Winning a Gold Glove was always a goal for Jared Triolo, so the only thing that changed for him was going from starting at second base to being a super-utility player for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Triolo’s defensive versatility was honored Sunday night when he won the Rawlings NL Gold Glove Award for utility player, his reward for playing five positions at an elite level last season.

“Originally, I think when I learned I was going to play second base, second base was the goal I had,” Triolo said Monday on a video conference call. “I think a utility Gold Glove is all the more special. … I think it’s awesome that they added this award to the mix of it because it’s a lot of different positions. There’s a lot of work that goes into being prepared to play a different spot every day.”

Stay golden, Tri. pic.twitter.com/TvLTYCbKxs

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) November 4, 2024

Jared Triolo showing off on the hot corner ????‍???? pic.twitter.com/6mzanIwzSr

— MLB (@MLB) May 23, 2024

The 26-year-old Triolo played 527 innings over 61 games at third base, 347 2/3 innings over 47 games at second base, 41 innings over nine games at first base, 66 innings over eight games at shortstop and two innings in his lone game in right field yet committed only three errors while compiling seven defensive runs saved.

Triolo finished first in fielding percentage at third base (.985) and was tied for first at second (.995) among NL players with at least 300 innings played. The awards for the nine traditional defensive positions are handed out via a combination of manager and coaching votes in addition to factoring in SABR’s Defensive Index. For the utility position, Rawlings collaborates with SABR “to create a specialized defensive formula separate from the traditional selection process.”

What might have separated Triolo from fellow finalists Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Kike Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers were his spectacular stops that made highlight shows.

“I’m not sure how much they were factored in,” Triolo said, “but I definitely know those were two really good plays that I made.”

Jared Triolo: second baseman AND acrobat! ???? pic.twitter.com/ErFixjAOFi

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 1, 2024

On April 30 at Oakland, he lunged to stop a Darrell Hernaiz fourth-inning line drive only for the ball to pop back up into the air. Triolo stretched out to make an underhand catch for the out.

“The ball just popped up out of my glove,” Triolo said. “Luckily, I found it with my eyes and dove for it again.”

JARED TRIOLO WITH A SENSATIONAL DIVING CATCH IN HIS FIRST INNING IN THE OUTFIELD IN MLB!!!!!

Oh, and it was the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs in a tie game, too pic.twitter.com/rJsio8HDio

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) July 28, 2024

Triolo outdid himself July 28 against Arizona, in his first major league inning in right field. With two outs in the ninth and the score tied 2-2, he made a diving catch on Jake McCarthy’s bloop fly to send the game into extra innings.

“Having not played any outfield, it was definitely a different feeling,” Triolo said. “It was cool to make that catch and see the teammates’ reactions to that.”

It was even cooler for Triolo to be celebrated by family and friends while watching the Gold Glove announcements, then receive the reactions from teammates through text messages. Triolo said two of the first Pirates to contact him were Ke’Bryan Hayes, who won the NL Gold Glove at third base last year, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who won the AL Gold Glove at third while with the Texas Rangers in 2020.

Jared Triolo just threw out the runner at 1st while blowing a bubble LMAOOO https://t.co/5mElOth0h8 pic.twitter.com/tlKfo2IeNo

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) April 17, 2024

Triolo said his success at playing multiple positions gives him “all the confidence in the world,” and he smiled at the thought of the Pirates fielding a team that features three Gold Glove winners next season.

“Look around the infield, and there’s a lot of super talented players,” Triolo said. “I mean, IKF and myself, we can play a magnitude of positions. So, yeah, I think defense next year will definitely be a key piece of us moving forward.”

What Triolo doesn’t know is which position he’ll play for the Pirates next season, with Nick Gonzales the frontrunner to start at second base, Kiner-Falefa at shortstop and Hayes at third. But Triolo is open to playing to his strength, which is his versatility.

“I think my biggest asset right now is playing a bunch of positions and being ready to take on whatever position they put me at,” Triolo said. “So I haven’t really thought too much about a position for next season. Obviously, I’m going to get my work everywhere and just kind of see where the cards get dealt. Hopefully, it’s not with a catcher’s glove.”

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