 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Awarded for | Best defensive player at each position; best overall defensive player; best defensive team |
| Sponsored by | Wilson Sporting Goods |
| Presented by | Major League Baseball |
| History | |
| First award | 2012 |
| Most recent | Roberto Pérez (overall) Houston Astros (team) |
The Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award was awarded annually to the best defensive player at each fielding positioninMajor League Baseball (MLB). The award was given between 2012 and 2019. An overall Defensive Player of the Year and a Defensive Team of the Year were also selected annually. Unlike the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, which are voted on by major league managers and coaches, the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award winners were determined by statistics using sabermetrics.
In 2012, baseball glove manufacturer Wilson created the Defensive Player of the Year Award to honor the best defensive player on each team in Major League Baseball (MLB).[1] Additionally, one player was selected from each league as that league's overall Defensive Player of the Year.[1] Starting in 2014, the individual awards are given to the best defensive player at each position, regardless of league, and there is a single Defensive Player of the Year for all of MLB.[1] Since 2012, a single Defensive Team of the Year across all of MLB has also been named.[1]
Various players have won a Defensive Player award multiple times, with Andrelton Simmons having the most wins, six. Zack Greinke is the only pitcher to have won multiple times, three. Denard Span was the first person to receive Defensive Player awards with two different teams, and in both leagues, having won in 2012 with the Minnesota Twins and in 2013 with the Washington Nationals. No one has been named Overall Defensive Player more than once, although the Atlanta Braves have had three winners and the Boston Red Sox have had two winners. The Arizona Diamondbacks are the only team to have been named Defensive Team of the Year multiple times, three.
| Year | Links to the corresponding Major League Baseball season |
| 1B | First baseman |
| 2B | Second baseman |
| 3B | Third baseman |
| SS | Shortstop |
| LF | Left fielder |
| CF | Center fielder |
| RF | Right fielder |
| C | Catcher |
| P | Pitcher |
During the first two years, the award was given to the best defensive player on each team in Major League Baseball. Starting in 2014, the award is given to the best fielder at each position in all of Major League Baseball. Numbers after a player's name indicate multiple times winning the award.
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| Year | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | LF | CF | RF | C | P | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Adrián González | Ian Kinsler | Juan Uribe (2) | Andrelton Simmons (2) | Alex Gordon | Lorenzo Cain (3) | Jason Heyward | Russell Martin (2) | Johnny Cueto | [4] |
| 2015 | Paul Goldschmidt | Dee Gordon | Nolan Arenado | Andrelton Simmons (3) | Starling Marte | Kevin Pillar | Jason Heyward (2) | Buster Posey | Jacob deGrom | [5] |
| 2016 | Anthony Rizzo | Dustin Pedroia (3) | Nolan Arenado (2) | Brandon Crawford (2) | Brett Gardner | Kevin Kiermaier | Mookie Betts | Buster Posey (2) | Zack Greinke | [6] |
| 2017 | Carlos Santana | DJ LeMahieu (2) | Nolan Arenado (3) | Andrelton Simmons (4) | Alex Gordon (2) | Byron Buxton | Yasiel Puig | Martin Maldonado | Tyler Chatwood | [7] |
| 2018 | Freddie Freeman | DJ LeMahieu (3) | Matt Chapman | Andrelton Simmons (5) | Alex Gordon (3) | Kevin Kiermaier (2) | Mookie Betts (2) | Mike Zunino | Zack Greinke (2) | [8] |
| 2019 | Freddie Freeman (2) | Kolten Wong | Matt Chapman (2) | Andrelton Simmons (6) | David Peralta | Lorenzo Cain (4) | Aaron Judge | Roberto Pérez | Zack Greinke (3) | [9] |
The Overall Defensive Player of the Year Award was inaugurated in 2012, with one player each from the American and National Leagues receiving the award. In 2014, the separate awards per league were eliminated, and in 2015 to 2019 only one player in all of Major League Baseball received the honor.
| Year | League | Player | Team | Pos. | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 (AL) | American | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | OF | [2] |
| 2012 (NL) | National | Michael Bourn | Atlanta Braves | OF | |
| 2013 (AL) | American | Dustin Pedroia | Boston Red Sox | 2B | [3] |
| 2013 (NL) | National | Gerardo Parra | Arizona Diamondbacks | OF | |
| 2014 | National | Jason Heyward | Atlanta Braves | RF | [4] |
| 2015 | National | Andrelton Simmons | Atlanta Braves | SS | [5] |
| 2016 | American | Mookie Betts | Boston Red Sox | RF | [6] |
| 2017 | American | Byron Buxton | Minnesota Twins | CF | [7] |
| 2018 | American | Matt Chapman | Oakland Athletics | 3B | [8] |
| 2019 | American | Roberto Pérez | Cleveland Indians | C | [9] |
Numbers after a team's name indicate multiple times winning the award.
| Year | Team | League | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Atlanta Braves | National | [2] |
| 2013 | Arizona Diamondbacks | National | [3] |
| 2014 | Cincinnati Reds | National | [4] |
| 2015 | Arizona Diamondbacks (2) | National | [5] |
| 2016 | San Francisco Giants | National | [6] |
| 2017 | Los Angeles Dodgers | National | [7] |
| 2018 | Arizona Diamondbacks (3) | National | [8] |
| 2019 | Houston Astros | American | [9] |
