Pirates Insider: What are Lowe, Triolo's chances of winning Gold Gloves?

When the Pirates acquired Brandon Lowe last December, they knew they were getting left-handed power that would play at PNC Park, plus veteran leadership that had been lacking among position players.

Similar to Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery and how they’ve established themselves in Pittsburgh, Lowe’s defensive turnaround made the swap with the Rays that much more lopsided.

The sizable and impressive improvements Lowe made at second base were officially recognized Wednesday, as Rawlings announced the 32-year-old as one of three Gold Glove finalists at the position and one of two from the Pirates.

Jared Triolo, who won a Gold Glove as a utility player in 2024, once again earned utility finalist honors.

“I’ve been pretty happy with how the defense has turned around for this year,” Lowe said. “It’s a testament to the coaching staff here that has helped me out.”

Added manager Don Kelly: “He’s been such a stabilizing force for us all year. The defense has been much, much better than anticipated.”

It would be pretty much impossible for another MLB player to author such a drastic turnaround. Numerically speaking, anyway.

In 2025, Lowe was worth -14 defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs. Among those who spent at least 600 innings at second base, only Luis García Jr. in Washington fared worse at -17.

Flip ahead to this past season.

Lowe was worth 14 DRS, tied for 15th among all defenders.

"He's done everything we could have hoped for as a player and also in the clubhouse," Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said.

Shortly after the trade was consummated, there was a conversation between infield coach Chris Truby and Lowe about where things stood defensively coming off a down year.

The Pirates thought Lowe could improve. So did Lowe. One important tweak was a pre-pitch bunny hop that Lowe started doing to speed up his footwork.

On top of that, there was seemingly a part of Lowe intent on providing that he wasn’t defensively deficient, that he was capable of holding his own in the field. It all came together nicely — and at a perfect time contract-wise.

“He was pegged with being a better hitter than fielder over his career,” Bubba Chandler said. “He’s an unbelievable hitter, but I think what he’s done in the field is pretty darn good. He’s a heck of a second baseman. He doesn’t really get the credit he deserves. It’s tough when you have JJ Wetherholt and Brice Turang in your division.”

Wouldn’t you know it, those are the two other finalists, as expected, Wetherholt with the Cardinals, Turang for the Brewers.

It’s also not hard to make the case for either of them to win. Wetherholt, for instance, has been worth 25 outs above average, per Baseball Savant. Turang sits at 16, Lowe 15.

Over at FanGraphs, Turang leads the way with 23 DRS, 10 more than Lowe and Wetherholt.

If you want to use Fielding Run Value, another metric on Baseball Savant, Wetherholt ranks second among all defenders at 23, while Turang (14) also ranks ahead of Lowe (12).

But where Lowe has been most impressive is when you look at the total package after he slashed .260/.331/.493 with 35 home runs and 96 RBIs, accounting for a career-high 5.4 bWAR.

Lowe might come up short to Turang and Wetherholt, but there’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to his season, which included 130 putouts and 363 assists in 554 chances.

It was hugely impactful for the Pirates and extremely respectable for Lowe as a player.

“It’s a testament to how much of a pro he is and how he goes about his business,” Chandler said of Lowe, whose FRV of 12 was surpassed by only 13 MLB players regardless of position. “Dude has had an unbelievable career and unbelievable year.”

The last Pirates second baseman to win a Gold Glove remains Jose Lind in 1992.

As for Triolo, his defense at shortstop was much needed when Konnor Griffin was hurt for two longer stretches. Among NL shortstops with at least 500 innings played at the position, Triolo and Griffin were tied for sixth with 4 DRS.

Triolo logged 260 1/3 innings at third base and totaled 5 DRS, which is one shy of the two other utility finalists: Ildemaro Vargas of the Diamondbacks and Mauricio Dubón of the Braves. Dubón leads with 5 OAA, followed by Vargas (2) and Triolo (1).

What Triolo did on the left side of the infield was largely expected, which is why his roster spot has never really been in doubt, because he adds responsible defense pretty much anywhere he plays.

The frustrating part is obviously a .652 career OPS that teases during the second half of seasons but hasn’t offered much of a consistent threat.

Winners will be announced on ESPN on Nov. 1. Snagging another Gold Glove could make Triolo the first Pirates player to win multiple since Ke’Bryan Hayes (2023 and ’25).

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.