Minor League Baseball: 2016 Gold Glove Winners

Although we often talk about the 162 games in 183 days that Major League players go through, we should not forget the extremely similar battle minor leaguer’s have. They do have shorter seasons, but that is not to take away from the difficulty of their jobs.

As the Minor League Baseball season ended recently, award season has begun to take shape. To recognize the hard work and dedication of these athletes, the Gold Glove awards were awarded yesterday.

The Gold Glove Award process is different in the Minor Leagues then the Majors because there are only two leagues in the big leagues. Because there are so many leagues in the minors, only one award is given out per position, not two or more. Because of this, the recipients of these awards truely are the best at their postion throughout the Minor Leagues.

Minor League Baseball President & CEO Pat O’Conner spoke about the nine winners, “These nine players were truly the finest in the field this summer and it is my pleasure to honor them with a Rawlings Gold Glove Award®.These players displayed extraordinary skills at their positions this season, and on behalf of Minor League Baseball, I congratulate them on this outstanding accomplishment.”

To be eligible to receive the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, players must have participated in one of the 10 domestic-based, full-season leagues, and shown outstanding defensive skills. The Rawlings Gold Glove Award® was re-introduced to Minor League Baseball in 2011 after an almost 50-year hiatus.

Let’s now take a look at these nine players, and what makes them so great in the field.