Chapman, Olson win Gold Gloves for A’s.
A’s corner infielders earn Gold Gloves; Crawford’s run ends
OAKLAND >> The two young A’s infielders considered cornerstones of the franchise will now add a nice piece of hardware to their mantle.
Third baseman Matt Chapman and first baseman Matt Olson, both coming off their first full big league seasons, were named winners of the AL Gold Glove on Sunday night.
It was just the third time the A’s have had multiple winners, and the first since 1985 (Dwayne Murphy and Alfredo Griffin). Chapman and Olson are the first A’s to win an infield Gold Glove since Eric Chavez in 2006, and the first A’s to win the award since outfielder Josh Reddick in 2012.
Both Chapman and Olson, provided plenty of offense to help the A’s to a 97-65 record and their first playoff appearance since 2014, but their defense was just as impactful.
Chapman, 25, had 29 defensive runs saved, by far the most in MLB. He beat out Houston’s Alex Bregman and Cleveland’s Jose Ramírez.
“It’s an honor to win this prestigious award,” Chapman said in a statement. “We all work to be the best at what we do and I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to combine
my ability with hard work.”
Olson, 24, led all MLB first basemen in defensive runs saved (14) and UZR (11.6), putting together a .995 fielding percentage. He beat out 2017 winner Mitch Moreland of the Boston Red Sox and Toronto’s Justin Smoak
“I’ve always been pretty confident in my defensive ability. It’s something I’ve naturally had growing up,” Olson said. “I knew I had the potential to be a Gold Glove first baseman. Not necessarily in my first full year, especially since we don’t get as much coverage as other places. But the year started to go on and we were getting more looks because of Chapman’s defense, obviously, and it all came together.”
All four A’s infielders were finalists for the Gold Glove. Shortstop Marcus Semien finished behind winner Andrelton Simmons, and Jed Lowrie finished behind Ian Kinsler at second base.
Semien, who struggled on defense over the past few seasons, finished the 2018 season with a defensive WAR of 2, tenth-best in the majors.
“It just goes to show what we did this year,” Olson said. “Marcus and Jed were playing really good defense and for Marcus as a guy who in the past people really doubted his ability, I think it’s really big not only for his confidence but a testament to the hard work he’s put in.”
Managers and coaches vote for winners within their own league for what makes up 75 percent of the criteria, while 25 percent of the determination comes from SABR Defensive Index, which measures the number of runs saved by a player’s defensive performance over a season compared to the average defensive player at that position.
CRAWFORD’S RUN ENDS >> Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford is widely regarded as one of the best defensive players in all of baseball. But for the first time since 2014, Crawford did not receive the honor of being named the best defender at his position.
Neither Crawford nor teammate and fellow Gold Glove finalist Buster Posey took home any hardware. Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed received the National League Gold Glove at shortstop while St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina edged out Posey at catcher.
Last fall, Crawford became the first shortstop since Philadelphia Phillies infielder Jimmy Rollins (2007-2009) to win a Gold Glove in three consecutive years. No National League shortstop has won more than three years in a row since Cardinals Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith earned the honor in 13 straight seasons (1980-1992).
Crawford’s bid to become the first Giants player since first baseman J.T. Snow (19972000) to win four straight Gold Glove Awards came up just short, as he was named one of the three finalists for the fourth consecutive year. The final SABR defensive index results aren’t released until after the awards are announced, but Ahmed’s 11.7 rating on August 27 more than doubled Crawford’s 4.9 mark.
Posey led all major league catchers in the penultimate SDI results with a 5.1 rating, but he underwent season-ending hip surgery in late August and only appeared in 88 games at catcher this year.