fly ball by Kansas City Royals' Kyle Isbel during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

The Guardians entered spring camp knowing, if they were to make a surprise trip to the postseason, they'd need to be a sound defensive team to help alleviate an offense that wouldn't rank at the top of the league.

The result was a franchise record for Gold Gloves in a single season.

The Guardians had four Rawlings American League Gold Glove winners, including center fielder Myles Straw, rookie left fielder Steven Kwan, second baseman Andres Gimenez and starting pitcher Shane Bieber.

Lewis:The Guardians built a foundation in 2022, hope to make more noise in 2023, beyond

It's only the second time in the past 47 seasons that an AL club has garnered four Gold Glove awards and the first since the 2003 Seattle Mariners. Cleveland's previous franchise record was in 2000, when a talented infield that included shortstop Omar Vizquel, second baseman Roberto Alomar and third baseman Travis Fryman all won Gold Gloves.

MLB Gold Glove 2022 winners on Cleveland Guardians

Straw finished second among major league center fielders with 17 Defensive Runs Saved (behind only the Kansas City Royals' Michael Taylor with 19) and was first in Good Fielding Players (24), Outfield arm Runs Saved (seven) and outfield assists (12). Straw struggled mightily at the plate for most of the 2022 season before turning it around in September, but it was his glove and defensive value that kept him in the lineup.

Kwan led all major league left fielders with 21 Defensive Runs Saved and a .929 zone rating. He's only the sixth rookie to win a Gold Glove since 1990 and the second Cleveland rookie in franchise history to do so since Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1990. Straw and Kwan are the first Cleveland outfielders to bring home a Gold Glove since Grady Sizemore in 2008.

Cleveland Guardians: The Guardians built a foundation in 2022, hope to make more noise in 2023, beyond

Gimenez, in his breakout 2022 season, led all AL second baseman with 16 Defensive Runs Saved, was second in total chances (554) and third with an .807 zone rating.

Bieber is the first pitcher in franchise history to win a Gold Glove. He finished with a .969 fielding percentage and was fourth with three Defensive Runs Saved.

Gold Glove Awards are tabulated from votes by league coaches and managers (75 percent of the vote) and SABR fielding statistical data (25 percent).

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians break franchise record with 4 Gold Glove winners