TORONTO -- Ty France has won his first career Gold Glove Award at first base, recognizing some remarkable growth in that area of his game in 2025.
France, who joined the Blue Jays from the Twins alongside reliever Louis Varland at the Trade Deadline, appeared in just 23 regular-season games at first base after the deal, but it was easy to see the defensive reputation he’d suddenly built in Minnesota.
Across the board, France’s defensive metrics shot up this season. He was worth 10 Outs Above Average, which led all Major League first basemen. What a change from one year ago, when France’s -12 OAA painted him as a weak defender.
If you judge France by Fielding Run Value, which pulls all of Statcast’s defensive metrics into one tidy number, he graded out as being worth +7 runs as a first baseman, second in the Majors behind only Matt Olson of the Braves (+8), the National League Gold Glove winner at first base.
France becomes just the second Blue Jays first baseman in history to win the American League Gold Glove Award, joining Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (2022).
This was a stacked year for Blue Jays finalists, too, with six nominations for five players in total.
Catcher: Alejandro Kirk
First base: Ty France (winner), Guerrero
Second base: Andrés Giménez
Third base: Ernie Clement
Utility: Clement
Most days this season, three of Toronto’s four infielders were eventual Gold Glove Award finalists, which showed in their top-end team defense.
France is the lone winner, though, another addition by the Blue Jays with at least a partial focus on defense. It’s well deserved, too, for a player who has taken clear strides to improve that area of his game at this point in his career.