Reds have one Gold Glove certainty while surprise finalist looms

Let's not bury the lede here: Ke'Bryan Hayes is winning the Gold Glove at third base in the National League ... again.

After Matt Chapman came in to the Senior Circuit in 2024 and stole the award away from Hayes, the Cincinnati Reds' third baseman is a shoo-in for the Gold Glove this year, at least according to MLB.com.

Hayes is one of the slickest defensive infielders in recent memory, and his reign at third base might just be getting started.

The 28-year-old leads all third basemen this season in the big three defensive categories: Outs Above Average (20), Fielding Run Value (17), and Defensive Runs Saved (19). None of this should be surprising—this is the guy who broke up Nolan Arenado's decade-long Gold Glove dynasty, after all.

What is surprising is that MLB.com doesn't even bother to give love to any other Reds player, including rapidly-improving first baseman Spencer Steer.

Spencer Steer snubbed in MLB.com's Gold Glove predictions

Now, in fairness, to the predictions, Matt Olson is a pretty good selection. His 16 DRS nearly doubles Steer, the second-best first baseman in the NL in that stat. Olson's nine OAA and eight FRV also pace all Senior Circuit fielders at the cold corner.

Here's the thing, though: Steer is in second place in all those categories, and he doesn't get so much as a mention from MLB.com. Sure, he's logged nearly 400 fewer innings than Olson has at first base this season, but he's clearly been the second-best first baseman in the National League. He should absolutely be a finalist for the award when voting is announced.

It's a good thing that Steer has improved so dramatically on defense, seeing as he's seemingly been replaced by rookie Sal Stewart as the everyday first baseman in Terry Francona's lineup. Prior to 2025, Steer was a net-negative defender, having accrued -5 OAA and -4 FRV from 2022-24.

Besides him and Hayes, the Reds don't figure to have too many contenders for a Gold Glove. Catcher Jose Trevino has been the best defender on the team according to FanGraphs' defensive WAR stat, though he's caught fewer than 700 innings and plays in the same league as all-universe defensive backstop Patrick Bailey. Matt McLain has been worth six OAA and five FRV, though his -6 DRS will certainly prevent him from posing a challenge to Nico Hoerner at second base.

Regardless of what happens elsewhere in the voting, Hayes' presence is a welcome one. The Reds haven't had a Gold Glove winner since Tucker Barnhart in 2020, and the last non-catcher to win one in Cincinnati was Brandon Phillips in 2013.