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Ex-Blue Jays 3B Matt Chapman joins exclusive MLB club

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Nov 4 2024, 3:37 pm
Ex-Blue Jays 3B Matt Chapman joins exclusive MLB club
Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports

In his first season away from the Toronto Blue Jays, Matt Chapman is already making history.

On Sunday night, the former Toronto third baseman won the National League Gold Glove award, presented annually to a player at each position in both the National and American Leagues.

And while winning one Gold Glove is typically a sign of a player’s defensive acumen, Chapman now has five of them, including one last season in Toronto. His previous three had come in Oakland from his time with the A’s organization, picking up awards in 2018, 2019, and 2021.

As per the MLB, he’s in an exclusive club, with just five active players having won the award five times or more. Nolan Arenado, Mookie Betts, Salvador Perez, and Dallas Keuchel are the other four members of the club. (Free agent pitcher Zack Grienke, who did not play in 2024, has six.)

“It means a lot,” Chapman said during a Zoom call with reporters, as per MLB.com’s Maria Guardado. “I think a lot of really good defensive third basemen are stacked in the National League. I was able to come over here and win it, so I thought that was pretty cool. To get one in the American League and the National League now means a lot. I’m really excited about it. I think the competition in the National League this year for third base was really tough.”

Chapman played two years for the Blue Jays in 2022 and 2023 but said they didn’t make the strongest push at keeping him around for another season.

“I didn’t talk to the Blue Jays a whole lot [in free agency],” Chapman said back in July, via Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. “They kind of had contact with us. I think they had me in mind. But I wasn’t sure how serious they were. I think they had other things that were on their mind before, like [Shohei] Ohtani and some of those things… By the time the Giants came and we had something going, the Blue Jays kind of came in at the end, but it was kind of a little bit too late, unfortunately.”

Daulton Varsho was Toronto’s lone Gold Glove winner this year, picking up the first award of his career.

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