Ken Hubbs became the 1st Rookie to win a Gold Glove back in 1962. Sadly Ken would pass away at just 22 years old in February of 1964 as the small plane he piloted crashed in snowstorm near Provo,Utah.
An ** can go next to Boston Red Sox’s third baseman Frank Malzone, who arguably was first Rookie to win the award back in the inaugural year of the Gold Glove, 1957. See, Frank had already qualified as a rookie in 1956 by old standards, but using today’s eligibility guidelines, Malzone’s would have been considered a rookie in 1957.
Another fun fact is that Malzone, would win the 3B Gold Glove honor for the first three seasons of the awards existence, (‘57-’60) before a Baltimore Oriole named Brooks Robinson would emerge on the scene and take the award for the next sixteen seasons.
