A's Shine with Two Gold Glove Finalists

The last Gold Glove winners in Green and Gold both came in 2021, when third baseman Matt Chapman and catcher Sean Murphy took home the honors. That was Chapman's third award with the team, in addition to 2018 and 2019. His seasons in 2018 and 2019 also earned him Platinum Glove honors, and are the only Platinum Glove awards ever given to an A's player.

That could change as current centerfielder Denzel Clarke becomes a regular MLB player.

Only one pitcher has ever won the Gold Glove award for the A's, and that was Mike Norris in both 1980 and 1981. Josh Reddick was the last A's outfielder to win a Gold Glove in 2012. With a win, Soderstrom would become just the fifth outfielder to take home the award.

Joe Rudi was the first to do so, winning it from 1974-76, and he was followed shortly thereafter by Dwayne Murphy in 1980-81. Severino and Soderstrom could be the first outfielder/pitcher combo to win the award since those years. Rickey Henderson won the Gold Gove in 1981, and then Murphy ran off with four straight from 1982-85.

Brent Rooker Campaigning for Teammates

Right after the awards finalists were announced, A's DH Brent Rooker took to social media to pump up Soderstrom's candidacy.

He makes some excellent points here. Not only does Soderstrom have the story of going from a catcher to a first baseman, but then he moved to left field to make room for Nick Kurtz (who's pretty good at baseball) at first early in the year. He didn't get an offseason to prepare—he was just thrown into left.

Soderstrom had never played left field before, and turned himself into a Gold Glove caliber defender out there. The story is right there for the voters.

Steven Kwan of Cleveland led American League left fielders with +6 Outs Above Average (OAA), but Soderstrom tied with New York's Cody Bellinger and Texas' Wyatt Langford at +5. They're all right there in a tight mix, and nobody has Soderstrom's story. He could have a real shot at this one.

Rooker also advocated for Lawrence Butler in right field, and while he was another solid defender for the A's, he ranked fifth among AL right fielders in OAA. Throw in Clarke in center, and when healthy, the A's may have the best defensive outfield in the game. All three players could be Gold Glove winners in the coming years.