PHOENIX — Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno added another trophy to a historic season Wednesday night, earning All-MLB First Team honors at the MLB Awards, according to MLB.com.
Moreno won the National League batting title this year. He also won a Gold Glove, making him only the second catcher in major league history to win a batting title and a Gold Glove in the same season, MLB.com reported. Hall of Famer Joe Mauer did it with the Minnesota Twins in 2008 and 2009.
His value showed most during Arizona’s late-season playoff push. Moreno started 23 straight games before a left hamstring injury kept him out of the season finale, and over that stretch he hit .348 with a .416 on-base percentage and a .573 slugging percentage.
The All-MLB teams, created in 2019, honor the best player at each position based on the full regular season, unlike All-Star selections, which are based on first-half performance. Fans vote at MLB.com to help choose the first and second teams.
Moreno’s honor came the same night teammate Eduardo Rodriguez finished seventh in NL Cy Young voting, Arizona Sports reported.
The Diamondbacks are heading into a pivotal offseason after missing the playoffs on the final weekend. General manager Mike Hazen said at the GM Meetings this week that he needs to be open to changing the roster, and the team is reportedly exploring left-handed hitting options.
Sources: MLB.com, Arizona Sports. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Soquette / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
