Matt Chapman has made a career out of coming to the defence of his pitchers. Now, after being snubbed by Gold Glove voters this week, one of Chapman's pitchers is returning the favour.
"I’m open to all analytics and metrics in our game. Besides the ones that say Matt Chapman isn’t the best 3B in the American League," Ross Stripling wrote on Twitter. "Those metrics can eat my shorts."
The Gold Glove winners are chosen by a vote amongst managers and coaches, who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team. Additionally, the SABR Defensive IndexTM (SDI) — a measure of the number of runs saved by a player's defensive performance over the course of a season, compared to the average defensive player at that position — accounts for a percentage of the voting totals.
The complex voting criteria gave the AL third base award to the Baltimore Orioles' Ramon Urias, with Chapman and the Guardians' Jose Ramirez as finalists.
But in past year's Chapman's defence has been recognized. The 29-year-old has won the award three prior times, including in 2021, and has two Platinum Gloves in his trophy case from 2018 and '19.
