Since becoming the Giants’ president of baseball operations, Buster Posey has constantly stressed his desire to build a fundamentally sound team — a team that plays “strong defense.” Zack Minasian, the team’s new general manager, sang a similar tune during his introductory press conference.
As Posey and Minasian begin building next year’s team, they won’t have to look far for two of baseball’s best defenders.
Third baseman Matt Chapman and catcher Patrick Bailey were both named Gold Glove Award winners on Sunday, the first time the Giants have had multiple recipients in a single season since Posey, second baseman Joe Panik and shortstop Brandon Crawford all captured the hardware in 2016. They are the first Giants to receive the award since Crawford in 2021.
“It means a lot,” Chapman said. “(Nolan Arenado) dominated the National League for a long time. Ke’Bryan Hayes won it last year. A lot of really good defensive third basemen are stacked in the National League. I was able to come over here and win it. I thought that was pretty cool to be able to get one in the American League and the National League.”
Added Bailey: “It’s something I take a lot of pride in. I was obviously a little frustrated not getting it last year, but I got to work and wanted to improve in all aspects and was just really excited to be able to win it this year.”
Mike Yastrzemski was a finalist for the Gold Glove in right field, but the award went to the Brewers’ Sal Frelick. Fremont’s Steven Kwan won his third Gold Glove Award, having taken home the hardware in each of his first three major-league seasons.
For Chapman, who signed a six-year, $151 million extension with San Francisco in September, this marks the fifth Gold Glove of his career, three of which he won with the A’s. The 31-year-old’s defensive résumé also features two Platinum Glove Awards, three Fielding Bible Awards and 109 defensive runs saved, the most by any position player since he made his debut.
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For Bailey, arguably the best defensive catcher in baseball, this is the first time in his young career that he has won the gold. The 25-year-old becomes the fourth catcher in Giants history to win the award, joining Posey (2015), Mike Matheney (2004) and Kirt Manwaring (1993).
Given the publicly available defensive metrics, Chapman and Bailey were both the strongest candidates to win at their respective positions.
Chapman led all third basemen in defensive runs saved (17) and was tied with the Brewers’ Joey Ortiz for the most outs above average (11). Bailey, a finalist last year, caught 19 runners attempting to steal second base (most in the NL) in 64 attempts.
He led all defenders in fielding run value (22), as well as all catchers in defensive runs saved (20) and catcher framing runs (16). His pop time of 1.85 seconds was tied with the Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto and the White Sox’s Korey Lee for the best in baseball, and he finished second in caught stealing above average (nine).
When Bailey and Chapman were asked if there was a notable play that the other executed, Bailey quickly pointed to Chapman’s game-saving defensive gem against the Mets in Queens. Chapman couldn’t think of a specific play for his backstop, but spoke generally of Bailey’s ability to throw out runners.
“Watching his quick transfer and his ability to pick balls like he’s a middle infielder and throw guys out at second base, it’s so fun to watch,” Chapman said. “I’m always excited when guys take off to second base and watch Patrick get to throw them out.”
While the Giants boast two of baseball’s best fielders, their defense, as a whole, stands to improve.
Last year, San Francisco’s outfielders combined for -16 defensive runs saved (27th) and -19 outs above average (29th). Those numbers stand to improve when Jung Hoo Lee, limited to 37 games due to a season-ending left shoulder injury in May, returns to patrol center field.
Along with the outfield, Giants shortstops collectively finished with -11 defensive runs saved and -3 outs above average, but they could quickly improve that unit if they manage to sign Willy Adames or Ha-Seong Kim in free agency.
“Obviously, Buster’s pretty busy right now with the hiring of the GM. There’s a lot on his plate, but I told him I’d be as involved as they’d like me to be,” Chapman said. “I want what’s best for this team and that’s going to take bringing guys in, whether that’s trading for guys or signing guys. Whatever it is, I’m all on board. I signed up here because I really enjoy the guys here and enjoy the staff we have and I think that we can win here. So, I’m going to do whatever I can to help bring guys here and help win.”
