Twins IF Carlos Santana wins Gold Glove at first base
DaShawn Keirsey Jr. #89 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates with Willi Castro #50 and Carlos Santana #30 after hitting his first career home run against the Baltimore Orioles on September 29, 2024 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Brace Hemmel (Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Twins didn’t get to the American League Playoffs this year, but they did get their first Gold Glove winner in seven years.
The Twins and Major League Baseball announced Sunday that Carlos Santana won the award for his play at first base.
Why it matters
It’s Santana’s first career Gold Glove award. The 38-year-old just finished his 15th MLB season, and first with the Twins. In 146 games and 139 starts, Santana had just four errors in 1,094 total chances. He played 1,250 innings at first base, leading all American League first basemen in games and innings.
After the season, Santana earned the Jim Kaat Award for the Twins’ Defensive Player of the Year.
By the numbers
Santana is the first Twins’ player to win a Golf Glove since Byron Buxton and Brian Dozier did it in 2017. He made an impact at the plate as well. In 150 games, he hit .238 and led the Twins with 23 home runs. He was also second with 26 doubles, second with 124 hits and led the team with 71 RBI. Santana is also a finalist for a Silver Slugger Award.
The Twins finished 82-80 and missed out on the last AL Wild Card spot after a 12-25 finish in their last 27 games.