Three Diamondbacks Named 2023 Gold Glove Finalists

Three Diamondbacks have been named finalists for a National League Gold Glove Award. Gabriel Moreno, Christian Walker, and Alek Thomas were named at catcher, first baseman, and center field respectively. This year marks the first year that Moreno has been named a finalist, the second for Thomas, and the third for Walker.

The Gold Glove vote comes down to two parts. 75% of the vote is by six coaches on each team, then a 25% vote from a defensive SABR index. Coaches cannot vote for players on their own team.

Here are the finalists at each of those position:

Catcher: Gabriel Moreno (ARI), J.T. Realmuto (PHI), Patrick Bailey (SF)
First Base: Christian Walker (ARI), Freddie Freeman (LAD), Carlos Santana (PIT/MIL)
Center Field: Alek Thomas (ARI), Michael Harris II (ATL), Brenton Doyle (COL)

The D-backs acquired Moreno in the previous off-season along with outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Daulton Varsho. The 23-year-old catcher had a good first year with Arizona, hitting .284 with seven home runs with terrific defense behind the plate. He led all major league players in Baseball Reference's dWAR metric, which accounts for just fielding and position runs, at 3.1. His ability to throw out runners, leading all NL catchers with a 39% caught stealing rate (22-for-57) and Statcast's Caught Stealing Outs Above Average at +9.

Walker will be looking to make it back-to-back Gold Gloves at first base. Once again the defensive metrics paint him as the best defensive 1B in the game, with Sports Info Solutions crediting him +9 defensive runs saved and Baseball Savant at +9 runs prevented. His ability to close off the hole between first and second is what makes him special, getting seven outs above the average first baseman ranging to his right. His range combined with his ability to handle tough throws has saved many errors from his teammates on the infield.

Thomas put together another solid campaign in center field, at +5 defensive runs saved and +5 runs prevented. Thomas is the biggest longshot to win a Gold Glove of the three, as he spent a month of the season in Triple-A to work on his swing and Doyle put together one of the more impressive defensive seasons in center for the Rockies. Thomas' ability to cover a lot of ground in the outfield has been an asset, especially when it comes to taking away would-be extra base hits.