The eye test suggested that Red Sox rookie Wilyer Abreu was one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball in 2024. Now, he has the hardware to back it up.
Abreu was awarded the Gold Glove award among American League right fielders Sunday night, beating out two other finalists, Jo Adell (Angels) and Juan Soto (Yankees). Abreu is the first Red Sox rookie to win a Gold Glove since Fred Lynn in 1975 and just the third ever, joining Lynn 49 years ago and catcher Carlton Fisk (1972). Abreu is the first Red Sox Gold Glove winner since Mookie Betts won the award in right field in 2019 — and just the seventh rookie outfielder in MLB history to win one.
Jarren Duran, who was a finalist among center fielders, lost to Toronto’s Daulton Varsho, making Abreu the only Red Sox winner in 2024. To determine winners, all 30 MLB managers and up to six coaches from each team voted from a pool of players in their league (excluding players from their own team) for 75% of the selection total. Numbers from the SABR Defensive Index counted for the other quarter.
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Abreu, who also received a Fielding Bible Award as the best defensive right fielder in baseball, led all right fielders with 17 defensive runs saved and was tied for the MLB lead at the position with nine assists. He ranked in the 98th percentile in baseball arm strength (94.8 mph) and the 91st percentile in outs above average/range (7).
Abreu played 132 games for the Red Sox in his first full major league season and made 106 starts in right field. He contributed with his bat, hitting .253 with 15 homers, 33 doubles and a .781 OPS. He’s expected to receive Rookie of the Year votes when those results are announced later this month. His complete season impressed manager Alex Cora.
“I think he’s going to be a guy that’s going to hit for power, he can steal bases and probably win a Gold Glove in right field,” Cora said in September.
“If it happens, it’s a huge honor,” Abreu told MassLive’s Chris Smith as the season winded down. “At the same time, it wasn’t a goal for me this year. The goal for me this year was to go out and try to help the team in any way I can. And I was able to do that. So if that award comes, I’ll be very happy. But at the same time, it wasn’t something that was on my mind.”
“Obviously my defense for me has been the big thing. It’s been the thing that’s always been a constant,” Abreu said. “On the offensive side, obviously I had some success but I also had some ups and downs. And I struggled a little bit. But that’s something that happens. So for me to be able to contribute in all other aspects of the game was huge.”
Abreu is the second Red Sox player ever born outside the United States to win a Gold Glove award, joining catcher Tony Peña, who is from the Dominican Republic and won in 1991. Abreu’s honor breaks a five-year drought for the Red Sox, who had a consistent number of Gold Glovers in the 2010s. Betts won in four straight years from 2016 to 2019; Jackie Bradley Jr. and Ian Kinsler won in 2018 while Dustin Pedroia (2011, 2013, 2014), Shane Victorino (2013), Jacoby Ellsbury (2011) and Adrian Gonzalez (2011) won earlier in the decade.
In 2024, the only former Red Sox player to win a Gold Glove was Atlanta’s Chris Sale, who won among pitchers in the National League.
