Major League Baseball announced the 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners on Sunday, honoring the league’s top defensive players. Nine athletes earned their first career awards, while the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks led all teams with three recipients each in a class decided by managers, coaches, and sabermetric data.
Red Sox and Diamondbacks Lead the 2026 Class
For the Red Sox, the awards highlight a defensive resurgence, as third baseman Caleb Durbin earned his first career Gold Glove—the first time a Boston player at that position has won since Frank Malzone’s streak from 1957-59. Durbin led all American League third basemen with 13 Defensive Runs Saved. Abreu and Rafaela are the third pair of Red Sox teammates to win Gold Gloves in back-to-back seasons, following the historical pairings of Carl Yastrzemski and George Scott (1967-68) and Dwight Evans and Fred Lynn (1978-79).
Arizona’s haul included catcher Gabriel Moreno, who collected his second award, alongside first-time winners Geraldo Perdomo at shortstop and Corbin Carroll in right field. Moreno’s selection makes him the second catcher in MLB history to win both a Gold Glove and a batting title in the same season, an achievement previously reached by Joe Mauer in 2008 and 2009.
Forever Young 🏆Congratulations to Cole Young on winning his first @RawlingsSports Gold Glove Award! #TridentsUp🔗 https://t.co/jWtrSm4CoU pic.twitter.com/pzJfUKMMtY
— https://x.com/Mariners/status/2117069036827955523
The 2026 Gold Glove Award Recipients
| Position | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | Tanner Bibee | Nolan McLean |
| Catcher | Dillon Dingler | Gabriel Moreno |
| First Base | Christian Walker | Matt Olson |
| Second Base | Cole Young | Brice Turang |
| Third Base | Caleb Durbin | Alex Bregman |
| Shortstop | Taylor Walls | Geraldo Perdomo |
| Left Field | Cody Bellinger | Jackson Chourio |
| Center Field | Ceddanne Rafaela | Pete Crow-Armstrong |
| Right Field | Wilyer Abreu | Corbin Carroll |
| Utility | Ezequiel Duran | Mauricio Dubón |
Selection Methodology and Statistical Weighting
The voting process for the 2026 awards relied on a combination of professional judgment and quantitative metrics. This voting accounts for 75 percent of the total, while the remaining 25 percent is derived from the SABR Defensive Index (SDI). The utility category is determined by a specific defensive formula calculated by SABR and Rawlings.
This year, the alignment between subjective voting and public metrics like Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) was notable. While Witt and Giménez finished with the third- and fourth-highest Outs Above Average (OAA) in the sport, they were surpassed by Walls, who graded out as a negative in OAA but held a clear edge in Defensive Runs Saved.
Mets Pitcher Joins Elite Gold Glove Winners
He joins Ron Darling (1989) as the only Mets pitchers to ever win a Gold Glove. In Chicago, Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and third baseman Alex Bregman were recognized as winners. Bregman, a two-time Gold Glove recipient, became the first Cubs third baseman to win the award since Ron Santo in 1968. His defensive performance included a career-high 15 Defensive Runs Saved.
Walker, who previously won his awards with Arizona, is one of several players to win at least four Gold Gloves at first base. Meanwhile, Mauricio Dubón of the Braves continued his dominance in the utility category, securing his third award since the position was introduced in 2022. No other player has won the utility award more than once.
Flashing the leather in both leagues 💪These 2026 Gold Glove winners have won the award in the American League and National League! pic.twitter.com/N7bs1mUWIx
— https://x.com/MLB/status/2117099501249061224
While the Gold Gloves have been distributed, the defensive season is not yet fully concluded. Fans have until November 5 to cast their votes for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award, which recognizes the best individual defensive player in each league. The winners will be unveiled at the Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony in New York City on Friday, November 6.
More on Defensive Runs Saved
Make room for more hardware 😤These guys have won Gold Gloves in consecutive seasons! pic.twitter.com/LFmGRsRrPv
— https://x.com/MLB/status/2117093108211142835
Champion. 2x Gold Glover. Best 2B in baseball. 🏆🏆Congrats, Brice! pic.twitter.com/wgWh0qwnj6
— https://x.com/Brewers/status/2117071697618645394
