Chapman, Bailey win Gold Glove Awards for stellar defensive seasons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — While one Giant added to his overflowing trophy case on Sunday, another got his going.
Matt Chapman and Patrick Bailey were named Gold Glove Award winners, giving the Giants a pair for the first time since 2016, when they had three winners. San Francisco had not had a winner the past two seasons, but Chapman and Bailey were easy selections at third base and catcher, respectively.
Bailey could have won as a rookie, but this year there was no question that he would pick up the first of what could be quite a few Gold Gloves for a catcher who ranks as the best pitch-framer in baseball and is just 25 years old. Bailey gained 212 strikes for Giants pitchers, according to Inside Edge, and was worth 16 Catcher Framing Runs, per Baseball Savant. No other catcher in the NL was above six.
“It’s something I take a lot of pride in,” Bailey said. “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.”
Bailey was tied for the MLB lead in pop time and was third in the NL in caught stealing percentage. He joins Buster Posey, Mike Matheny and Kirt Manwaring as the only Giants catchers to win a Gold Glove. None of the previous three won twice, but given how far ahead of the rest of the pack Bailey has been in pitch-framing, he has a strong chance to continue adding to his collection in the years to come.
For Chapman, the honor was the fifth in his career and third in the last four seasons. He previously had won with the A’s and Toronto Blue Jays, and he became the first Giants third baseman to win a Gold Glove since Matt Williams went back-to-back in 1993-94 and the fifth active player to win at least five times.
“A lot of really good defensive third basemen are stacked in the National League. I was able to come over here and win it, so I thought that was pretty cool,” he said. “To get one in the American League and the National League now means a lot. I’m really excited about it. I think the competition this year in the National League for third base was really tough.”
Chapman led NL third basemen with 17 Defensive Runs Saved, seven more than the next-closest option. He was tied for first in Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value.
The Giants rewarded Chapman with a six-year contract extension in September that will keep him in San Francisco through 2030. Bailey is under team control through 2029.
