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It was after an early June game at the Rogers Centre when already it wasn’t always easy to find a positive on the Blue Jays disappointing season.
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But after another night in which his athletic centre fielder made a couple of game-changing plays, Toronto manager John Schneider ended his nightly post-game press conference with a declaration he whole-heartedly believes and asserted repeatedly.
“Daulton Varsho is the best outfielder in baseball,” Schneider said.
On Sunday night, that opinion became further widespread when Varsho was named the American League Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner for centre fielders. It was a career first for the 28-year-old Wisconsin native, who led all Major League Baseball players with 29 defensive runs saved, the second consecutive season he accomplished the feat.
Varsho, who split his season between centre (where he played more regularly) and left field led the majors in the category, despite missing the final two and a half weeks of the season with a shoulder injury.
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Through his two seasons with the Jays — since being acquired from Arizona in a trade that sent outfielder Lourdes Guriel Jr. and catcher Gabriel Moreno to the Diamondbacks — Varsho has struggled at the plate. But his defensive work at left and centre has been elite.
A combination of speed, athleticism and fearlessness have allowed him to make even the most difficult plays in the field seem routine. Many felt Varsho was robbed of the honour in the 2023 season, a point made emphatically by his teammate, pitcher Chris Bassitt.
“The fact you can lead in defensive runs saved and not win a Gold Glove is our stupidity only baseball can pull off,” Bassitt posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, after Varsho was denied.
Yes, Varsho has proven to be a pitcher’s best friend with his reliable work in the outfield.
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Next up for Varsho is a different off-season challenge — recuperating from rotator cuff surgery. The outfielder is expected to make a full recovery from the procedure after playing through nagging pain for more than a month. The Jays are hopeful that the recovery won’t hold Varsho back for any sustained time at spring training.
Varsho defeated fellow finalists Jarren Duran of the Red Sox and Jake Meyers of the Astros. Winners are determined in voting by all 30 MLB managers and up to six coaches from each team, which comprise 75 per cent of the selection total with the SABR Defensive Index accounting for the remaining 25 per cent.
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