Every MLB player with double-digit Gold Gloves

If defense wins championships, teams aiming for a World Series title in MLB probably want to have a few Gold Glove winners on their roster. The Gold Glove awards are, of course, given for defensive excellence. They are awarded for every position, including utility, in both the American and National Leagues. While you can certainly debate some selections – Derek Jeter has five Gold Gloves, which is about five more than he earned — the choices for these awards have improved over time. Additionally, when we talk about players with double-digit Gold Gloves, we’re discussing a list of some of the greatest all-time fielders.

Kaat is in the Hall of Fame, and he was a good pitcher. He made three All-Star Games, and he finished in the top five in Cy Young voting once. Kaat was good at limiting walks, and he was durable, starting over 40 games three times. However, without his fielding skills, Kaat probably wouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame. When it came to fielding as a pitcher, though, Kaat won 16 Gold Gloves. Yes, 16. That has him tied for second most.

Poor Kaat, though, lost the title for the most Gold Gloves for a pitcher, and his tie for the most overall, to Maddux. Not that Maddux needed the help. He’s one of the five-best pitchers ever, leading MLB in WHIP four times and ERA four times. Maddux won four consecutive Cy Youngs, and then you get to his fielding prowess. He won 18 Gold Gloves, which is a record that feels unlikely to be broken.

Bench is definitely in the argument for best catcher ever. He won MVP twice, rare for the position, and played in 14 All-Star Games. Bench was an excellent hitter for his position – and a very good hitter regardless of position – but he also had a reputation for fielding well. Granted, this was before the days of the preoccupation with pitch framing, but the Reds legend won 10 Gold Gloves.

Rodriguez is probably also hoping to be considered in the conversation about the best catcher in MLB history. He only won one MVP, and he never led one of the leagues in homers, which Bench did. That being said, there is one place where the man they call Pudge has Bench beat. Rodriguez won 13 Gold Gloves at catcher, so the “defense wins championships” crowd might go with Rodriguez. Of course, then we’d have to point out that Bench won two World Series compared to Pudge’s one, and he was also a World Series MVP.

More than just the guy from that “Seinfeld” arc, Hernandez had a skill set perhaps undervalued in his era. After all, he was a first baseman who didn’t have a ton of power, never topping 18 homers. However, he got on base at an excellent clip, finishing multiple seasons with an OBP over .400. Plus, there was his fielding, as he won 11 Gold Gloves.

Hernandez is the only first baseman to tally double-digit Gold Gloves, and Alomar is the only second baseman. In addition to his 10 Gold Gloves, Alomar made 12 All-Star Games and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, allegations of misconduct have hindered Alomar’s legacy after his retirement, so much so that the Blue Jays unretired his number.

Schmidt is an all-time great. He was an elite hitter, routinely leading the National League in home runs and also more advanced statistics like OPS+. For his hitting alone, the Phillies icon would have been a Hall of Famer. However, the three-time MVP also won 10 Gold Glove awards at third base.

Some may quibble with Arenado’s offensive numbers, given how many years he spent with the Rockies. That, combined with his numbers falling with the Cardinals, may ding his Hall of Fame hopes. However, the thin air of Denver didn’t help with his defense. He’s won 10 Gold Gloves as a third baseman.

Aside from pitchers, Robinson is the gold standard, such as it is, for fielding. The career-long Oriole is the name that comes up most when discussing standout fielding. While he was a good hitter who won an MVP the year he led the AL in RBI, Robinson wouldn’t be in the Hall without his glove. He won 16 Gold Gloves, comfortably the most of any non-pitcher.

Some tried to make a Hall push for Vizquel, but it didn’t pan out. That’s fair, as his glove was his only real calling card. Vizquel was an old-school shortstop in that he was in the lineup for his field and, to a degree, his speed. The journeyman stole over 400 bases in his career and won a whopping 11 Gold Gloves at a difficult position. He also had a career .688 OPS.

To be honest, Smith was a worse hitter than Vizquel. However, he’s in the Hall of Fame. How? Well, for starters, he stole more bases, getting to 580. Also, people liked him a lot, so much so that he made 15 All-Star Games. The clincher, though, was the fielding. Smith is right up there with Robinson in the battle for best fielder in MLB history. The shortstop won 13 Gold Gloves, and that pushed him over the hump.

Imagine how many Gold Gloves Ichiro could have won had he not played in Japan until his age-27 season. Sure, he managed to play in MLB until he was 45, but his 10 Gold Gloves came in his first 10 seasons. Ichiro had a legendary bat. He led the majors in hits seven times and broke the MLB record when he hit 262. Let us not overlook the fact that he was one of the best fielders in the world as well, renowned for his cannon of an arm in the outfield.

Unless you’re a Tigers fan, Kaline’s resume is underrated. He made 18 All-Star Games, won a batting title, and finished in the top five in MVP voting on four occasions. All that, and he was an excellent fielder as well. The Hall of Famer won 10 Gold Gloves, and when he was young, he was basically the Ken Griffey Jr. of the 1950s.

For a while, Jones seemed destined to make it into the Hall of Fame. He was considered the best outfielder in baseball, winning 10-straight Gold Gloves. Not only that, but Jones was a power hitter who once led the majors with 51 homers. Then, something odd happened. Jones left Atlanta after his age-30 season…and he fell apart. He played five more seasons in MLB, and he was bad, so much so that he ended up retiring. Jones’ gotten up over two-thirds on recent Hall ballots, so he might still make it. The clock is ticking, though.

Griffey, of course, cruised into the Hall of Fame. That’ll happen when you are both an all-time great in the field and at the plate and so cool and popular that you get your own video game while playing for the Seattle Mariners. Arguably, the only surprise is that he only won one MVP. The 10 Gold Gloves? Those aren’t a surprise at all.

Clemente is, of course, a tragic story. In 1972, the Pirates icon collected his 3,000th hit and his 12th Gold Glove. Then, he died in a plane crash. Now, he was 38, and maybe he had won his last Gold Glove. We’ll never know, and that’s part of the tragedy of Clemente’s career ending how it did, with the unfortunate loss of his life.

Mays and Clemente are tied with 12 Gold Gloves, two legends who wowed at the plate and in the field. With all due respect to Clemente, Mays was an even better hitter. He was a two-time MVP who won a batting title, retired with 660 homers, and led the majors in stolen bases three times. Mays could do it all. There are some who might argue that he is the best player in MLB history. Well, the 12 Gold Gloves help that argument to be sure.