The Giants haven’t had multiple players win the Gold Glove Award in a single season since 2016, but that could very well change this year.
Third baseman Matt Chapman, catcher Patrick Bailey and right fielder Mike Yastrzemski have all been named finalists for the Gold Glove Award at their respective positions, Rawlings announced on Tuesday morning.
Other notable finalists also include Fremont’s Steven Kwan (Guardians), as well as former A’s first baseman Matt Olson (Braves), second baseman Marcus Semien (Rangers) and third baseman Ernie Clement (Blue Jays).
Should Chapman, Bailey or Yastrzemski win the hardware, they will be the first Giant — or Giants — to do so since Brandon Crawford in 2021.
Among the Giants’ finalists, Chapman, already with four Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves on his résumé, has the strongest case to capture the gold.
Chapman, who signed six-year, $151 million extension last month, leads all third basemen in defensive runs saved (17) and is tied with the Brewers’ Joey Ortiz for the most outs above average (11). The other finalists — the Rockies’ Ryan McMahon and the Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado — statistically lag behind Chapman. McMahon has 10 defensive runs saved and seven outs above average, while Arenado has six defensive runs saved and nine outs above average.
The Giants last third baseman to win the Gold Glove Award was current third-base coach Matt Williams in 1997. Williams won three of his four Gold Gloves in San Francisco (1993, 1994, 1997).
Bailey, a second-time finalist, has a strong case in his own right, leading all catchers in defensive runs saved (20) and catcher framing runs (16). He also finished second among all backstops in caught stealing above average (9). Bailey’s 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 the league.
The 25-year-old, like Chapman, has a sizable statistical advantage over the Dodgers’ Will Smith and the Diamondbacks’ Gabriel Moreno, the other two finalists. Moreno finished the year with 10 defensive runs saved and two catcher framing runs. Smith led the entire league in caught stealing above average (10), but was the single worst statistical framer in baseball. Additionally, Smith ranked towards the bottom in blocking balls in the dirt.
The Giants last catcher to win the Gold Glove was Buster Posey, the team’s new president of baseball operations, in 2015 — the only time he’d win the hardware in his career.
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Of the three Giants, Yastrzemski, also a second-time finalist, has the weakest case for winning the Gold Glove Award, finishing with a modest five defensive runs saved but -2 outs above average. The Brewers’ Sal Frelick, by contrast, led all National League right fielders in defensive runs saved (16). Frelick had the second-most outs above average in the National League, too.
The Giants last primary right fielder to win the Gold Glove was José Cruz Jr. in 2003.
