Boston Red Sox

Wilyer Abreu becomes first Red Sox rookie to win Gold Glove since 1975

This marks the first time a Red Sox rookie has won a Gold Glove since Fred Lynn.

Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu makes the catch on the fly out by Minnesota Twins' Carlos Santana during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Boston.
Wilyer Abreu finished with 17 defensive runs saved while adding nine assists in right field. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

By Conor Ryan

1 minute to read

Red Sox rookie outfielder Wilyer Abreu is taking home some hardware after an impressive first full year in the big leagues.

Abreu was announced as the winner of the Gold Glove award among American League right fielders Sunday night, beating out two other finalists in Juan Soto of the Yankees and Jo Adell of the Angels. 

This marks the first time a Red Sox rookie has won a Gold Glove since Fred Lynn in 1975. Carlton Fisk also took home a Gold Glove at catcher following his rookie campaign in 1972.

The 25-year-old Abreu is also the first Red Sox right fielder to capture Gold Glove honors since Mookie Betts won the award in his final season with Boston in 2019.

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According to MLB.com’s Ian Browne, Abreu is just the seventh rookie outfielder to win a Gold Glove in MLB history, joining Tommy Agee (1966), Lynn, Ichiro Suzuki (2001), Luis Robert (2020), Steven Kwan (2022) and Brenton Doyle (2023).

Abreu was solid at the plate with the Sox in 2024, batting .253 with 15 homers, 33 doubles and a .781 OPS over 132 total games. But his greatest impact was in the field, where he led all A.L. right fielders with 17 defensive runs saved while adding nine assists. 

Abreu was the only Red Sox player to win Gold Glove honors this season, with Jarren Duran — a finalist in center field — losing out to Toronto’s Daulton Varsho. Across the rest of MLB, another former Sox player also won a Gold Glove, as Chris Sale took home the accolade among N.L. pitchers. 

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Other major MLB awards — including MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year — will be announced starting on Nov. 13. 

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Conor Ryan

Sports Writer

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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