Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been nominated for the American League Gold Glove for first base and is looking to win it for the second time in his career.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ first baseman last won the award in 2022, just a few seasons after moving away from the hot corner. This season, his competition for the award is Carlos Santana of the Cleveland Guardians and Ty France of, well, the Blue Jays.
Let’s take a look at how Guerrero Jr. stacks up against the competition!
Guerrero Jr.’s stats
When Guerrero Jr. won the American League Gold Glove for first basemen in 2022, he finished the season with 3 Defensive Runs Saved, -4 Outs Above Average, and -3 Fielding Run Value. His DRS ranked 11th in the league that season, but only two players in the American League had a higher DRS, Luis Arraez and Santana. Both players played fewer than 660 innings at first. That season, the Blue Jays’ first baseman had 1119 innings. Keep this in mind.
What’s funny, his competition for the award in 2022 was the same, as both France (then a Mariner) and Santana (also a Mariner) finished as runner-ups for the award.
Guerrero Jr. struggled defensively at first base the last two seasons. In 2023, he had a -7 DRS, -13 OAA, and -9 FRV. He improved in 2024, but was still below average, finishing with -1 DRS, -10 FRV, and -7 FRV.
The 26-year-old has improved drastically in 2025. Guerrero Jr. finished the year with a career-best 8 DRS and -1 FRV, while his -2 OAA was tied for the best of his career. Compared to the rest of the league, his 8 DRS ranked fourth for first basemen with more than 500 innings at the position. His -2 OAA ranked tied for 46th, and he didn’t rank much better in terms of FRV.
If Guerrero Jr. happens to win, it won’t be the only hardware he’s happened to pick up this. On Monday, he was named the American League Championship MVP and was also nominated for the Silver Slugger Award at the position.
That said, how does he stack up against France and Santana?
France and Santana’s numbers
There is a strong possibility that the Blue Jays will have a first baseman who wins the Gold Glove this season. France is a strong defensive first baseman, finishing the season with 9 DRS, 10 OAA, and 7 OAA in 976.2 innings at the position, but more on that in his article that’ll come out Sunday.
Although the Blue Jays have two candidates up for the AL Gold Glove at first, Santana has a strong chance of winning it. This season, the veteran first baseman finished with 12 DRS, 8 OAA, and 6 FRV. He also happens to be the reigning Gold Glove winner at the position, and it’s the fourth consecutive season he’s been up for the award.
What could stop him from winning the award is the innings at the position. Of the three, Guerrero Jr. finished with the most innings at the position, 1126.2. France finished with 976.2, while Santana finished with 848.1 innings at first. That means Santana isn’t actually considered qualified.
It’ll be interesting to see who wins the award.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.