Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts was named the Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner for American League right fielders for the fourth consecutive year on Sunday night, beating out both the Los Angeles Angels’ Kole Calhoun and the Houston Astros’ Josh Reddick for the honors.
The 27-year-old was the only 2019 Sox finalist out of Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Christian Vazquez to receive the award.
Among qualified right fielders in all of baseball this past season, Betts ranked second in Defensive Runs Saved (15), first in Ultimate Zone Rating (12.9) and UZR/150 (15.6), and first in Defense (7.0), per FanGraphs.
With the fourth straight Gold Glove nod, Betts moves into a tie with Fred Lynn for the third-most Gold Glove Awards won by a Red Sox outfielder in the franchise’s history.
As for the other Sox finalists previously mentioned, Benintendi lost out to now seven-time winner Alex Gordon of the Kansas City Royals, Bradley Jr. fell short of a second straight Gold Glove to now three-time winner Kevin Kiermaier of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Vazquez lost out to first-time winner and fellow Puerto Rico native Roberto Perez of the Cleveland Indians.
This very well could have been the last time Betts wins a Gold Glove as a member of the Red Sox. Let’s try not to think about that now, though.
Blogging the Red Sox 