Chicago Cubs: Seiya Suzuki gets his first shot at a Gold Glove

The Rawlings Gold Glove finalists have been announced, and as usual, there’s a handful of Chicago Cubs on the list. Heading into this season, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ, and Dansby Swanson were expected to be in the mix. Alex Bregman has also won a Gold Glove before, so it never felt far-fetched for him either.

Your 2026 @RawlingsSports Gold Glove Finalists. pic.twitter.com/B540Vf3GaW

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 14, 2026

However, few likely pictured Seiya Suzuki as a Gold Glove finalist in right field. In his fifth year as a Cub, Suzuki went from a DH first and outfielder second to a trustworthy glove. Suzuki was known for ill-timed gaffes in the outfield. Those big mistakes pushed him to heavier DH duty in years past. Now, he has a legit shot at the Gold Glove.

Suzuki’s Gold Glove-worthy season

The eye test was enough to realize the steady work he did, but the metrics will take it even further.

Per Fangraphs, among all qualified right fielders in baseball, Suzuki was first in Fielding Run Value (8), second in Defensive Runs Saved (14), and third in Outs Above Average (5). Per Statcast, his Fielding Run Value was in the 86th percentile, his Outs Above Average in the 89th percentile, and his Arm Value in the 94th percentile. Among all qualified outfielders, his 14 Defensive Runs Saved was the sixth-highest.

The last time Suzuki qualified for Statcast fielding percentile metrics was in 2024. That season, he was in the 31st percentile in Fielding Run Value (-3) and the 19th percentile in Outs Above Average (-3). In 2025, he played a career-low 414.2 innings in the outfield and posted a collective -1 Fielding Run Value and 0 Outs Above Average. Overall, from 2022-2025, he averaged roughly a -2 Fielding Run Value, -1 Outs Above Average, and -2 Defensive Runs Saved per season

While those past metrics aren’t good, they weren’t the bottom of the barrel either. The handful of bad plays magnified what many would probably consider a “meh at best” fielder. Still, to go from “meh” to Gold Glove caliber in a tricky right field at Wrigley is impressive. As mentioned, it was easy to see Suzuki was better by just watching, but the numbers really show how big a jump he took.

With Suzuki’s development, all three Cubs outfielders may win a Gold Glove.

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