Brenton Doyle’s speed and glittering array of highlight-reel plays turned into gold Sunday night.
The Rockies’ center fielder won the National League Rawling’s Gold Glove, becoming just the second Colorado rookie to win the award. The other was third baseman Nolan Arenado, who snagged the first of his 10 Gold Gloves in 2013.
“Definitely super honored, just to be considered a finalist,” Doyle said. “A guy like me, being a rookie and coming from a small school and small background, it’s definitely a rewarding feeling.
“All of my hard work throughout the season definitely paid off. A Gold Glove is something I eye every single year.”
Doyle, 25, attending Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia, was drafted by the Rockies in the fourth round in 2019.
Prior to this year, only 14 big-league rookies had been honored with a Gold Glove since the award’s inception in 1957. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Doyle is the first National League rookie outfielder in history to win a Gold Glove.
“I was not aware of that but it’s awesome to hear,” Doyle said. “To be the first one is definitely cool.”
The Rockies had two other finalists this year, veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon and rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. McMahon came up short for the third consecutive year.
Doyle joined Hall of Famer Larry Walker and three-time All-Star Carlos Gonzalez as the only Colorado outfielders to win a Gold Glove. Walker won the award five times (1997, ’98, ’99, ’01 and ’02), while Gonzalez won it three times (2010, ’12 and ’13).
“Brenton is so deserving of a Gold Glove,” manager Bud Black said. “What is just as impressive, he did it as a rookie. His arm, range, jumps, and instincts were all on display this year. We’re proud and excited for Brenton to have received this award.”
Doyle, 25, led all major league players with a 24.5 Ultimate Zone Rating, more than 10 points higher than the next closest player, the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. (13.8). He credited veteran outfielder Charlie Blackmon, and especially his friendly competition with fellow rookie outfielder Nolan Jones for his steady improvement over the season.
“Whether it was us throwing out people, left and right, or us making good grabs in the outfield (Jones) helped me,” Doyle said. “Keeping it loose out there definitely helps and it let me play a lot more freely and have fun.”
Doyle finished the season with 19 defensive runs saved, the sixth-most among all position players and the most of any center fielder. And he finished with 16 outs above average, tied for the sixth-highest total in the majors and the highest by any outfielder by three. Doyle committed just one error in 348 total chances for a .997 fielding percentage.
Doyle made a number of spectacular plays but his favorite was his diving catch on June 14 at Boston’s famed Fenway Park. In the third inning, Pablo Reyes lined a ball toward the left-center field gap for what looked like a sure double, triple or more. The ball hooked away from Doyle, but he made a sprinting, diving catch. On the mound, lefty Austin Gomber put his hands in the air and applauded.
“I was kind of shifted toward right field and (Reyes) hit a pretty scorching line drive just to the left of center field,” Doyle recalled. “But keep in mind that I was shifted over to right. And it was one of those where if I don’t make the catch, it might be an insider-the-parker because of how deep it gets in center there.
“And it was one of those where it was kind of a do-or-die catch. And it was kind of funny because it kind of got lost in the lights there for the last second, and the only reason I knew I made (the catch) is that it hit my pocket.
“It was a pretty surreal catch, especially at Fenway and the history of that ballpark. And they’re notorious for their fans there, and to hear some applause from the die-hard Red Sox fans was pretty cool.”
To determine the winners at the nine standard positions, the 30 MLB managers and up to six coaches from each team voted from a pool of players in their league, excluding players from their own team. Their votes comprise 75% of the selection total, with the SABR Defensive Index counting for the other 25%.
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