2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists announced
OCTOBER 14, 2026 — The SABR Defensive Index (SDI) will be used to help select the winners of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award® and Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™, presented by SABR.
On Wednesday, Rawlings announced the finalists for the 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Award, honoring the best individual fielding performances at each position in the American League™ and National League™. The winners will be unveiled during a one-hour, special-edition ESPN Baseball Tonight broadcast at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Following the show, voting will begin online for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award, presented by SABR. A combination of the SABR Defensive Index and the national fan vote will determine who takes home the honor in each League. The final SABR Defensive Index rankings will be released at SABR.org/SDI on November 1, immediately following the ESPN broadcast. The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners will be unveiled at the Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony on Friday, November 6 in New York.
“Offense wins moments, but defense wins baseball games. A stellar defensive play can change an inning, shift the momentum of a game, or define an entire season. This year’s Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists have consistently made that difference for their teams,” said Mike Thompson, chief marketing officer of Rawlings. “Rawlings has proudly honored defensive excellence for nearly 70 years, and the talent on display continues to elevate the award. Each season brings a new level of competition, making it truly special to witness and be a part of this tradition.”
To determine the winners of the 18 defensive position Awards, each team’s manager and up to six coaches on his staff vote from a pool of qualified players in their League and cannot vote for players from their own team. In 2013, Rawlings added the SABR Defensive Index™ (SDI) to the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process, which comprises approximately 25 percent of the overall selection total, with the managers’ and coaches’ votes continuing to carry the majority.
To identify the utility Award winners, Rawlings collaborated with the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) to create a specialized defensive formula separate from the traditional selection process for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award position winners. Utilizing the SABR formula and additional defensive statistics, Rawlings will select one utility winner from each League.
The 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® finalists are:
AL finalists
- Pitcher: Tanner Bibee (CLE), Jacob deGrom (TEX), José Soriano (LAA/TOR)
- Catcher: Dillon Dingler (DET), Brandon Valenzuela (TOR), Austin Wells (NYY)
- First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR), Vinnie Pasquantino (KCR), Christian Walker (HOU)
- Second base: Michael Massey (KCR), Chase Meidroth (CHW), Cole Young (SEA)
- Third base: Caleb Durbin (BOS), Brooks Lee (MIN), Nick Loftin (KCR)
- Shortstop: Andrés Giménez (TOR), Taylor Walls (TBR), Bobby Witt Jr. (KCR)
- Left field: Cody Bellinger (NYY), Wyatt Langford (TEX), Chandler Simpson (TBR)
- Center field: Evan Carter (TEX), Steven Kwan (CLE), Ceddanne Rafaela (BOS)
- Right field: Wilyer Abreu (BOS), Nathan Lukes (TOR), Cam Smith (HOU)
- Utility: José Caballero (NYY), Ezequiel Duran (TEX), Zach McKinstry (DET)
NL finalists
- Pitcher: Michael McGreevy (STL), Nolan McLean (NYM), Chris Sale (ATL)
- Catcher: Freddy Fermin (SDP), Gabriel Moreno (ARI), Luis Torrens (NYM)
- First base: Ty France (SDP), Matt Olson (ATL), TJ Rumfield (COL)
- Second base: Brandon Lowe (PIT), Brice Turang (MIL), JJ Wetherholt (STL)
- Third base: Alex Bregman (CHC), Max Muncy (LAD), Javier Sanoja (MIA)
- Shortstop: Geraldo Perdomo (ARI), Dansby Swanson (CHC), Masyn Winn (STL)
- Left field: Jackson Chourio (MIL), Ian Happ (CHC), Daylen Lile (WSN)
- Center field: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Michael Harris II (ATL), Andy Pages (LAD)
- Right field: Carson Benge (NYM), Corbin Carroll (ARI), Seiya Suzuki (CHC)
- Utility: Mauricio Dubón (ATL), Jared Triolo (PIT), Ildemaro Vargas (ARI)
To learn more about the SABR Defensive Index, visit SABR.org/SDI.
Originally published: October 14, 2026. Last Updated: October 14, 2026.