PITTSBURGH — One Pittsburgh Pirates infielder had a great year defensively, but he was wrongfully edged out of the ultimate award for his work.
Pirates infielder Jared Triolo missed out on the Gold Glove Award for a utility player in the National League, as Javier Sanoja of the Miami Marlins beat out him and Miguel Rojas of the Los Angeles Dodgers for it.
Triolo didn’t have the start to the season that anyone would want, especially with a lumbar spine injury, which kept him out from April 7 to April 16.
He then struggled immensely from the plate and as a result, didn’t have a starting spot, nor found consistent at-bats.
Triolo slashed .158/.253/.266 for an OPS of .519 in 55 games, with 22 hits in 139 at-bats, six doubles, three home runs, 10 RBIs and 17 walks to 29 strikeouts, before the Pirates optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis on July 11, giving him a chance for more consistent at-bats.
The Pirates traded third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds on July 30 and brought back Triolo on Aug 1, after he slashed .209/.370/.326 for an OPS of .696 in 14 games at Triple-A, with nine hits in 43 at-bats, two doubles, one home run, two RBIs and 11 walks to nine strikeouts.
Triolo originally took over at third base for the first series vs. the Colorado Rockies, before taking over at shortstop from Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who the Pirates eventually placed on outright waivers at the end of August.
Aug 24, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jared Triolo (19) warms up before the game against he Colorado Rockies at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
He only didn’t start two games the rest of the way, with most of his starts coming at shortstop and a few at third base.
Triolo also improved as a hitter, slashing .276/.353/.422 for an OPS of .775 in his final 52 games, with 53 hits in 192 at-bats, 12 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 14 RBIs, 22 walks to 47 strikeouts and eight stolen bases on nine attempts.
He finished his season with 44 starts in 47 games at shortstop, 30 starts in 32 games at third base, 12 starts in 24 games at first base and 10 starts in 11 games at second base.
Triolo had 68 putouts and 109 assists in 183 chances, 28 doubles plays turned and six errors for a .967 fielding percentage in 388.2 innings played at shortstop. He had 24 putouts and 46 assists in 72 total chances, six double plays turned and two errors in 260.1 innings pitched at third base for a .972 fielding percentage.
He was perfect at both second base and first base, with 21 putouts and 30 assists in 51 total chances, with 11 double plays turned in 80.0 innings at second base, while posting 111 putouts and six assists in 117 total chances, with six double plays turned in 116.0 innings played at first base.
Triolo finished with five runs prevented and six outs above average, both the best marks on the Pirates for a player who spent the whole year with the team.
Sep 6, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jared Triolo (19)fields a ground ball for an out against Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz (not pictured) during the third inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Triolo and Sanoja both had great defensive seasons and played across the field, putting themselves amongst the best utility players in baseball.
Sanoja, a rookie, also featured at three infield positions and two outfield positions mainly, finishing with seven positions played in 2025, aside from catcher and pitcher.
Comparing the two defenders isn’t easy, but looking at their defensive runs saved and their outs above average give a more clear idea of where they excelled at in 2025.
Jared Triolo
Javier Sanoja
SS: -2 DRS, +1 OAA (388.2 innings)
SS: 0 DRS, -2 OAA (75 innings)
3B: 7 DRS, +4 OAA (260.1 innings)
3B: 4 DRS, +1 OAA (255.2 innings)
1B: 1 DRS, 0 OAA (116.0 innings)
LF: 0 DRS, 0 OAA (156.1 innings)
2B: 3 DRS, +2 OAA (80.0 innings)
2B: 5 DRS, +1 OAA (208.2 innings)
P: 0 DRS/0 AA (1.0 inning)
CF: -2 DRS, 0 OAA (79.0 innings)
Triolo and Sanoja both played about the same amount at third base, with Triolo at 260.1 innings and Sanoja at 255.2 innings, which makes for the best comparison.
The edge goes to Triolo, who had seven defensive runs saved and four outs above average, compared to Sanoja, who had four defensive runs and one out above average.
Triolo also had nine defensive runs saved, compared to Sanoja, who had seven, while having sven outs above average, where Sanoja had just one out above average. Those nine defensive runs saved
Sanoja also didn’t have great metrics for his outfield play, with a negative-two defensive runs save and zero outs above average, while Triolo had one defensive run saved at first base, his least important position in the infield.
Triolo, who won the Gold Glove Award at utility player for the NL in 2024, had a better season this year than last, with six defensive runs saved in 2024, compared to nine defensive runs saved in 2025.
While Triolo won’t take home the award, the Pirates still have an excellent defender heading into 2026, a season where they’ll try and break their decade-long absence from the postseason.