San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman secured his fifth Gold Glove Award, while Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and pitcher Seth Lugo were among 14 first-time winners, Rawlings announced Sunday.
Chapman’s victory marked his first Gold Glove in the National League, having previously won three with Oakland and one with Toronto. He joins Matt Williams and Jim Davenport as the only Giants third basemen to receive this honor.
Cleveland’s Andrés Giménez and Steven Kwan won for the third consecutive year, a feat last achieved by Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy of the Orioles from 2012 to 2014. Arizona’s Christian Walker and Chicago Cubs’ Ian Happ also repeated as winners.
Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle earned his second consecutive Gold Glove.
Chapman led all MLB third basemen with 17 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) this season. “It’s pretty cool to get one in the American League and the National League now,” he said.
Six teams boasted two Gold Glove winners each: Cleveland, Colorado, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Other first-time AL winners included Cal Raleigh (Mariners catcher), Carlos Santana (Twins first baseman), Alex Bregman (Astros third baseman), Daulton Varsho (Blue Jays center fielder), Wilyer Abreu (Red Sox right fielder), and Dylan Moore (Mariners utilityman).
NL newcomers included Chris Sale (Braves pitcher), Patrick Bailey (Giants catcher), Brice Turang (Brewers second baseman), Sal Frelick (Brewers right fielder), Ezequiel Tovar (Rockies shortstop), and Jared Triolo (Pirates utilityman).
Bregman earned a $50,000 bonus, while Giménez, Lugo, Moore, and Witt received $50,000 each, and Santana earned $25,000.
Voting was conducted among managers and coaches, excluding players from their own teams, with consideration given to the Society for American Baseball Research defensive index (25% of total).
