Three-fourths of A’s infield nominated for Gold Glove Awards

Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Marcus Semien and Robbie Grossman were nominated for Gold Glove Awards.

Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman, first baseman Matt Olson, shortstop Marcus Semien and left fielder Robbie Grossman were nominated for Gold Glove Awards, Rawlings Sports announced on Twitter on Thursday afternoon.

Olson, who won the Gold Glove in 2018, will be up for consecutive honors. He was nominated along with Houston’s Yuli Gurriel and Toronto’s Justin Smoak. Olson’s 5.8 SDI was ranked 13th among all American League defenders and first among all AL first basemen (as of Aug. 13, the latest release).

The SABR Defensive Index (SDI) accounts for 25 percent of the award’s selection process, with managers and coaches also voting on the award.

Olson made up one of the most prolific corner defensive units in all of baseball, along with third baseman Matt Chapman. He finished 2019 with a 6.6 ultimate zone rating and 13 defensive runs saved, best among all first basemen  — Chicago’s Anthony Rizzo trailed him with a 3.7 UZR and 3 DRS. Olson displayed uncanny instincts with an ability to execute unlikely plays, like this one against the New York Yankees.

One of a couple impressive defensive plays from Matt Olson tonight pic.twitter.com/mvyBqifsC0

— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) August 21, 2019

Chapman, who not only won the Gold Glove, but the Platinum Glove in 2018 for his defense at third base, was also nominated along with close friend Alex Bregman and Angels’ underrated infielder David Fletcher.

Chapman has a 13.0 SDI, the highest ranking of all defenders in the American League as of Aug. 13. The next best overall defender, according to the index, was Cleveland catcher Roberto Perez (11.9).

Chapman’s peers, scouts and executives around the MLB deemed Chapman as the best defensive third baseman with the best infield arm in baseball.

He’s maximizing his strengths to revolutionize the way third base can be played — his warp-speed cross-diamond hurls allows him to play deep, almost in shortstop position, on the infield dirt. This gives him more opportunities to wrangle would-be hits, a talent he’s perfected with an easy ability to back-hand sharp drives or scoop slow dribblers and dance into bang-bang outs.

The Royals are still bunting and Matt Chapman is still making extraordinary plays look ordinary. pic.twitter.com/QKBTTyu7SR

— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) August 28, 2019

A defensive liability just a few seasons ago, Marcus Semien turned out an MVP-caliber 2019 — his first taste of offseason spotlight a Gold Glove Award nomination.

Semien finished the 2019 season with a 6.7 UZR and 5 DRS, in close competition with fellow nominees Francisco Lindor (9 DRS, 6.4 UZR) and Andrelton Simmons (10.4 UZR, 14 DRS).

His 7.8 SDI score ranks second among American League shortstops behind Tampa Bay’s Willy Adames (9.9), who was not even nominated.

Marcus Semien out here saving runs pic.twitter.com/TOBZ92QmkT

— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) July 21, 2019

Somewhat of a surprise nomination: Robbie Grossman for his play in left field this season. Grossman wasn’t particularly flashy, but was statistically sound throughout the season. He remained in the top ranks of the SABR Defensive Index. He finished the season with a 5.8 SDI — the best by a significant margin among AL left fielders and did not make an error in 129 games. Kansas City’s Alex Gordon finished behind him with a .2 SDI with a 3.2 UZR. Boston’s Andrew Benintendi, the third nominee, had a -3.8 SDI, third-worst in the AL, though he had a fourth-best 1.4 UZR.

Grossman told me in July that a minor adjustment to his posture in the outfield: instead of crouching, he just stood up straight. That gave him a much better jump, which is a major part of the SDI calculation.

“Before I’d get low to the ground because you think, it’s like you’re guarding someone in basketball — get in a good position,” Grossman told me in Minneapolis. “Same thing with stealing a base, I found out that the lower I am to the ground, my first move is to stand straight up. I was doing the same thing in the outfield.”

Grossman would be the A’s first outfielder since Josh Reddick in 2012 to win a Gold Glove.

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