Arenado and Buxton win 2017 Rawlings Platinum Glove Awardstm

NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., announced that Colorado Rockiestm third baseman Nolan Arenado and Minnesota Twinstm centerfielder Byron Buxton won the 2017 Rawlings Platinum Glove Awardtm presented by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) in their respective Leagues.  The winners were unveiled tonight during the 2017 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® Ceremony, where the game's defensive stars accepted their hardware from some of baseball's greatest legends.

This is the first Rawlings Platinum Glove Award for both Arenado and Buxton.

Arenado, the five-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner, became the first Colorado Rockies player to win the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award. He is the first infielder to start his career with five straight Rawlings Gold Glove Awards.

Buxton is the first Twins center fielder to win a Rawlings Gold Glove Award since Torii Hunter in 2007. He led all center fielders with 24 defensive runs saved.

The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners are determined by combining votes based on an adjusted SABR Defensive Indextm for each of the nine Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners in each League and the votes from baseball fans worldwide.

"Now in its seventh year, the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award fan inclusion platform continues to prove that baseball fans worldwide know, value and celebrate defensive greatness," said Mike Thompson, executive vice president of marketing for St. Louis-based Rawlings.  "This year's fan vote greatly exceeded our expectations; with passionate fans from countries across the globe letting us know who the best defenders are in baseball."

Based on the final SABR Defensive Index, Buxton was second in the American League with a 20.0 SDI, and Arenado was second in the National League with an 11.0 SDI.

"This year, the SABR Defensive Index and fan votes were closely aligned," said Vince Gennaro, president of SABR and chair of the SABR Fielding Committee.  "More and more fans are paying attention to defensive metrics, and it seems to be influencing their votes."

Voting began at the conclusion of the 2017 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Announcement Show presented by Newell Brands on ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" on November 7, 2017, and ended 48 hours later.  Fan discussion surrounding the Award on social media was fostered in part by some team's open campaigning for their respective nominees.  ESPN's Eduardo Perez and SABR's Gennaro announced the winners live on stage during the Hollywood award show format.

Francisco Lindor of the Cleveland Indianstm and Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubstm won last year's Rawlings Platinum Glove Award in each League.

About the Rawlings Gold Glove Award®
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award® is a registered trademark owned by Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. The award is correctly identified as the Rawlings Gold Glove Award®. The name should not be shortened, abbreviated or otherwise misused. Proper identification of this service mark using the registration symbol and the Rawlings name is important to protect the integrity of the program and perpetuate this worthy tradition. For more information, please visit www.rawlingsgoldglove.com.

About Rawlings
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., a proud part of Newell Brands (NYSE:NWL) portfolio of leading consumer brands, is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes of all skill levels. Rawlings' unparalleled quality and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Ball Supplier and Batting Helmet of Major League Baseball®, the official baseball of Minor League Baseballtm and the NCAA®, and the approved baseball, basketball, football and softball of the National High School Federation®. For more information, please visit Rawlings.com or by phone at (314) 819-2800.

About Newell Brands
Newell Brands (NYSE: NWL) is a leading global consumer goods company with a strong portfolio of well-known brands, including Paper Mate®, Sharpie®, Dymo®, EXPO®, Parker®, Elmer's®, Coleman®, Jostens®, Marmot®, Rawlings®, Oster®, Sunbeam®, FoodSaver®, Mr. Coffee®, Rubbermaid Commercial Products®, Graco®, Baby Jogger®, NUK®, Calphalon®, Rubbermaid®, Contigo®, First Alert®, Waddington and Yankee Candle®. For hundreds of millions of consumers, Newell Brands makes life better every day, where they live, learn, work and play. This press release and additional information about Newell Brands are available on the company's website, www.newellbrands.com.

About SABRtm
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering research and disseminating the history and record of baseball.  Founded in 1971, SABR has more than 6,500 members worldwide and has established itself as a vibrant baseball community and a premier distributor of ground-breaking baseball information.  SABR features 70 chapters and 30 research committees, and produces three annual publications ? two editions of The Baseball Research Journaland The National Pastime ? in addition to other print and e-books.  SABR also hosts annual events, including the National Convention each summer, and the SABR Analytics Conference in March in Phoenix.  For more information about SABR, go to SABR.org.

SOURCE Rawlings