Cubs pace MLB with 3 Gold Glovers in PCA, Hoerner, Happ

CHICAGO – One of the driving forces behind the Cubs’ return to the postseason this year was a foundation built around fielding a strong defensive unit across the board. It was no surprise then that six of Chicago’s players got the nod as a finalist for a Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

On Sunday, the Cubs took home a Major League-leading three Gold Gloves, with center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, second baseman Nico Hoerner and left fielder Ian Happ each picking up hardware. This marks the first time in the long, storied history of the Cubs that two outfielders won in the same season.

“Sometimes it doesn’t get enough attention,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said of the team’s defense at the end of the season. “We focus on the pitching or focus on the hitting. We have exceptional fielders in a lot of different places.”

• All-time Gold Glove winners

Three winners tied the Cubs’ record for the most in one year, having done so in 2023 as well.

The Cubs also had Gold Glove finalists this year at third base (Matt Shaw), catcher (Carson Kelly) and pitcher (Matthew Boyd), while also boasting previous Gold Glove winners at shortstop (Dansby Swanson) and right field (Kyle Tucker) this season. All together, the Cubs’ defense led the NL in both Defensive Runs Saved (84) and Statcast’s Fielding Run Value (41) this year.

“It was special,” Hoerner said of the Cubs’ defensive work this past season. “Three of us were able to win the awards, but it was a real group effort. I think we all benefit from each other and the high standard and a sense of identity within that.”

And while this was the fourth consecutive Gold Glove Award for Happ and the second time Hoerner (also in '23) has picked up the trophy, Crow-Armstrong stood out as a defensive anchor for the North Siders in center.

“He’s the backbone of our defense,” Hoyer said. “What he does defensively night in, night out is unbelievable. I think he’s the best defensive player in baseball. The number of catches he makes head high that other teams’ center fielders don’t get to is remarkable.”

Crow-Armstrong hopes this is the first of many Gold Gloves in his career.

“It’s great,” he said. “I think having the defense recognized is important to me, because of the story that that tells.”

Crow-Armstrong explained that in an era so focused on offense, pitch design and velocity, defense can fly under the radar. To him, the Gold Glove Award is a reminder that a strong defensive foundation can also pave the way to wins.

He completed 19 five-star catches (0-25% catch probability), setting a single-season record since Statcast has been tracking such plays. Billy Hamilton previously held the mark with 12 five-star catches in 2016. Crow-Armstrong’s 24 Outs Above Average are the second most on record, trailing only Byron Buxton’s 27 OAA in '17.

Crow-Armstrong turned in a 21 Fielding Run Value, ranking fourth in the Majors behind catchers Patrick Bailey of the Giants (30) and Alejandro Kirk of the Blue Jays (22), as well as fellow center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela of the Red Sox (22). Among center fielders, Crow-Armstrong trailed only Rafaela in DRS (15) and Defensive Runs Above Average (17.7). They were tied in Range Runs Above Average (19), per Statcast.

Beyond the five-star plays, an area where Crow-Armstrong surpassed Rafaela was overall conversion rate on catches between one-five stars (0-95%). The Cubs' center fielder successfully converted 83.2% (104 out of 125 chances) of those catches, compared to 77% (77 out of 100) for Boston’s center fielder.

“He is a much better Major League center fielder now than he was when he first got here,” Happ said. “The quality of the game all around, his knowledge of where to throw to bases, when to let it eat, when to make the right play – he’s come so far.”

Could that lead to a Platinum Glove (announced on Friday) for Crow-Armstrong?

“That’s the ultimate award,” Crow-Armstrong said. “But, I think the first Gold Glove is a good place to start. I’m very proud of what I did this year with the glove.”

In winning his first career Gold Glove Award, the 23-year-old Crow-Armstrong became the youngest outfielder to take home the honor for the Cubs. Among all positions, only Ken Hubbs won a Gold Glove for Chicago at a younger age, doing so as a 20-year-old at second base during his 1962 NL Rookie of the Year campaign.

Hoerner was also one of baseball’s top overall defenders, ranking first among second basemen in Fielding Run Value (12), Outs Above Average (14), Defensive Runs Saved (17) and Range (10). He joined Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg as the only second basemen in Cubs history to win multiple Gold Gloves. Sandberg won nine straight from 1983-91.

“Nico’s so smart,” Crow-Armstrong said. “He’s a smart human being, but just a super intelligent and instinctual athlete. And then pairing that with the physical athleticism that he has is super cool. The trend with him and Ian is, the plays that are supposed to get made, they get made.”

Happ was already the first Cubs outfielder to win three Gold Gloves, but he has now stretched that record to four with this year’s win. The veteran Happ led NL left fielders in DRS (nine), had five assists and was charged with only one error in 1,274 1/3 innings at his position.

“Four straight is pretty special,” Happ said. “We had an unbelievable defensive team this year – just all around. … It was a real source of pride amongst the group. But for me personally, just being able to stack consecutive, quality defensive seasons on top of each other is something I’m pretty proud of.”

Since the Gold Gloves for outfielders became position-specific in 2011, Happ is the only left fielder to win the award at least three consecutive years in the NL. With their wins on Sunday night, both Happ and Steven Kwan of the Guardians have now tied Alex Gordon’s MLB-record streak of four in a row, which he achieved in the American League for the Royals twice (2011-14 and 2017-20).

“That space that we share out there is some of my favorite space,” Crow-Armstrong said of having Happ next to him in the outfield. “I think we do it so well together now, and I’m just happy to have two-thirds of that NL outfield be us.”