Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado retains his surehanded grip on Platinum Glove Award

The most decorated third baseman of his generation has widened the range of his reputation as one of the finest fielders at any position in the history of Major League Baseball’s defensive awards.

Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado received his sixth consecutive Platinum Glove Award for the National League during an event Friday night hosted by Rawlings in New York City.

It is the sixth consecutive year Arenado has won the award for the finest fielder at any position from the St. Louis-based Rawlings.

No other player has won more than four Platinum Gloves.

During the event in New York, Arenado was presented with his 10th consecutive Gold Glove Award, an honor he received based on advanced analytics and a vote of coaches and managers. His 10 Gold Glove awards ties Mike Schmidt for the second most at third base, and only Brooks Robinson has more with 16.

Arenado is the first player to win 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards to start his career, and he’s the first infielder to win at least that many consecutive Gold Glove honors since Ozzie Smith won 13.

Earlier this season, All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre, a two-time Platinum Glove winner in the American League, told the Post-Dispatch that Arenado is “the best by far” that he’s seen at third base. Arenado, 31, has developed his own style for third base that seems inspired by a mix of shortstop and soccer strike — he’s aggressive with his throws, willing to throw on the run or in the air like great middle infielder, and he finds space to operate and meet the ball, like few others.

Arenado had the potential to become a free agent this offseason but elected not to opt-out of his contract and remain with the Cardinals through at least 2027. Acquired through a complex trade with Colorado in February 2021, the Cardinals team are hopeful that Arenado will finish his career in their jersey. 

This year’s Gold Glove Awards featured, for the first time, a utility award, and Brendan Donovan received it as the first Cardinals player at any position to win a Gold Glove in his rookie season.

All Gold Glove winners in each league are eligible for the Platinum Glove. Voting for the award, which is sponsored by SABR, ran online through the first week of November. The winner in the American League for the Platinum Glove was Yankees catcher Jose Trevino, who wears his hat backward under his mask because Yadier Molina does.

Trevino is the first catcher to win the American League’s Platinum Glove.

Rawlings, the St. Louis-based manufacturer of MLB’s official baseballs and the creator of the Gold Glove awards more than six decades ago, introduced the Platinum Glove honor in 2011. Cardinals catcher Molina and Beltre were the first winners of the award that year.

Molina won four of the first five and is second to Arenado in total wins.

In the National League, only four different fielders have won a Platinum Glove in the 12 years of the award: Molina (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015), Andrelton Simmons (2013), Anthony Rizzo (2016), and Arenado (2017-2022).

Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado fields a ball hit by Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki complete the top half of the sixth inning on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022, at Busch Stadium.

Derrick Goold

@dgoold on Twitter

dgoold@post-dispatch.com