Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez and Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho are two of the best defenders in the sport. You already know they’re great, so we’re not breaking any new ground here. But both had outstanding months, so we wanted to make sure to reward them. They’re our winners of July’s Defensive Players of the Month honors.

Additionally, picking Defensive Player of the Month is a lot more fun if we include players who don’t necessarily stand out as household names for fielding excellence. That’s why we’re also saluting Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh and Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor as standout honorable mentions.

Giménez had as good a defensive month as this author can remember in the seven years we’ve been picking this award here. He finished with an MLB-best 10 Defensive Runs Saved, raising his season total from 6 to a position-leading 16. Giménez was credited with 8 Good Fielding Plays and not charged with any Defensive Misplays or Errors.

In addition to making some great plays on ground balls and line drives, Giménez also had a terrific relay throw to nail a runner at the plate, a leaping catch of a catcher’s wild throw to prevent an extra base being taken on a steal attempt, and a nifty backup of an errant pickoff throw to again prevent an extra base. Those instances of executing little details add to Giménez’s reputation as a defensive wonder who won the Platinum Glove last year.

Varsho won Defensive Player of the Month for the second time in 2024 (he also won it in May). He led all outfielders with 9 Defensive Runs Saved and tied Will Benson of the Reds for the outfield lead in Good Fielding Plays with 7.

Varsho continued to make dazzling catch after dazzling catch, putting his body on the line to make plays and save runs. He leads MLB with 12 Defensive Runs Saved as a left fielder and ranks tied for 2nd with 11 Runs Saved as a center fielder (one run off the MLB lead there). His 18 Good Fielding Plays on flies and liners are the most of any player this season.

Marsh’s 11 Runs Saved this season barely trail Varsho for most Runs Saved by a left fielder this season. Marsh is doing his best to keep up, and he’s doing so with plays that highlight his sprinting after balls (here and here). Marsh, like Varsho, has moved around the outfield depending on his team’s need. In July Marsh had 4 Runs Saved in left field, 2 in center field and 1 in right field. 

Taylor is another versatile outfielder who saved an MLB-best 6 Runs Saved in right field and 1 in center field in July. Taylor’s best play was this home run robbery against the Twins in the final series of the month.

He’s improved the Mets significantly at a position that was problematic prior to Starling Marte’s injury. And though his OPS is below MLB-average and there are other factors to point to for the team’s improvements, it’s worth noting that the Mets are 28-21 when Taylor starts compared to 29-30 when he doesn’t.