MASNsports.com is your online home for the latest Orioles and Nationals news, features, and commentary. And now, you can connect with MASN on every digital level. From web and social media to our new mobile alert service, MASN has got all the bases covered.
Get the latest breaking news direct to your phone with our mobile texting service.
Ryan Zimmerman won't be adding a second Rawlings Gold Glove to his collection after all.
The National League Gold Glove winners were just announced and Cincinnati's Scott Rolen took the honors at third base. It's the eighth Gold Glove for Rolen, his first since 2006. The Reds, whose .988 fielding percentage led the majors, won three of the National League's nine positional awards.
Zimmerman took the announcement in stride, saying after the Nationals' uniform unveiling ceremony Wednesday night that Rolen was one of his idols.
"Scott is one of the guys I've looked up to and tried to model my game after," Zimmerman said. "If you could think of a consistent third baseman over the past 10 years, he's the guy that you look at. He deserve it as much as anyone else."
Zimmerman, who modeled the Nationals' new uniforms at the invitation-only event held at Nationals Park, was widely expected to contend for this year's Gold Glove. San Diego's Chase Headley and Philadelphia's Placido Polanco were mentioned as possible winners, too.
If Zimmerman was disappointed by the results of voting from National League managers and coaches, he didn't show it.
"I don't ever expect to win those things," Zimmerman said. "This league, it's so hard to be successful, let alone win awards. I think there's so many good players at every position. I work hard just to be a good third baseman and try to help the team. If you get awards and a few things happen, then it's great."
Playing for the Central Division champion Reds, the 35-year-old Rolen made eight errors in 350 chances over 130 games, a .977 fielding percentage. Zimmerman committed 17 errors in 344 chances over 137 games, a .961 mark. Zimmerman had a 13.9 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) -- an advanced metric that measures fielding by quantifying the number of runs a fielder's play allows or prevents -- to Rolen's 10.6. Headley led N.L. thirdbasemen with a 16.5 UZR
There were three first-time winners in the National League: Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, and Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo. The other recipients were St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and outfielders Shane Victorino of Philadelphia and Michael Bourn of Houston.
Zimmerman still has a chance to collect some postseason hardware Thursday, when Silver Sluggers -- the award for the best offensive player at each position -- are announced live on MLB Network at 6 p.m.
