Oakland A's infielders Matt Olson (first base) and Matt Chapman (third base) have been named 2018 Rawlings American League Gold Glove Award winners.
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). The last A's first baseman to win the award was Mark McGwire (1990) and the club's last third baseman to win was Chavez (2006). The A's were the only team this season to feature a Rawlings Gold Glove finalist at each of the infield positions (Chapman, Olson, Semien, Lowrie).
In his first full Major League season, Chapman, 25, led all Major Leaguers regardless of position in defensive runs saved (29). He led Major League third basemen in 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). This is his first career Gold Glove.
Also in his first full Major League season, Olson, 24, led Major League first basemen 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. This is his first career Gold Glove.
To determine winners of the Gold Glove award, 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.