Padres’ Grisham & Machado nominated for NL Gold Gloves

Manny Machado and Trent Grisham will represent the San Diego Padres as finalists for a 2020 MLB Gold Glove Award. 

On Thursday, Rawlings announced their Gold Glove Award nominees, and two Padres made the cut.

Manny Machado is going up against Nolan Arenado and Brian Anderson at third base in the NL. Trent Grisham is up against Cody Bellinger and Ronald Acuna Jr.in center field.

Machado was all over the highlight reels this year. Although his plays didn’t only come at third base, he moved around a lot in the shift and made highlight plays near shortstop and in a deep second base position (while playing the shift). 

It felt like every game Machado would be making a big-time play in the field.

The right-handed hitter ranks 3rd in Outs Above Average, 2nd in Defensive runs saved, and 3rd in UZR among NL third basemen. This is what the Padres expected when they signed him for $300 million. A highlight machine on defense and an amazing bat at the plate is what he is delivering. This year, Machado put it together, and the nominations are giving him the well-deserved recognition.

Trent Grisham seemed to enjoy the move to San Diego after being acquired from the Brewers. He first caught national attention for making a game-changing error in the postseason in 2019. This season, the left-handed hitter blossomed into one of the best centerfielders in the league. He lead the in Outs Above Average, Defensive Runs Saved, and UZR among NL centerfielders.

Distance: 70 feet
Opportunity time: 4.0 seconds
Catch probability: 15 percent

Per @statcast, that’s a 5-star play and the toughest catch of Trent Grisham’s career. (In a big spot, too.) pic.twitter.com/gmKXltyxhM

— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) July 31, 2020

Questions were going into the season on if he could stay in centerfield. After seeing a play like that, the Padres have no doubt he will be the Padres’ long-term centerfielder.

Both players enjoyed a great defensive year for the Padres. 

Evan Anderson

Evan is a student finishing up a degree in Finance from Northern Arizona University. The ability to break down numbers and find the story behind them has lead to his first of writing for East Village times. He covers baseball which is the sport he grew up playing and has followed even after his playing years.