Bailey’s triumph came as no surprise, as he continued to burnish his reputation as the best defensive catcher in MLB by picking up his second consecutive Gold Glove.
The 26-year-old Bailey is the first Giants catcher to earn multiple Gold Gloves and the first National League backstop to win in back-to-back years since Molina won eight straight from 2008-15. He also was named the 2025 Fielding Bible Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the top defensive catcher in MLB, by Sports Info Solutions on Oct 23.
“To this day, he’s always trying to get better,” Webb said. “He cares a lot. He wants to be the best defender in baseball. He wants to be known as the guy who’s the best defender in baseball. He takes a lot of pride in that. Seeing the work he put in, that’s the type of guy he is. He wants to be the best.”
Webb’s first career Gold Glove was a little less expected, though the recognition was well-earned given the strides he made in holding runners this year. The 28-year-old sinkerballer paced NL pitchers with +7 defensive runs saved this season and finished with +5 net bases prevented, up from -5 in 2024.
Webb came into the season wanting to make a concerted effort to get better at controlling the running game, as he felt he got exposed by opposing teams last year. He hit a low point during a start at Busch Stadium on June 23, 2024, when he allowed the Cardinals to steal four bases off him. One of those was by catcher Pedro Pagés, who ranks in the 12th percentile in sprint speed, according to Baseball Savant.
To clean up that part of his game, Webb decided to focus on holding runners for as long as he could and mix up his times during Spring Training, which gave him some much-needed momentum heading into the regular season.
“Honestly, I just wanted to get better at playing defense,” Webb said. “The last couple of years, I think I’d finished in the bottom five in holding runners and some of the defensive stats that they have. I just wanted to get better at it. I didn’t necessarily think it would result in a Gold Glove, but I always thought maybe I could do it. I feel like I get enough ground balls hit to me and a lot of get-overs. I just kind of had to fix some of the other stuff. It’s a really cool accomplishment. I’m super excited about it.”
Webb is only the second Giants pitcher to win a Gold Glove, joining Rick Reuschel in 1987. (It’s worth noting that Reuschel began that season with the Pirates before he was traded to the Giants in mid-August.)
“To be able to say you’re one of the best defenders or the best defender at your position in your league is really cool,” Webb said. “It’s a huge part of baseball and a huge part of what the Giants try to be. I think that’s why we’ve had so many around here. It’s cool to be a part of that now.”
San Francisco also had multiple Gold Glove winners last year, when Bailey and third baseman Matt Chapman were voted the top NL defenders at their positions. Chapman has five Gold Gloves — and two Platinum Gloves — to his name, but he wasn’t among the finalists at third base this year after landing on the injured list twice with a right hand injury.
