The Toronto Blue Jays are adding to their accolades this offseason, with the team announcing last night that they’ve won the American League Team Gold Glove Award for the second consecutive year. This recognition came at the same event where Daulton Varsho received his individual Gold Glove Award.
Over recent seasons, the Blue Jays’ front office has bolstered the roster with defensive talent while homegrown players have also excelled in fielding. Key contributors last season included Varsho, Kevin Kiermaier, Alejandro Kirk, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Ernie Clement, whose standout performances were instrumental in securing this award again. The team led the league with 102 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and achieved a .984 fielding percentage, committing 92 errors in total.
The Jays’ defensive leaders were Varsho, with 28 DRS and 16 Outs Above Average (OAA), and Clement, who earned a Gold Glove nomination with 15 DRS and 7 OAA. Kirk excelled as a catcher, posting a +12 DRS and throwing out 31% of base runners, significantly above the league average. At the trade deadline, Kiermaier and Kiner-Falefa contributed 9 and 12 DRS, respectively, while Justin Turner remained steady with zero DRS.
New additions also bolstered the Blue Jays’ stats, with Joey Loperfido recording 4 DRS in 41 games. Will Wagner added +1 while playing second base, and among internal players, Nathan Lukes contributed 5 DRS in 173 innings, with Addison Barger and Steward Berrora each adding 3 DRS, and Leo Jiménez and Luis De Los Santos adding 2 and +1, respectively.
On the downside, Danny Jansen and Spencer Horwitz each posted -6 DRS, while players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Davis Schneider, and newcomer Jonatan Clase had minor negative DRS values.
Despite missing out on postseason success for nearly a decade, the Blue Jays’ defense remains a strong point as they look to the 2025 season. While they plan to enhance their roster with more power and pitching, fans might be hoping for a playoff breakthrough over another Gold Glove award.