Giants Going for Gold

     When the San Francisco Giants missed the mark defensively as a team in 2025, most eyes turned toward weakness. Yet somehow, two of their own quietly rose above the fray and became finalists for baseball’s top defensive honor, the Rawlings Gold Glove. One was expected. The other might catch you off guard.

Catcher Patrick Bailey is no stranger to defensive buzz. He enters the finals race having produced the best fielding run value among catchers, an impressive +31, placing him nine runs ahead of the next competitor. His strengths are many: soft hands, pitch framing, and a strong, accurate arm that keeps baserunners honest. If he wins, he’ll become the first catcher in Giants history to claim multiple Gold Gloves.

But while Bailey’s nod feels natural, the second finalist, pitcher Logan Webb, is more of a revelation. Pitchers rarely get much attention for fielding, but Webb’s defensive transformation in 2025 has earned him this recognition. He led all pitchers with 34 assists, turned three double plays, and limited steals to nine allowed while throwing out seven would-be base stealers. Thanks to those efforts, he ranks first among National League pitchers in the SABR Defensive Index, a stat that accounts for a quarter of Gold Glove voting.

How did Webb pull off such a leap? Part of it comes from refining his delivery and his timing with baserunners. He’s become quicker to the plate, reducing the window for runners to take off. Previously, he allowed far more stolen bases, but now he’s nearly shored up what had been a serious weak spot. By aggressively handling grounders and taking extra defensive responsibility, he turned what might have been routine plays into high-value outs.

One of the more surprising omissions from the finalists list is Matt Chapman, a veteran third baseman with five Gold Gloves to his name. Chapman’s defensive stats remained strong enough to rank third in fielding run value in the NL, but he missed 34 games due to a hand injury. That absence, and the resulting drop in total plays, appears to have cost him the finalist nod.

This pairing of finalists offers a telling contrast. Bailey has long been celebrated as a defense-first catcher, one whose mistakes rarely show up on stat sheets—the kind of steady anchor a pitching staff dreams of. Webb, by contrast, is revealing another layer to his game, showing that he’s no longer just a good pitcher but one who takes pride in every play.

The context makes their recognition even more intriguing. The Giants, as a collective, did not stand out defensively. Outfield metrics and several infield positions showed glaring deficiencies. But Bailey and Webb’s individual excellence provided bright spots in an otherwise uneven season.

For Bailey, a win would mark his second straight Gold Glove after claiming one in 2024. He faces stiff competition from Carson Kelly and Luis Torrens, whose defensive campaigns were solid but didn’t reach Bailey’s level of dominance. Webb, on the other hand, would take home his first Gold Glove if victorious. His competition includes pitchers like Matthew Boyd and David Peterson, but Webb’s assist totals and elite defensive rankings give him serious momentum.

Beyond the awards, these nominations reflect deeper truths. Good defense can’t always mask a roster’s flaws, but on nights when offense stalls or pitches slip, those extra outs matter. Bailey and Webb provided exactly those kinds of moments throughout the year.

In the end, the Giants may not win every game with defense alone, but having two players in the running for the Gold Glove sends a message: even in a rough season, excellence still shines through. And if Webb’s shot turns into a win, expect critics to adjust their view not just of him, but of how much defense truly matters, even from the mound.