The Platinum Glove Award is given to the best defensive player of the year from each league. To determine the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners, fans select one player among the nine Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners from each League.
At the conclusion of the 2011 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners announcement show on ESPN2's "Baseball Tonight," Rawlings Sporting Goods Company unveiled the first-ever Rawlings Platinum Glove Award fan vote to find out who the best defensive baseball player is among this year's Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners.
Listed below in chronological order is every recipient of the Platinum Glove Award, the best defensive player in Major League Baseball. Research by Baseball Almanac.
"Once the Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners are announced, the 'watercooler' debate as to who is the best defensive player rages with friends, co-workers and now across the social media landscape. Since major-league managers and coaches select the 18 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners, we wanted to create an outlet and an icon for the fans to voice their opinion as to who 'the best of the best' is on the diamond. The Rawlings Gold Glove Award is an iconic symbol of defensive skill, dedication and execution. We wanted to elevate the anticipation for the winners' announcement, and with the inaugural Rawlings Platinum Glove Award fan vote, create an interactive forum for baseball fans around the world to be part of the award process."- Thompson, Mike. Rawlings Senior Vice President of Marketing. Press Release. 2 November 2011.
Platinum Glove Award voting begins at the conclusion of the exclusive ESPN2 broadcast for Gold Glove Awards on Rawlings Facebook Page. Winners are announced on MLB Network.
Did you know that both the 2012 winners (Yadier Molina & Adrian Beltre) won the inaugural Rawlings Platinum Glove Award in 2011? Trivia questions answered: Who won the first Platinum Glove Award? Which player (from each league) was the first to win two Platinum Glove Awards? Which player (from each league) was the first to win consecutive Platinum Glove Awards?
These players, according to Rawlings, were the best defensive player in the entire Major Leagues. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Share your opinions with us on our Baseball Almanac Facebook Group, on Baseball Almanac Twitter, via Baseball Almanac Messenger, or our baseball forum — Baseball Fever.