OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland A's feature four finalists for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, with winners announced on Sunday, Nov. 4. Matt Olson (first base), Jed Lowrie (second base), Matt Chapman (third base) and Marcus Semien (shortstop) were each recognized as one of the best defensive players at their respective position.
The A's are the only team this season to feature a Rawlings Gold Glove finalist at each of the infield positions. The A's have not had a Gold Glove winner since Josh Reddick (OF) in 2012 and have not had an infielder win the award since Eric Chavez (2006).
Olson, 24, led Major League first baseman in defensive runs saved (14), UZR (11.6), games (162), total chances (1494), putouts (1403) and zone rating (.913) while posting a .995 fielding percentage. Offensively, he set career highs in games (162), at-bats (580), runs (85), hits (143), doubles (33), home runs (29), RBI (84) and walks (70). Among first basemen, he led the American League in home runs and ranked fourth in the Majors in RBI (83).
Lowrie, 34, among American League second basemen ranked first in fielding percentage (.993) and zone rating (.845), tied for first in assists (336), third in ultimate zone rating (6.1), tied for fourth in defensive runs saved (1), second in games (136), innings (1177.1), third in total chances (534) and fourth in putouts (194). Offensively, he posted career highs in home runs (23) and RBI (99), games (157), walks (78) and strikeouts (128). He was named to his first AL All-Star Team.
Chapman, 25, led all Major Leaguers regardless of position in defensive runs saved (29). He led Major League third basemen in defensive runs saved, ultimate zone rating (10.9), total chances (484), assists (331), and zone rating (.853). He was tied for first in the American League in out of zone plays (61), second in putouts and third in double plays (37). Offensively, he had a breakout season hitting .278 (152-for-547) with 100 runs scored, 42 doubles, 24 homers and 68 RBI. He led the Majors in doubles (25) after the All-Star break and his 52 runs scored and 42 extra-base hits led the American League in the second half. The former 1st rounder finished the second-half with a .309 batting average, 14 homers, 39 RBI and .961 OPS. He became the first A's player to score 100 runs in a season since Nick Swisher scored 106 in 2006.
Semien, 28, among American League shortstops ranked first in games (159), games started (158), innings (1423.2), total chances (676) and zone rating (.849), second in putouts (198), first in assists (458), third in defensive runs saved (9), ultimate zone rating (8.3) and double plays (79). Offensively, he hit .255 with 15 home runs and 70 RBI while posting career highs in at bats (632), runs (89), hits (161), doubles (35), walks (61), stolen bases (14) and sacrifice flies (7) and matched his high in games.
While the award originated in 1957, Rawlings first began highlighting the top-three defenders at each position in 2011. Each manager and up to six coaches on his staff vote from a pool of qualified players in their League, and cannot vote for players from their own team. In 2013, Rawlings added a sabermetric component to the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process, as part of its collaboration with the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). The SABR Defensive Index™ comprises approximately 25 percent of the overall selection total, with the managers and coaches' vote continuing to carry the majority.