Stroman wins Gold Glove
Beats out Sale, Cobb to become 10th Jay honoured for his defence
The first time is a charm for the Toronto Blue Jays’ Marcus Stroman.
The right-hander won the American League Gold Glove for fielding excellence on the mound, beating out Boston ace Chris Sale and Tampa Bay’s Alex Cobb.
It was the 26-year-old’s first Gold Glove nomination and capped a season in which he won a career-high 13 games with a 3.09 ERA in 201innings pitched. Stroman finished the year with a .979 fielding percentage, making only one error.
He was clearly keeping an eye as the awards were being presented, tweeting the message “The anticipation …” at Rawlings Sports, which hands out the honours. “Unreal! #GOLD @BlueJays @HDMHApparel,” Stroman tweeted once his win was officially announced.
He also passed along thanks to two of his teammates, shortstops Ryan Goins and Troy Tulowitzki, for helping him work on his defensive game.
“Shout to @rgoins17 and #2Lo for letting me always work in on their pregame routine,” he wrote. “I take at least 50 groundballs between every start!”
Stroman was one of two Blue Jays named finalists for this year’s Gold Glove awards. Centre fielder Kevin Pillar, who has been shortlisted for three straight years, was beat out by Minnesota’s Byron Buxton. Stroman and Buxton were among six firsttime winners.
Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, meanwhile, won his fifth consecutive Gold Glove, and was joined by Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward and Royals left fielder Alex Gordon as five-time winners.
Arenado became the first infielder to win five straight Gold Gloves at the start of his career. “Obviously, five, it’s a pretty special number,” he said. “It means a lot . . . Right now I want to try to win as many as I can while I’m healthy.”
Every major-league manager and up to six coaches on his staff vote for Gold Gloves. They cannot choose their own players.
With his win, Stroman became the 10th Blue Jays player to earn a Gold Glove and the first since R.A. Dickey in 2013.
Stroman is now eligible to win the Rawlings Platinum Glove award, which will be awarded to the best defensive player in either league, as selected by fans. He would be the first Blue Jays player to win the award, which began in 2011. With files from The Associated Press