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Guardians Have One Player Win Gold Glove Award
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- Guardians Have One Player Win Gold Glove Award
MLB's award season officially kicked off on Sunday night with the winners of the Gold Glove Awards being announced. The Cleveland Guardians pride themselves on doing the little things and playing strong defense, so it's no surprise that they had a handful of players nominated as finalists .
However, only one of those players won an award, and it shockingly wasn't the four-time Gold Glove winner at his position.
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Tanner Bibee
Tanner Bibee did a great job fielding his position during the regular season. The Guardians pitcher loved to pump his arms up in the air after catching a pop-up.
Somewhere, Bibee is throwing his arms up in the air on Sunday night because the pitcher took home his first career Gold Glove award, beating out Jacob DeGrom of the Texas Rangers and Jose Soriano of the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League.
Bibee is a well-deserved winner. He ended up with a total defensive run saved of +5, which led all American League pitchers.
Looking at some more traditional stats, Bibee had 11 putouts in 32 chances and committed just three errors during the regular season. He also helped turn one double play.
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A pitcher who can come through with their glove is a premium for a team, and Bibee provided that for the Guardians in 2026.
Jul 31, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) throws to first base for an out against Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Adrian del Castillo (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images
Steven Kwan
Steven Kwan is a four-time Gold Glove winner in left field, and he tried to win the hardware in center field this year. The Guardians outfielder was named a finalist for this position group in 2026.
However, Kwan didn't do enough to win the award in center. Instead, Ceddanne Rafaela of the Boston Red Sox won the Gold Glove.
Kwan still had another very strong season. His metrics remained incredibly strong, even though the 29-year-old played a more demanding position.
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Kwan finished in the 83rd percentile in fielding run value and the 90th percentile in outs above average. Even though he split time between left field and center field, Kwan was actually slightly better in center field in terms of OAA.
With all that in mind, Rafaela is a more-than-deserving winner. The Red Sox outfielder led all center fielders with a DRS of 21. By contrast, Kwan had a DRS of only 6 when playing up the middle.
It's disappointing that Kwan's Gold Glove streak will come to an end, but it gives the five-year veteran something to work toward for the 2027 season.
