Blue Jays’ Daulton Varsho solidifying case for first Gold Glove Award: ‘He’s the best defender in all of baseball’

Jaw-dropping catches like this continue to puzzle many about why Varsho isn’t already a Glove Glove winner. He’s come close a few times, earning two selections as a Gold Glove finalist, once with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022 and the other with the Blue Jays last season.

But this season likely presents the former catcher’s best chance to reach the top of the mountain, and you don’t have to look very far to find someone who agrees with that notion.

“If Varsho doesn’t win a Platinum Glove, then we need to get rid of it,” Bassitt told reporters post-game, including Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. “He’s the best defender in all of baseball and no one’s even close.

“You shouldn’t expect him to make all of those plays, but he might be the only one in the world that can actually do it. I’m never going to take him and what he’s doing for granted.”

Someone who certainly hasn’t taken Varsho for granted is his skipper, who’s continued to praise his defence and immense work ethic in the outfield all season.

“I’ve said it a million times: he’s the best there is,” manager John Schneider added.

The numbers support Bassitt and Schneider’s claims, as Varsho leads all major-league outfielders in defensive runs saved (+21) and sits third in outs above average (+14), trailing only Michael Siani (+15) and Jacob Young (+16). Baseball Savant’s fielding run value metric puts him tied with Siani for third in the majors at +13, behind Young (+14) and Patrick Bailey (+15).

One element that diminished Varsho’s Gold Glove campaign last year was splitting time between left and centre field, spreading his overall value too thin at both positions. While he’s been accustomed to a similar role this season, he’s taken his defensive production to the next level, leading all qualified AL left fielders (min. 300 innings) in DRS (+12) and OAA (+10).

Plus, on top of his elite results in left, he’s tied with former Blue Jay Kevin Kiermaier for the second-most DRS among AL centre-fielders at +9, which should help his case as a candidate for this season’s Platinum Glove Award.

The award, which debuted in 2011 and is handed out to the best defensive AL and NL players each season, has never been won by a Blue Jays player.