Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong wins NL Platinum Glove award — and Chicago Cubs earn team Gold Glove honor
The awards keep coming for Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Crow-Armstrong won the National League Platinum Glove award Friday night, the byproduct of fan voting to choose the best defensive player among the 10 Gold Glove award winners for each league. He became the second Cub to win the platinum honor since Rawlings implemented it in 2011, joining Anthony Rizzo in 2016.
Next up for Crow-Armstrong: Thursday’s MVP announcement, and the only question is whether the 24-year-old will be the NL’s unanimous winner.
“We take the field every day knowing that we’re very capable of changing the course of a ballgame with our gloves, and that’s a good pairing when you have the best offense in baseball during the year,” Crow-Armstrong said Sunday after winning his second consecutive Gold Glove. “It’s also rare to say that you’re the best offense and then one of the top defenses in the league as well, so it’s just something I take pride in stepping out with guys who have a lot of hardware when it comes to defense.
“It was a bit of a give and take when it came to defense this year, but I think I held it down out there like I always will.”
New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger took home the American League Platinum Glove award. The former Cub raved about Crow-Armstrong’s defense this summer when they both were at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia. His evolution in the outfield stood out after Bellinger got a glimpse of his potential playing alongside Crow-Armstrong during his first big-league call-up in September 2023, then in his 2024 rookie season.
“I never played it that well,” Bellinger said during All-Star weekend. “He’s seriously the best — he is the best defender in the game. He gets to some balls that none of us even get to. He’s got a crazy good arm and the feel that he has against the walls and just the IQ out there is special.”
The Cubs also took home the NL team Gold Glove award Friday night, winning it for a second consecutive season and the third time overall since Rawlings first awarded it in 2020.
“It’s a point of emphasis for us as a ballclub,” third baseman Alex Bregman said Sunday after winning his second Gold Glove. “I feel like from top to bottom in the organization, we take pride in the defense and trying to save as many runs as possible. Control 90 feet, handle the running game really well, not allow extra bases, and it’s kind of like nine guys doing their job turns into really good team defense. And I feel like when we’re out there, it’s like let’s try and make every play.”