Chapman headlines Giants’ three Gold Glove Award finalists originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants have had just one player win a Gold Glove Award in the past six seasons, but they have a strong chance to double that this time around.
Matt Chapman, Patrick Bailey and Mike Yastrzemski all were nominated at their positions, and Chapman and Bailey look like favorites at third base and catcher, respectively. The Giants haven’t had multiple winners since 2016, when Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik won.
Chapman should win his fifth award and first in the National League. He led NL third basemen with 17 Defensive Runs Saved, seven more than Ryan McMahon, the only other player in double-digits. He also was tied for first in Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value and he finished second in innings played at the hot corner this season.
Chapman previously won three Gold Gloves in Oakland and one in Toronto. He is up against Colorado’s McMahon and St. Louis’ Nolan Arenado, who had his streak of 10 straight Gold Gloves snapped last season.
Chapman should be a heavy favorite, and the same is true for Bailey, who was a finalist as a rookie last season. Bailey easily led the Majors in Fielding Run Value and was tied for second in the big leagues in Defensive Runs Saved. According to FanGraphs, he was the most impactful defensive player in all of baseball.
Bailey also was the best pitch-framer in the game, according to Inside Edge, gaining 212 strikes for Giants pitchers. He is up against Los Angeles’ Will Smith and Arizona’s Gabriel Moreno, last year’s winner.
Like Bailey, Yastrzemski is a finalist for the second time, and he’s up against a couple of other players looking for their first in Milwaukee’s Sal Frelick and Arizona’s Jake McCarthy. Mookie Betts, long the best right fielder in the NL, played infield for much of the season and 2023 winner Fernando Tatis Jr. dealt with injuries.
The advanced metrics have Frelick as the likely winner, although even just getting nominated is a nice boost for Yastrzemski, who is arbitration-eligible and hoping to return to the Giants on a one- or two-year deal.
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