Sanoja’s defensive versatility earns him utility Gold Glove Award

MIAMI -- All of the gloves and unconventional training methods paid off. The Human Swiss Army Knife has added hardware to his toolbox.

Marlins rookie Javier Sanoja was named the 2025 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner at the utility position for the National League on Sunday night, beating out finalists Miguel Rojas (Dodgers) and Jared Triolo (Pirates) for the honor.

• A complete list of all-time Gold Glove Award winners

Sanoja, who turned 23 on Sept. 3, is the first Marlin since 2017 (Marcell Ozuna, left field) to capture a Gold Glove Award, and the ninth player (13 instances) in franchise history. Sanoja is also just the 19th rookie all time to receive a Gold Glove, and the second Marlin (Charles Johnson, 1995).

“I thank all my coaches,” Sanoja said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. on Tuesday via Zoom. “They know very well that I told them every time I was going out there, working hard, following my routine, I kept telling them that I wanted to win a Gold Glove someday, and I have it now, and I'm going to take this as a motivation to keep going and win another one and continue building from there.”

As one of 10 Major Leaguers to appear at seven positions during the 2025 season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Sanoja was the model for defensive versatility. He became just the fifth Marlin to play seven or more field positions in a season, with right field and catcher the only spots he didn’t man.

"There were situations where [manager] Clayton [McCullough] was putting me into a different position and he was asking me if I was feeling comfortable, and my answer was always yes, because I want to be on the field, helping my teammates,” Sanoja said.

Here is a breakdown of Sanoja's advanced metrics at each position:

• First base: 0 defensive runs saved (one inning)
• Second base: 5 DRS, +1 outs above average (208 2/3 innings)
• Third base: 4 DRS, +1 OAA (255 2/3 innings)
• Shortstop: 0 DRS, -2 OAA (75 innings)
• Left field: 0 DRS, 0 OAA (156 1/3 innings)
• Center field: -2 DRS, 0 OAA (79 innings)

In terms of standard statistics, Sanoja committed just three total errors, for a .988 fielding percentage, recorded three outfield assists and helped turn 24 double plays.

Though an infielder by trade, Sanoja felt most comfortable in the outfield. His favorite defensive play of the season came in left, where he snared Pete Alonso’s scorching liner with the bases loaded to preserve a lead over the postseason-hopeful Mets during the season’s final weekend. But Sanoja credited his play at third base -- where he had fewer innings in the Minors than at second, the outfield and shortstop -- for his path to capturing the award.

“When we put him out there the first day at third, I said, ‘I really hope this goes well,’” infield coach Tyler Smarslok said on Tuesday. “I know he's a great defender. I didn't really have any lack of trust in him, but it's just something that I hadn't even seen a whole lot of up to that point. I'm going to keep going back to the confidence piece. It doesn't really matter where you put him, because he believes that he's the best player on the field and that he's going to get the job done no matter what, and he's doing it for all the right reasons. It's not for personal accolades. It's to help the team win.

“His work at third base this year was honestly one of the most impressive things I've seen out of a baseball player in my career, for a guy who hadn't played a whole lot of that position.”

The Gold Glove Award for utility players, which has been given out since 2022, uses a different formula from the nine standard positions to determine a winner. Rawlings collaborates with the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) to create a specialized defensive formula separate from the traditional selection process.

The 5-foot-7 Venezuelan had been the organization’s 2024 Player of the Year and Triple-A Jacksonville MVP, and he went on to win Miami’s Opening Day utility role out of Spring Training despite just 15 big league games on his résumé.

“To see him at his young age, with his relative inexperience as a professional player, to be a jack of all trades, to fill in at every position, to play above-average defense at every position, that's incredibly hard to do,” president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said following the season. “He's not getting consistent reps, right? He's not out there playing a certain position every single day. One day he's at second base, one day he's at third base, one day he's in left field. And that he's so good at each of those positions is a testament to him.

“That was really fun to see. And it really helps, essentially, our roster, because it allows him to fill in in a lot of different places.”