Who are baseball's most decorated Gold Glove defenders of all time?

There is no shortage of defensive masterminds scattered across the MLB landscape. Some, such as Yadier Molina, Andrelton Simmons, Jason Heyward and Nolan Arenado, are adding to their already impressive reputations with the leather. Others like Matt Chapman, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Javier Baez look to begin to craft an award-winning legacy of golden-laced leather.

A glance through the history of the Gold Glove Awards, which goes back to 1957, showcases a who's who of legends of the field. Some of the greatest names the game has ever known have crafted their respective legacies by collecting baseball's most famous fielding honor on an annual basis.

As the next class of Gold Glove winners prepares to be added to the award's rich lineage, let's have a look back at the standard bearers at each position in the award's history.

Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez, 13-time winner (1992-2001, 2004, 2006-2007)

Rodriguez redefined expectations behind the plate during his career, winning his first as a 20-year-old and adding the final one at age 37. Few catchers in history were more feared behind the plate than Pudge, who nailed 46 percent of potential base stealers in his career and led his league in runners caught stealing in nine different seasons. From 1996 to 2001, Rodriguez averaged an astonishing 54 percent of runners hosed down a year, peaking at 60 percent in 2001.

First Baseman: Keith Hernandez, 11-time winner (1978-1988)

While defense is usually not the first order of the day from a first baseman, when it was performed as masterfully as it was by Keith Hernandez, it is still a marvel to behold. From the late '70s throughout the majority of the '80s, Hernandez redefined the imagination of the type of impact that a first baseman could have with the glove. Initially he was part of a St. Louis Cardinals infield that featured Ozzie Smith, Tommy Herr and Ken Oberkfell and was one of the best defensive groups in baseball history. He also was co-MVP in 1979 with Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell. In five different seasons, Hernandez played at least 149 games, having less than 10 errors in a season. From 1984-86, he played 4,027.2 innings while committing only 17 errors.

Second Baseman: Roberto Alomar, 10-time winner (1991-1996, 1998-2001)

An athletic and daring defender, nothing seemed to be out of the range of Alomar. Although regularly on the move throughout his career, his defensive presence was a cornerstone of two World Series winning teams in Toronto. When paired alongside fellow defensive great Omar Vizquel during a three-year stint with the Cleveland Indians, the duo won three consecutive Gold Gloves.

Besides his amazing reactions and range, Alomar’s greatest gift was an immensely powerful arm. It allowed him to cut down balls to both his left and right deep into either hole while also turning double plays with an efficiency few could match. Alomar had three seasons of turning over 100 double plays and led baseball in second base fielding percentage four separate occasions.

Third Baseman: Brooks Robinson, 16-time winner (1960-1975)

A virtuoso in his time, and well beyond it, at third base, there’s "Hoover" and then there’s everybody else. His 16 Gold Glove wins (all consecutive) are the most by a position player in baseball history. Robinson changed the game defensively from the hot corner in ways that were unimaginable at the time, with the quickness and reactions to make plays moving in any direction. His ability to make long, accurate throws cut the infield in half and played a massive part in the two World Series titles he helped bring to Baltimore.

At the time of his retirement, Robinson held major league records for putouts, assists, total chances and double plays by a third baseman. His 39.1 defensive Wins Above Replacement are the third most of all time. After all, he didn’t get the nickname "The Human Vacuum Cleaner" by accident.

Shortstop: Ozzie Smith, 13-time winner (1980-1992)

"The Wizard" is perhaps the most accurate nickname in baseball history, because it is hard to believe that you were not witnessing magic when watching Ozzie Smith play shortstop. No player in history has made a bigger impact defensively than Smith, whose 44.2 dWAR total is the highest in baseball history. Blessed with seemingly limitless range, it was the glove of Smith that helped to land the Cardinals in three World Series during the 1980s. Smith’s highlight reel of incomprehensible plays made possible defied logic of fans, competition and even his teammates, alike.

Smith’s defense simply changed the way the game was played against the Cardinals. From 1978 to 1989, Smith finished lower than second in assists only twice and led the NL on six different occasions. Over the same time span, Ozzie finished outside of the top three in range factor at the position only once. As a result, he won every Gold Glove in the National League in the 1980s, during a particularly competitive era at the position defensively.

Outfield: Willie Mays, 12-time winner (1957-1968); Roberto Clemente, 12-time winner (1961-1972)

In a particularly appropriate scenario, the record for outfield Gold Gloves is tied between Mays and Clemente. This situation is so satisfying because for many years, Gold Gloves were awarded across the outfield indiscriminate of position. However, while Mays provided the standard for center field excellence, Clemente did the same for corner outfielders.

Arguably the greatest all-around player in history, Mays was just as incredible of a visage streaking across the outfield as he was awe-inspiring at the plate and on the bases. His catch — or rather THE Catch — in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series is still perhaps the most famous play in baseball history. What made Mays exploits so particularly impressive was the cavernous dimension of the Polo Grounds that he stalked for much of his career. In addition to his range and glove, Mays’ arm was second to none from center field, as he posted 11 consecutive years of double-digit outfield assists, including a total of 23 in 1955, two years before the Gold Glove was first awarded.

However, when it comes to brilliance of outfield throws, few were as feared as Clemente was in right field. The legendary Puerto Rican star was a sensation in the Pittsburgh outfield, winning 12 consecutive Gold Glove honors, a record by a corner outfielder. It seems almost ridiculous that Clemente would have the opportunity to throw out as many runners as he did, but the truth of the matter is that he often was getting runners who were making routine and expected plays. But with his exceptional defensive IQ and throwing ability, Clemente gunned down 266 runners in his career, including an incredible 27 in 1961 — a mark no player has bested in the 57 years since.

Pitcher: Greg Maddux, 18-time winner (1990-2002, 2004-2008)

The precision control was something to marvel at as was the stunning consistency of his success. But a major part of the recipe that created the pitcher who was Maddux was just how great he was at cleaning up his own work. While Maddux was not considered a dominant strikeout pitcher, his effectiveness at creating groundballs back to himself often functioned in the way strikeouts did for many other hurlers.

In his career, Maddux had three errorless seasons while working over 200 innings in each. His knack for creating self-started double play balls saw him be a part of 98 DPs in his career, 20 more than any other pitcher in history. Maddux also has 158 more putouts than any pitcher in history and the most assists of any pitcher whose career began in the last 80 years.

Due to this frustratingly persistent ability, no player has ever won more Gold Gloves than Maddux, who has nearly two decades worth in his trophy case.