I started something last year that I want to make an annual tradition: Saluting the runners-up for The Fielding Bible Awards.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re always going to celebrate the winners of the Awards, but it feels like we\u2019re shortchanging some great defensive players who are deserving of recognition too. So here\u2019s to this year\u2019s second-place finishers in the Awards voting.<\/p>\n
First Base \u2013 Carlos Santana has been a high-performing defensive first baseman for three years running. That\u2019s remarkable given that he\u2019s done so at ages 37, 38, and 39 after having only a modestly successful run at first base prior to that. Santana had 12 Defensive Runs Saved this season, second to Matt Olson\u2019s 17. Santana\u2019s 32 Runs Saved trail only Olson\u2019s 38 at first base since the start of 2023.<\/p>\n
Second Base \u2013 Our voters like Andr\u00e9s Gim\u00e9nez a lot. He previously won a Fielding Bible Award in 2023 and 2024 and finished a solid second in 2025 despite injuries limiting him to 87 games at second base (and 15 games at shortstop). Gim\u00e9nez finished tied for fourth in Runs Saved among second basemen and may have challenged Nico Hoerner for the positional lead had he been fully healthy.<\/p>\n
Third Base \u2013 Maikel Garcia had a strong close to the season, finishing with 13 Runs Saved, second to only Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes\u2019 19 at third base. That meant that Garcia beat out bigger names, including Nolan Arenado, and Matt Chapman. It has been an impressive rise for Garcia, who had -1 Runs Saved in 2023 and 3 in 2024 before his big jump in 2025.<\/p>\n
Shortstop \u2013 Nick Allen finished fifth with 12 Runs Saved at the position but vaulted over a few players to finish as the runner-up in the voting to Mookie Betts. The 2025 season was the first in which Allen got to play every day and he lived up to the scouting reports that have been touting his defensive excellence since his minor league days.<\/p>\n
Left Field \u2013 Wyatt Langford finished second in Runs Saved at the position for the second straight season and acquitted himself well in a 45-game stint in center field in 2025 too. Langford actually had the highest Range Runs Saved among left fielders in 2025, beating out Fielding Bible Award winner Steven Kwan. Shout-out too to Ian Happ, who finished with the same number of points as Langford in Fielding Bible Voting but Langford edged him out for second on the tiebreaker.<\/p>\n
Center Field \u2013 Had the Fielding Bible Awards vote been conducted at midseason, Pete Crow-Armstrong would probably have won, but he declined a bit both offensive and defensively after the All-Star Break. Still, he finished tied for second among center fielders in Runs Saved and was one of the most exciting defensive players to watch this season. We wouldn\u2019t be at all surprised if he won the Fielding Bible Award in 2026.<\/p>\n
Right Field \u2013 Wilyer Abreu won a Fielding Bible Award in 2024 and came close to winning it for the second straight year after another standout season. Fernando Tatis Jr. beat him out. Abreu\u2019s 15 Runs Saved were 1 shy of the most in right field, which was impressive given that he played nearly 300 fewer innings than the leader, Adolis Garc\u00eda.<\/p>\n
Catcher \u2013 Alejandro Kirk had impressive catching credentials, as he led all catchers in the pitch blocking component of Runs Saved and finished tied for second in the pitch framing component (Strike Zone Runs Saved). Kirk has been consistently good. His 39 Runs Saved over the last three seasons rank second to 2024 and 2025 Fielding Bible Award winner Patrick Bailey.<\/p>\n
Pitcher \u2013 Logan Webb tied for the lead in the Range component of Runs Saved and had good Stolen Base Runs Saved stats too. He finished both second among pitchers in Runs Saved and second in the voting to Fielding Bible Award winner Max Fried.<\/p>\n
Multi-Position \u2013 Mauricio Dub\u00f3n sets a standard in versatility that is hard to match. He played at least 15 games at five different positions (left field, second base, shortstop, third base, and center field) and had at least 5 Runs Saved at two of those spots (left field and second base). He was a worthy runner-up to Ernie Clement for the Fielding Bible Award.<\/p>\n
Team of the Year \u2013 The Blue Jays had a Fielding Bible Award winner (Clement) and two runners-up (Gim\u00e9nez and Kirk). They were also the only team to record at least 10 Runs Saved at five defensive positions this season (catcher, first base, second base, center field, and left field). Their defense was one of the key factors in their World Series run and they were a deserving runner up to the Cubs for Team of the Year honors.<\/p>\n