Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ has earned another accolade for his defensive performance.
Happ won his third consecutive Gold Glove Award on Sunday, deemed the best left fielder in the National League for 2024.
Happ became the first Cubs outfielder to win three Gold Glove Awards. Andre Dawson and Jason Heyward each won two during their Cubs careers.
He is the fifth Cubs position player to win at least three straight Gold Glove Awards, joining Anthony Rizzo, Mark Grace, Ryne Sandberg and Ron Santo.
Shortstop Dansby Swanson, who won a Gold Glove the last two years, was also a finalist but lost out to the Colorado Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar.
White Sox second baseman Nicky Lopez was a finalist in the American League, but lost to Andrés Giménez of the Cleveland Guardians.
Ian Happ makes the diving snag! pic.twitter.com/6f89mF7tyd
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 24, 2024
Happ, 30, led all left fielders and was tied for second-most assists (11) among big-league outfielders. He committed just one error while recording the most innings at his position. Happ also ranked first for NL left fielders with 7 defensive runs saved (DRS) and a 12.2 ultimate zone rating (UZR).
Happ finished the season with a SABR Defensive Index of 9.6, which was seventh overall among NL position players. Swanson finished with an SDI of 7.8 while Lopez had 0.8.
But it was center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong who led the Cubs in SDI this season, finishing with a 10.4. This tied him for fourth overall in the NL and he was the only player in the NL SDI top 7 to not win a Gold Glove Award. Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle, who won the award at the position, had an SDI of 11.2.
Pitcher Chris Flexen led the White Sox in SDI for the season with a 2.6.
The SDI metric accounts for approximately 25% of the Gold Glove Award selection process, while votes from managers and coaches make up the remaining 75%.
