Cleveland Guardians Star Named Baseball's Best Fielder

This Cleveland Guardians infielder was named baseball's best defensive player.

Sep 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) fields a ground ball in the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

Star players are not always mammoth home run hitters or nasty strikeout artists. Sometimes, they help their team tremendously in other ways, like Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez.

Gimenez is slashing just .255/.302/.344 with nine home runs and 63 RBI on the season, which certainly doesn't jump off the page.

However, it's what Gimenez does with his glove that makes him so valuable.

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller has named Gimenez the best fielder in baseball for the 2024 campaign, citing that he leads the major leagues in outs above average and runs prevented.

Additionally, Gimenez boasts an incredible 21 defensive runs saved to go along with a 5.8 UZR.

This is nothing new for the 26-year-old, who has won back-to-back Gold Glove awards and even finished sixth in MVP voting back in 2022. Of course, that year, Gimenez also registered an .837 OPS, but there is no question that his best feature is his defense.

As a matter of fact, Gimenez still recorded a 3.8 WAR last season in spite of slashing a light .251/.314/.399, and he currently owns a 2.9 WAR with some time left to play in 2024.

That just goes to show how much of an impact Gimenez has in the field.

The Guardians acquired Gimenez in the blockbuster trade that sent Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets back in 2021.

Gimenez played in 68 games for Cleveland the ensuing campaign before becoming a full-time starter with the club in 2022, when he made an All-Star appearance.