ST. LOUIS -- Even after missing 52 games, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina remained the standard for defensive catchers in the National League.
Molina won his seventh consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove award, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday night. Ivan Rodriguez (13) and Johnny Bench (10) are the only catchers to win more Gold Gloves than Molina. Among active players, only Ichiro Suzuki (10) and Torii Hunter (nine) have won more than seven Gold Gloves.
Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy earlier was named the major-league winner for catchers of the Fielding Bible Award, which is based largely on defensive metrics. The Gold Glove awards, however, also began to incorporate sabermetrics in 2013 when Rawlings enlisted the assistance of the Society of Baseball Research. Until last year, managers and coaches voted on the Gold Glove winners.
Missing two months threatened to end Molina's run of Gold Gloves at six, but his absence was offset by throwing out an NL-best 47 percent of would-be basestealers as well as his reputation for calling games and working with pitchers.
Two-time winner Adam Wainwright lost out for the pitcher's Gold Glove to a Dodger, but it wasn't Clayton Kershaw. Zack Greinke won for the first time.
Other winners in the NL: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers; 2B D.J. LeMahieu, Rockies; SS Andrelton Simmons, Braves; 3B Nolan Arenado, Rockies; LF Christian Yelich, Marlins; CF Juan Lagares, Mets, and RF Jason Heyward, Braves.
American League: 1B Eric Hosmer, Royals; 2B Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox; SS J.J. Hardy, Orioles; 3B Kyle Seager, Mariners; LF Alex Gordon, Royals; CF Adam Jones, Orioles; RF Nick Markakis, Orioles; C Salvador Perez, Royals; P Dallas Keuchel, Astros.
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