Brice Turang, Sal Frelick Win 2024 NL Gold Glove Awards

Two of the Brewers’ three Gold Glove Awards "finalists" ultimately took home hardware. On Sunday evening’s awards show on ESPN, Rawlings announced second baseman Brice Turang and right fielder Sal Frelick as the National League winners at their respective positions.

“It’s awesome,” Turang said. “It’s super cool.”

“It’s definitely cool,” Frelick said. “It’s an honor. A little surreal still.”

Turang has established himself as arguably the best defensive second baseman in baseball. His 22 Defensive Runs Saved led all qualified fielders across all positions. He’s shown especially impressive range to his right, going up the middle, in his two big-league seasons.

“Someone will hit it there, and somehow Brice gets to the ball,” Frelick said. “I used to charge from right field because I’m like, ‘I’m going to have to field this ground ball and throw a guy out,’ but now I know that I don’t have to charge any ball hit on the ground to the right side.”

Frelick has spent time at all three outfield positions and is a solid defensive center fielder, but the presence of Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell has pushed him to right for much of his big-league career. He accumulated 16 Defensive Runs Saved as a right fielder in 2024. Those figures are impressive in any context, but even more so considering that Frelick played just 776 regular-season innings at the position.

“He’s just fearless,” Turang said. “He just goes into walls and he catches them. It’s very impressive.”

While both defenders make their share of highlight-reel plays, their excellent range and instincts allow them to make routine-looking plays on balls in the gaps and in the holes. Those aren’t jaw-dropping plays, but their impact added up quickly for a Brewers pitching staff that saw many pitchers overperform their quality of stuff and peripheral metrics.

For the second consecutive season, no staff had a more favorable gap between its ERA and FIP than Milwaukee’s. The Brewers benefitted from the fifth-lowest BABIP in baseball, including the second-lowest on ground balls (.232).

Elite defenders like Turang and Frelick are among the most impactful catalysts. Their ability to turn would-be hits into outs creates extra flexibility for the pitching staff and gives Brewers hurlers a built-in advantage not all teams possess.

“You’re trying to get them off the field as quickly as possible,” Turang said. “Our pitchers do a really good job at trusting us, and that kind of leads to them being able to pitch how they want.”

“The identity of our team the past few years and since I got drafted has always been pitching and defense,” Frelick said. “I think you take pride in that when you throw on the Brewer uniform and take the field knowing that is our identity.”

It’s an aspect of run-prevention that can fly under the radar, but both players have deservedly taken home an award for their efforts this year.

Defense is challenging to properly evaluate, and the Gold Glove Awards can return a questionable list of the best fielders. They’re voted on by managers and coaches across baseball, who may not have the most complete and objective view of a player’s defensive season. It’s led to some controversial winners over the years, with detractors pointing to more established players winning over the more deserving ones for the season in question. In this instance, though, the award has directed a spotlight toward two defenders who deserve more recognition outside Milwaukee.

Turang and Frelick are the second Brewers duo to win Gold Gloves in the same season. The last pair to do it was first baseman Cecil Cooper and right fielder Sixto Lezcano in 1979. Turang and Frelick are also in the running for the NL Platinum Glove Award, which is bestowed on the best Gold Glove winner as voted on by fans.

Perkins, whose 8 DRS in center field also ranked among the best in baseball, was also a Gold Glove "finalist" (meaning he finished within the top three at the position), but lost to Colorado Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle. He’s also been essential to Milwaukee’s run-prevention success, as have several other defenders around the diamond.