3 Marlins named NL Gold Glove finalists, even with Otto Lopez snubbed

Let me begin by clarifying that Xavier Edwards (second base), Kyle Stowers (left field) and Javier Sanoja (utility) are not really "finalists" for National League Gold Glove Awards. Using the term implies that the competition is still ongoing, when in fact all of the award winners have already been determined—Major League Baseball just wants to keep it under wraps for a few more weeks and build suspense in the meantime. More accurately, Rawlings teased on Wednesday that Edwards, Stowers and Sanoja finished top three in the selection process at their respective positions.

Quoting directly from MLB.com: "To determine the winners at the nine standard positions, the 30 MLB managers and up to six coaches from each team vote from a pool of players in their league, excluding players from their own team. These votes comprise 75% of the selection total, with the SABR Defensive Index counting for the other 25%. For the utility position, Rawlings collaborated with SABR to create a specialized defensive formula separate from the traditional selection process."

Edwards made the switch to second base on May 31. In 96 games there (814 ⅓ innings), he had plus-12 defensive runs saved and plus-seven fielding run value. Stowers got reps at all three outfield spots, spending 541 ⅔ of his 857 total defensive innings in left, where he had 2 DRS and 1 FRV. Sanoja was the quintessential utility player, contributing at every position with the exceptions of catcher and right field. Overall, he had 7 DRS and 2 FRV in 785 innings.

Edwards, Stowers and Sanoja each had MLB experience prior to 2025, but this is the first time that they have accrued enough playing time to qualify for Gold Glove consideration. With coaches having such a big say, a player's reputation inevitably influences the process—veterans have the upper hand. It's a testament to the true ability of these Miami Marlins youngsters that they garnered so much support despite their brief career track records.

The other NL second base finalists are Nico Hoerner (Chicago Cubs) and Brice Turang (Milwaukee Brewers), the other NL left field finalists are Ian Happ (Cubs) and Tommy Pham (Pittsburgh Pirates), and the other NL utility finalists are Miguel Rojas (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Jared Triolo (Pirates).

The irony is, Otto Lopez was the Marlins' most important defensive player this season, yet he is not a finalist. Lopez stabilized the club's shortstop position for the first time since 2022 and ranked above average there by every publicly available metric. His prowess on the left side of the infield directly made Edwards' job easier on the right side.

Nick Allen (Atlanta Braves), Mookie Betts (Dodgers) and Masyn Winn (St. Louis Cardinals) are the NL SS finalists instead.

The Gold Glove Award winners will be announced on November 2.