Gold Glove awards have been handed out at the major league level since 1957. In 1958 Rawlings started awarding Gold Gloves to players at each position in both the American and National League. It has not been around as long at the minor league level, but the onus of the award remains the same.
Last season Carlos Santana picked up a Gold Glove award for the Minnesota Twins at first base. This season Ty France, despite being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, made it two years in a row for the team at the same position.
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He wasn’t the only winner in the organization this time though. Minor league prospect Kyle DeBarge joined him.
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Kyle DeBarge wins Gold Glove in MN Twins farm system
In the 2024 Major League Baseball amateur draft the Minnesota Twins took infielder Kyle DeBarge 33rd overall. The shortstop at Louisiana-Lafayette quickly settled into second base at the professional level, and his glove immediately showed as a carrying too. This year he’s being awarded for it.
Defensive stat tracking at the minor league level is rudimentary at best. Fangraphs doesn’t have advanced data, but the eye test certainly doesn’t hurt DeBarge by any means.
This season DeBarge played in 121 games for High-A Cedar Rapids and batted .237/.347/.362. He hit eight home runs while adding 23 doubles and five triples. Speed is clearly a part of DeBarge’s game as well. He swiped 66 bases while being thrown out just eight times.
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Minnesota will need to see more from DeBarge offensively as he progresses through the system. However, a .709 OPS with a standout glove and significant speed is hardly something to overlook for a 21-year-old at High-A.
The Twins have plenty of recent picks that have been strong defenders. 2025 draft pick Marek Houston is probably capable of playing a big league shortstop right now. The more these players can become well-rounded producers, the better.
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