Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar wins his first National League Rawlings Gold Glove Award

Ezequiel Tovar is getting national recognition for his defensive prowess that’s been apparent to Rockies fans for two years.

Tovar won his first National League Rawlings Gold Glove Award on Sunday, after the Colorado shortstop led the majors at the position with an 11.2 ultimate zone rating, an advanced stat that quantifies how many runs a player saved defensively.

At 23 years and 60 days, Tovar is the youngest shortstop to win the Gold Glove Award in NL history, and the second-youngest player in franchise history to win the honor behind Nolan Arenado in 2013 (22 years, 167 days).

“(Tovar) proved all year long that he was the best defensive shortstop in the National League,” Rockies manager Bud Black told The Denver Post. “His everyday work ethic is outstanding and his great defensive instincts show up every game. There is not a play he can’t make.”

After being a finalist for the award last year, Tovar took home the Gold Glove this season with a prolific summer. He was second among MLB shortstops with a .988 fielding percentage and is the second shortstop in franchise history and just the 15th in MLB history with a season with at least 675 total chances and eight or fewer errors.

Tovar is the 10th player in franchise history to win the Gold Glove, and the third shortstop. Neifi Pérez also won the award in 2000, and Troy Tulowitzki won consecutive awards in 2010 and ’11. Tovar was one of 14 first-time Gold Glove Award winners on Sunday.

While Tovar stacked up flashy plays in 2024, he also was elite in traditional defensive metrics. He led MLB shortstops in total chances (676) and double plays (113), while pacing the entire majors in assists with 435. He was also third among NL shortstops in outs above average, which measures outs a player saved, with 15.

It was Tovar’s glove that was a primary factor in him rocketing through the minors to debut on Sept. 23, 2022, at the age of 21 years and 53 days. That made him the youngest position player to debut in franchise history. And while his bat has started to truly emerge — Tovar hit .269 with a team-best 26 homers and NL-best 45 doubles this year — his glove has gotten even better in his two seasons as Colorado’s starting shortstop.

All of that talent and potential is why the Rockies signed Tovar to a seven-year extension, a deal that comes with a club option for 2031, back in March just before the season started.

His elite glovework goes back to Tovar’s rookie season in 2023. Over the past two years combined, Tovar’s .988 fielding percentage ranks second among MLB shortstops and his 1,254 total chances, 827 assists and 208 double plays lead the majors. In that same time frame, the Venezuelan also ranks second among MLB shortstops with 30 outs above average and 22 defensive runs saved.

Tovar was one of two Colorado players to win a Gold Glove Award, joining center fielder Brenton Doyle. While Tovar beat out the Cardinals’ Masyn Winn and the Cubs’ Dansby Swanson, Doyle captured his second honor by edging the Nationals’ Jacob Young and the Brewers’ Blake Perkins. It made Doyle the first outfielder in NL history to win the award in each of his first two seasons.

Tovar and Doyle are the first pair of Rockies to win a Gold Glove in the same season since third baseman Nolan Arenado and second baseman DJ LeMahieu did so following Colorado’s playoff season in 2018. It’s the eighth time it’s happened overall. And Tovar and Doyle are the first infield/outfield pair to win the award for the club in the same season since Arenado and Carlos González in 2013.

The other Rockies player who was also a finalist on Sunday, third baseman Ryan McMahon, lost out on the award to the Giants’ Matt Chapman. It was McMahon’s fourth straight year as a finalist, with still no trophy to show for it.