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I’m sure that Kiké Hernández and Mookie Betts are still living the good life after winning the World Series the other day, but they’ll be adding another trophy to their collection. Both Hernández and Betts were announced as winners of the 2020 Fielding Bible Awards.
This marks the 15th season that BIS has honored the best defensive players in MLB. The awards are determined by a panel of 12 baseball experts, who ranked the top five players at each defensive position (including the multi-position players left out of Gold Glove voting) on a scale from one to five. A first-place vote gets five points, second place gets four points, third place gets three points, etc. Total up the points for each player, and the player with the most points wins the award. A perfect score is 60 points.
They are given out to one player at every position. Betts won for his play in right field, and Hernández won for the ‘multi-position’ category.
Per the release, Betts won for the fourth time in five seasons, receiving all 12 first-place votes. Betts’ four Fielding Bible Awards pass Ichiro Suzuki and Jason Heyward for most won by a right fielder since the Awards began in 2006. Betts extended his streak of seasons with at least 10 Runs Saved at an outfield position to six (one season in center field and now five straight in right field). He led in the Range & Positioning component of Runs Saved in right field, rating above average at getting outs on balls hit to both the shallowest and deepest parts of the ballpark.
Hernandez saved an MLB-high nine runs at second base, made three starts in right field, three starts in center field, two starts in left field, two starts at shortstop, and chipped in seven innings at first base. He was a major asset to the Dodgers defensively. And in winning his first Fielding Bible Award, he helped the team to the best record in the majors.
Betts was a finalist for the Gold Glove Award this season, but Hernandez wasn’t, as he didn’t accumulate enough innings at the position.