Red Sox rookie right fielder wins Gold Glove
Red Sox rookie right fielder wins Gold Glove
Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu was one of the best outfielders in baseball last season. On Sunday night, he won some hardware to validate his performance.
Abreu was awarded an American League Gold Glove, beating out finalists Jo Adell (Angels) and Juan Soto (Yankees) for right fielders. With his win, Abreu became the first Red Sox rookie to win a Gold Glove since Fred Lynn won back in 1975 and the third ever to join catcher Carlton Fish (1972).
Abreu becomes the first Red Sox Gold Glove winner since Mookie Betts last won the award for right fielders back in 2019. He is also the seventh rookie outfielder in MLB history to take home the honors.
The 25-year-old also won a Fielding Bible Award, naming him the best right fielder in baseball back in mid-October. Abreu led all right fielders with 17 defensive runs saved and was tied for the MLB lead at the position with nine assists. He ranked in the 98th percentile in baseball arm strength (94.8 mph) and the 91st percentile in outs above average/range (7), which was best amongst outfielders in the American League according to his Baseball Savant page.
His arm value, which essentially is Abreu hitting the cutoff man, is he getting guys out, and is he holding runners to one bag, etc., ranked the second best in the American League at 3.
Abreu played in 132 games this past year for the Red Sox, including 106 starts in right field. Offensively, he hit .253 with 15 homers, 33 doubles, two triples, 58 RBI, eight stolen bases, 40 walks and owned a .781 OPS. After taking home the Fielding Bible Award and now a Gold Glove, Abreu should also receive Rookie of the Year votes when the award is announced later this month.
“If it happens, it’s a huge honor,” Abreu told MassLive’s Christopher Smith towards the end of last season if he were to win a Gold Glove this offseason. “At the same time, it wasn’t a goal for me this year. The goal for me this year was to go out and try to help the team in any way I can. And I was able to do that. So if that award comes, I’ll be very happy. But at the same time, it wasn’t something that was on my mind.”
"Obviously, my defense for me has been the big thing. It’s been the thing that’s always been a constant,” Abreu said. “On the offensive side, obviously I had some success, but I also had some ups and downs. And I struggled a little bit. But that’s something that happens. So for me to be able to contribute in all other aspects of the game was huge.”
Even with his new accolades, the Red Sox could look to trade Wilyer Abreu this offseason. Boston is left-handed heavy in their lineup and needs additional right-handed hitting, plus top prospect Roman Anthony is knocking at the door of the bigs and will need a spot in the Sox’ outfield.
Abreu is under team control for the next five seasons (2030), which will hold tremendous trade value in addition to his defensive play and metrics on the field. If the Red Sox decide to trade Abreu, he could be packaged to a team that has controllable young starters that offer high-end potential long-term.
Jarren Duran is too valuable to the Red Sox lineup to consider trading him over Abreu. If Masataka Yoshida didn’t undergo shoulder surgery this offseason, Boston could have looked to explore moving him and eating salary to clear him off the books.
The Red Sox aren’t going to make a trade for the sake of a move, but there’s a logjam in the outfield, and Craig Breslow will need to address that in the coming weeks. Abreu seems logical based on his potential and current value in the outfield.
