2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® Finalists Announced
ESPN to broadcast exclusive show unveiling Gold Glove winners Sunday, Nov. 1
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., 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 "Baseball Tonight" broadcast on ESPN Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, at 8:30 p.m. ET.
While the award originated in 1957, Rawlings first began highlighting the top three defenders at each position as finalists in 2011. This season, the Toronto Blue Jays led the AL and the Chicago Cubs topped the NL, with five finalists each.
"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.
2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Finalists – American League
Position
Player
Team
P
José Soriano
Toronto Blue Jays
Jacob deGrom
Texas Rangers
Tanner Bibee
Cleveland Guardians
C
Brandon Valenzuela
Toronto Blue Jays
Austin Wells
New York Yankees
Dillon Dingler
Detroit Tigers
1B
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Toronto Blue Jays
Christian Walker
Houston Astros
Vinnie Pasquantino
Kansas City Royals
2B
Michael Massey
Kansas City Royals
Chase Meidroth
Chicago White Sox
Cole Young
Seattle Mariners
3B
Nick Loftin
Kansas City Royals
Brooks Lee
Minnesota Twins
Caleb Durbin
Boston Red Sox
SS
Bobby Witt Jr.
Kansas City Royals
Andrés Giménez
Toronto Blue Jays
Taylor Walls
Tampa Bay Rays
LF
Cody Bellinger
New York Yankees
Wyatt Langford
Texas Rangers
Chandler Simpson
Tampa Bay Rays
CF
Steven Kwan
Cleveland Guardians
Ceddanne Rafaela
Boston Red Sox
Evan Carter
Texas Rangers
RF
Nathan Lukes
Toronto Blue Jays
Cam Smith
Houston Astros
Wilyer Abreu
Boston Red Sox
UTILITY
Zach McKinstry
Detroit Tigers
Ezequiel Duran
Texas Rangers
José Caballero
New York Yankees
2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Finalists – National League
Position
Player
Team
P
Nolan McLean
New York Mets
Michael McGreevy
St. Louis Cardinals
Chris Sale
Atlanta Braves
C
Freddy Fermin
San Diego Padres
Luis Torrens
New York Mets
Gabriel Moreno
Arizona Diamondbacks
1B
Ty France
San Diego Padres
Matt Olson
Atlanta Braves
TJ Rumfield
Colorado Rockies
2B
JJ Wetherholt
St. Louis Cardinals
Brice Turang
Milwaukee Brewers
Brandon Lowe
Pittsburgh Pirates
3B
Max Muncy
Los Angeles Dodgers
Alex Bregman
Chicago Cubs
Javier Sanoja
Miami Marlins
SS
Masyn Winn
St. Louis Cardinals
Dansby Swanson
Chicago Cubs
Geraldo Perdomo
Arizona Diamondbacks
LF
Ian Happ
Chicago Cubs
Daylen Lile
Washington Nationals
Jackson Chourio
Milwaukee Brewers
CF
Andy Pages
Los Angeles Dodgers
Pete Crow-Armstrong
Chicago Cubs
Michael Harris II
Atlanta Braves
RF
Corbin Carroll
Arizona Diamondbacks
Carson Benge
New York Mets
Seiya Suzuki
Chicago Cubs
UTILITY
Ildemaro Vargas
Arizona Diamondbacks
Mauricio Dubón
Atlanta Braves
Jared Triolo
Pittsburgh Pirates
The 2026 finalists include 22 former Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners – 9 in the AL and 13 in the NL.
Following the Rawlings Gold Glove Award televised announcement special on ESPN, Sunday, Nov. 1, fans can vote for their favorite defensive player in each league to determine who will be named the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ winners. A combination of the national fan vote and the SDI will determine who takes home the honor.
Voting for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award presented by SABR will begin online at www.Rawlings.com on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 9:30 p.m. ET and will remain open until Thursday, Nov. 5, at 11:59 p.m. ET. The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners will be unveiled at the Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony in New York City, on Friday, Nov. 6.
About the Rawlings Gold Glove Award®
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award® is a registered trademark owned by Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. The award is correctly identified as the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The name should not be shortened, abbreviated, or otherwise misused. Proper identification of this service mark using the registration symbol and the Rawlings name is important to protect the integrity of the program and perpetuate this worthy tradition. For more information, please visit www.Rawlings.com.
About Rawlings®
Established in 1887, Rawlings is an innovative leading global brand and manufacturer of premium baseball and softball equipment, including gloves, balls, and protective headwear. Rawlings' unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings.
Rawlings is the official glove, baseball, helmet and faceguard, and base of Major League Baseball, the official baseball of Minor League Baseball and the official baseball and softball of the NCAA and NAIA, and the official softball of the NJCAA. For more information, please visit www.Rawlings.com.
SOURCE Rawlings