While the Royals may have struggled on offense at times this year, defense does not slump. The Royals flashed some leather in the infield this year, and today all four defenders were named finalists for Gold Glove Awards. Vinnie Pasquantino, Michael Massey, and Nick Loftin are all up for the first award, while two-time winner Bobby Witt Jr. has a chance to repeat as top overall defender.
Bobby Witt Jr. won the 2025 American League Platinum Award for top overall defender. He led all American League players
at all positions with +25 Outs Above Average. He led all American League shortstops with 71 double plays and Fielding Run Value with +17.
Vinnie Pasquantino was second among American League first baseman in Defensive Runs Saved with 7, behind only Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is also a finalist. Houston’s Christian Walker is the other Gold Glove finalist at first base.
Michael Massey was second among all American League second basemen in Outs Above Average at +11 behind only Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the Yankees and was tied for second in Defensive Runs Saved with 5 behind only Cole Young of the Mariners. He tied Young for the highest fielding percentage for anyone with at least 750 innings at .990, and his 68 double plays were second behind only Young. Massey is up against Young and Chase Meidroth of the White Sox, all of whom are seeking their first Gold Glove.
In his first full year in the big leagues, Nick Loftin was tied for fourth among American League third basemen in Outs Above Average with +6 and was third in fielding percentage for third basemen with 500+ innings at .982. Loftin is up against Caleb Durbin of the Red Sox and Brooks Lee of the Twins.
Winners will be announced on November 1 on ESPN. Here is how Gold Glove finalists and winners are determined, according to MLB.com:
To determine the winners at the nine standard positions, the 30 MLB managers and up to six coaches from each team vote from a pool of players in their league, excluding players from their own team. These votes comprise 75% of the selection total, with the SABR Defensive Index counting for the other 25%.
For the utility position, Rawlings collaborated with SABR to create a specialized defensive formula separate from the traditional selection process.
Here is a complete list of finalists:
American League
Pitcher:
Tanner Bibee (Guardians), Jacob deGrom (Rangers), José Soriano (Angels/Blue JAayS)
Catcher:
Dillon Dingler (Tigers), Brandon Valenzuela (Blue Jays), Austin Wells (Yankees)
First Base:
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays), Vinnie Pasquantino (Royals), Christian Walker (Astros)
Second Base:
Michael Massey (R0yals), Chase Meidroth (White Sox), Cole Young (Mariners)
Third Base:
Caleb Durbin (Red Sox), Brooks Lee (Twins), Nick Loftin (Royals)
Shortstop:
Andrés Giménez (Blue Jays), Taylor Walls (Rays), Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
Left Field:
Cody Bellinger (Yankees), Wyatt Langford (Rangers), Chandler Simpson (Rays)
Center Field:
Evan Carter (Rangers), Steven Kwan (Guardians), Ceddanne Rafaela (Red Sox)
Right Field:
Wilyer Abreu (Red Sox), Nathan Lukes (Blue Jays), Cam Smith (Astros)
Utility:
José Caballero (Yankees), Ezequiel Duran (Rangers), Zach McKinstry (Tigers)
National League
Pitcher:
Nolan McLean (Mets), Michael McGreevy (Cardinals), Chris Sale (Braves)
Catcher:
Freddy Fermin (Padres), Gabriel Moreno (Diamondbacks), Luis Torrens (Mets)
First Base:
Ty France (Padres), Matt Olson (Braves), TJ Rumfield (Rockies)
Second Base:
Brandon Lowe (Pirates), Brice Turang (Brewers), JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals)
Third Base:
Alex Bregman (Cubs), Max Muncy (Dodgers), Javier Sanoja (Marlins)
Shortstop:
Geraldo Perdomo (Diamondbacks), Dansby Swanson (Cubs), Masyn Winn (Cardinals)
Left Field:
Jackson Chourio (Brewers), Ian Happ (Cubs), Daylen Lile (Nationals)
Center Field:
Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Michael Harris II (Braves), Andy Pages (Dodgers)
Right Field:
Carson Benge (Mets), Corbin Carroll (Diamondbacks), Seiya Suzuki (Cubs)
Utility:
Mauricio Dubón (Braves), Jared Triolo (Pirates), Ildemaro Vargas (Diamondbacks)
