The Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners were announced last night. Players receiving the honor are deemed to have been the best defensive performers at their position, and are voted on by Major League Baseball’s managers and coaches. Let’s take a look at the National League’s 2011 Gold Glove winners.
C – Yadier Molina – Cardinals
1B – Joey Votto – Red
2B – Brandon Phillips – Reds
SS – Troy Tulowitzki – Rockies
3B – Placido Polanco – Phillies
LF – Gerardo Parra – Diamondbacks
CF – Matt Kemp – Dodgers
RF – Andre Ethier – Dodgers
P – Clayton Kershaw – Dodgers
The Dodgers and Reds combined to take home over half of the 2011 Gold Gloves. Brandon Phillips picked up his third award at second base, while Joey Votto was one of the National League’s four first time winners.
Other first timers included a pair of Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw and Andre Ethier. LA’s third selection was Matt Kemp, who won his second Gold Glove in three years.
Gerardo Parra was the other outfielder to win the award, his first time, and Placido Polanco and Troy Tulowitzki were voted best defensively at the hot corner and short. It was the third time the voters selected Polanco and the second year in a row Tulowitzki earned the honor.
Yadier Molina has become a shoe-in to take home the Gold Glove for best defensive catcher in the NL, as the backstop has now won four straight GG awards.