The Yankees had two Gold Glove winners in the 2022 season
The Yankees’ 2022 season ended in disappointment with a 4–0 sweep to the Astros in the ALCS. The Astros are now down 2–1 in the World Series to the surprising Phillies but with their win in this year’s ALCS they have defeated the Yankees in the ALCS three times in the last six years.
However, two major positives besides Aaron Judge’s historic season in which he set the American League and Yankees record for homers with 62 were that yesterday it was announced that Jose Trevino and DJ LeMahieu received Rawlings Gold Gloves, which is given to the best player at their position in each league.
Both of their Gold Gloves were well-deserved, especially Trevino’s since he was an All-Star and played in at least 100 games for the first time in his career. Trevino, who was in his first season as a Yankee and his fifth MLB season, played in 115 out of the team’s 162 games and received his first Gold Glove, and LeMahieu played in 125 of the team’s 162 games and received his fourth Gold Glove.
Trevino and LeMahieu were each one of the Yankees’ most reliable defenders this season. LeMahieu was a real asset to the team since he was very versatile before getting injured towards the end of the season when his production declined. LeMahieu had one error in 47 games at third base, two errors in 41 games at second base and one error in 35 games at first base.
He also had a .992 fielding percentage at third base, a .986 fielding percentage at second base and a .996 fielding percentage at first base.
LeMahieu received a Gold Glove for utility player. This was the first year that the utility spot was established for the Gold Glove award. This makes sense since versatility and the ability to play multiple positions has been valued much more in recent season than it had previously.
LeMahieiu won his first Gold Glove in the American League in his fourth season with the Yankees. He played his first eight seasons of his career in the National League (first season with the Cubs and next seven with the Rockies from 2012–2018) and won the Gold Glove with the Colorado Rockies at second base in 2014, 2017 and 2018. He impressively leads all active second baseman (minimum 500 games) with a .991 career fielding percentage.
On offense, which does not at all factor into the Gold Glove, LeMahieu had a promising and successful July that resembled how he performed in his first two seasons with the Yankees when he finished in top five of MVP voting in both seasons but a toe injury led to his downfall.
He had a very good .344 average (33–96) with a .462 on-base percentage, four homers, 11 RBI and 20 walks in 25 games in July. After the last game of June through August 2, LeMahieu raised his average from .262 to .292. However, due to playing through an injury, his average went from .292 on August 2 back down to .260 after his last game of the regular season on September 30. His average was only .211 in August (20–95) and then he went 0–15 in his last four games of the regular season in October.
LeMahieu led the National League in batting average in 2016 with his .348 average in 146 games and in the Covid shortened 2020 season he led the American League in batting average with his .364 average in 50 games in the 60-game season. He finished third in MVP voting that season after having 10 homers, 27 RBI and leading the league in average, OBP, OPS and OPS+, which were all career highs. In his previous season, his first with the Yankees, his 26 homers and 102 RBI were both career highs.
If he is able to get healthy in the offseason he should be able to hit closer to the way he hit in July than the way he did in August, September and October. Hi being able to play first base, second base and third base well above average is a real asset for the Yankees and if he can divide about evenly at those positions while staying healthy the whole season the Yankees should be in good shape.
This is the first time the Yankees have had multiple Gold Glove winners since 2012. In 2012, first baseman Mark Teixeira and second baseman Robinson Cano both received the award.
Trevino, who the Yankees acquired in a trade with the Texas Rangers just before the season started and was able to win the starting catcher position over Kyle Higashioka, set career highs in RBI (43), homers (11), games played (115), hits (83), OBP (.283) and runs scored (39). His 3.09 catcher’s ERA was impressively the 3rd lowest in all of MLB and he was the best in all of MLB in framing runs saved. He is well known throughout MLB for his ability to frame pitches, which means he is elite at getting pitchers strikes when those pitches might not be strikes otherwise.
The Corpus Christi, Texas native had a great first five months of the season since on August 26 he had a .271 average with 11 homers and 37 RBI. Those are impressive stats, especially his average, for a catcher through five months. However, he ran out of gas on offense since he had just six RBI the rest of the season and just 11 hits after August 26.
Trevino did go only 1–22 in the playoffs and was just 11–62 in the month of September and the last four games of the regular season in October, but he still had a very good regular season and was better than the Yankees could have expected this season. It would make sense if he is the starting catcher again next season based on the promise he showed on offense and that he is elite defensively.
Trevino’s 21 defensive runs saved were the most in MLB among catchers. He is also just the third Yankee to win a Gold Glove as a catcher and joins Elston Howard and Thurman Munson.
The Rangers opted to trade Trevino since he would have been their third string catcher. They obviously made the wrong decision and the Yankees obviously won this trade. The Yankees traded relief pitcher Albert Abreu, who they got back in the middle of the season, and Robert Ahlstrom, who had a subpar 5.04 ERA in 22 games in the Rangers minor league system this year.
Trevino was named an American League All-Star after getting the second best catcher WAR in the American League in the first half of the season. He had a memorable sequence in the All-Star Game when he was talking to Nestor Cortes, who was also an All-Star for the first time, during the game and was pumping him up on for the fans at home to listen to. In addition to his Gold Glove, Trevino won the Fielding Bible award for the best defensive catcher in MLB this season on a statistical analysis.
