We recognize the best plays of the Giants' 3 Gold Glove finalists

For the first time since 2016, the Giants have three finalists for the National League Gold Glove Award. Matt Chapman, Patrick Bailey and Mike Yastrzemski were all top-three finishers at their position, determined by a vote of opposing managers and coaches (75 percent) and a charming, elusive and probably outdated metric, the SABR Defensive Index (25 percent ). .

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The finalists for the MLB Gold Glove Award have been announced

Even if all three finalists don't win the award like they did in 2016 (Buster Posey, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford), it would be a shock if there wasn't at least one winner in San Francisco. The Giants will likely have two. They even have a chance for someone to win a Platinum Glove for the first time in team history, which would be a tremendous honor, even if the award itself is a lot sillier than it should be. But we'll get to that.

Until then, let's turn to the video evidence and remember what made the three finalists so impressive to opposing coaches and managers in the first place.

Mike Yastrzemski, RF

We'll start with the finalist, who wasn't a given. While it's easy to appreciate Yastrzemski by watching him every day, the defensive stats are less impressive. He ranks as an average or even below-average fielder on several metrics (including Outs Above Average, Fielding Run Value, UZR), while the SABR Defensive Index and Defensive Runs Saved are more positive. This supports my theory that most defensive metrics are like someone trying to time a sneeze in a thunderstorm.

However, Yastrzemski is a finalist for several reasons. The first is that he plays Oracle Park like a talented outfielder who is comfortable with the wacky configurations he has. While many of these defensive metrics take the ballpark into account, I'm pretty sure they still don't give him enough credit – either because he loses chances for more routine and improbable catches due to the short fence across the board, or because he gets minus points for gets Triples Alley, which should not be completely covered by any right fielder.

Even if I'm wrong, Yastrzemski is a finalist because he passes the eye test. Here's one of the most ridiculous pieces of the season:

If I'm Jeimer Candelario, I won't leave second base until I'm handcuffed. Send the police after me, I don't care. It's a double and I'm not moving.

Yastrzemski also passes the eye test with his clean routes. The numbers back this up and suggest he is one of the most direct route runners in the outfield. There's no way he'll get there if he wastes steps along the way:

Yastrzemski is unlikely to win since the Milwaukee Brewers' Sal Frelick surpasses him in most defensive stats and overall reputation, but it's time for him to be nominated.

Patrick Bailey, C

If you believe FanGraphs' DEF stats, Bailey wasn't just the best defensive catcher in baseball; He was the best defender in baseball, and it wasn't even close. I know I'm throwing a lot of acronyms at you and I only understand about 25 percent of them, but if this metric is even remotely useful, Bailey should win the Platinum Glove*.

*The Platinum Glove sounds really cool, but it's a silly award voted on by fans. It's not that impressive considering it's as thoroughly researched as the average All-Star ballot. However, that doesn't mean he can't be considered a Platinum Glove winner for the rest of his career.

Bailey's genius revolves around two parts of his defensive game. The first is his ability to control the running game. Or at least controlling the running game as much as his pitchers allow him. Runners were closer to second base when attempting a steal against Bailey than against almost any other catcher.

Here's a throw that had John Kruk and Tom McCarthy hexing each other with their “what a throw” reactions. The first person to count to 10 gets a free Coke.

This is also the best example of his arm from a statistical perspective, as Baseball Savant keeps track of all sorts of catcher throwing data, and this was Bailey's best example in their opinion. You can keep those fancy numbers though, because all I need to see are two screenshots:

That's just not a pitch that should give Bailey a chance, but look where he puts the throw! I couldn't roll it there from three feet away when $100,000 was on the line.

However, the most valuable part of Bailey's defensive game is his pitch framing. He steals more strikes than any other catcher, which is important for pitchers like Tyler Rogers and Logan Webb, who thrive on unusual moves that can fool umpires as well as batters.

It's difficult to summarize a catcher's skills in a single video, but this one does an excellent job. It's perfect because the strike zone graphics are pretty weak. So when you look back at where the pitch actually crossed the plate, it feels like an AI trick.

The announcers don't notice because it looks like it's right in the middle. It doesn't look like Kyle Harrison is simply shaving the corner; it almost looks like he hung it up. Part of this is due to the camera angle, which is even more off-center than usual, but most of it is due to Bailey's impeccable framing.

If Bailey has one downside as a defensive catcher, it's that he's not the best at blocking balls in the dirt, although he's improved a lot from last year, going from one of the least effective catchers to an average one Catcher developed. This is not necessarily a skills issue. That's because he sacrifices wild throws in the service of stolen shots. Check out his technique here as he tries to frame a ball bouncing in the dirt.

Shoot your shots, Patrick.

You can see that with this style he is less likely to block a ball in the dirt. If you believe the numbers – and it certainly looks like the Giants and their coaches do – he has the right priorities.

Matt Chapman, 3B

Before the Gold Glove finalists were announced, I was already working on a recap of the Chapman defense. The working title was “I've watched every defensive play by Matt Chapman this season, so there's no need for that,” except that I had to change it. Not because I didn't watch every defensive play, but because I did high I recommend this. Keep them open in a tab and watch a few of them every day until baseball starts again.

Here's the very first chance he got as a Giant, which was excellent foreshadowing. Don't forget to switch over to the opposing announcers when they are available, as you can hear their admiration even on seemingly routine plays.

Chapman could certainly wear an item like this on her own, but I just want to highlight some of the more obvious gems. Chapman is a Gold Glove finalist because of his ability to play to his right.

He can play to his left.

He can also attack the ball. You knew this piece was coming:

I chose the latter because, given the situation, it's one of the best defensive plays I've ever seen in real time, but I chose the other two because they're all from the same road trip. This is Matt Chapman's experience for a week, and these aren't even the only pieces he's done. Javier López laughs at the end of many of these because Chapman has repeatedly distorted time and space.

The game-ender against the Mets is incomparable, but I have a few underrated favorites. Here's Chapman tricking a Rockies cameraman out of his shorts:

And here's perhaps the most underrated play Chapman has made all season, in which he makes an announcer look bad for calling early:

Elly De La Cruz actually didn't score on this play, and as if the play wasn't impressive enough, take another look at where Chapman was before the pitch was thrown:

And here's where he threw from:

TJ Friedl is on the slower side, but he is far from the slowest player in baseball. There was no reason to believe that Chapman would do this piece, unless one believed he was a warlock. Which he probably is. And if he doesn't win the Gold Glove, something bad is afoot.

If he doesn't win the Platinum Glove, it's because people voted for their favorite player. Last year's winner, Fernando Tatis Jr., wasn't even nominated this year. But if Chapman doesn't win this year, it could also be because his teammate won.

It wasn't a great season for the old Giants, but that doesn't mean there wasn't anything to appreciate. The Giants employed three of the game's best defenders, and it was one of the best entertainments the sport has to offer.

(Photo of Chapman throwing to first base: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)