Both A's first baseman Matt Olson and center fielder Ramón Laureano did not take home AL Gold Gloves when the awards were announced Tuesday night.
Olson fell to Seattle Mariners' first baseman Evan White, and will not take home his third consecutive AL Gold Glove at the position. Similarly, outfielder Laureano was snubbed and lost to Luis Robert of the Chicago White Sox.
This was Olson’s third nomination after winning honors in 2018 and 2019. This was Laureano’s first nomination.
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The Gold Glove process was a bit different this season during the condensed campaign. For 2020, nominees were based solely on the SABR Defensive Index (SDI). In seasons previously, those could have been nominated based on reputation.
That’s why two-time Platinum Glove Award winner Matt Chapman, who missed a chunk of time during the season due to injury, might not have been one of the finalists. Both Laureano and Olson admitted Chapman not being a finalist pretty weird, but such is life in 2020.
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Olson had become a pro at throwing out runners at third base from his position at first, a play that had been more highlighted with the 2020’s implementation of starting a runner at second base in extra innings. It had been a move Olson and third baseman Matt Chapman had been perfecting for some time.
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Winning the award had been a career goal of Laureano’s, who has made it apparent you should never … ever, run on him.
Olson and Laureano surely will be in the Gold Glove conversation yet again in 2021 and will try to take home the hardware next year.