Gold Glove Winners 2026: Red Sox and Diamondbacks Lead With Three Each, and a Rookie Pitcher Makes History
Major League Baseball announced the 2026 Gold Glove Awards on Sunday night, and defense ran through Boston and Arizona: the Red Sox and Diamondbacks each placed three winners, nine players won for the first time, and Mets pitcher Nolan McLean became the first rookie pitcher ever to take the honor.
The last hardware of the baseball year went to the gloves. MLB announced the 2026 Gold Glove Awards on Sunday night, honoring the best defensive player at each position in each league, and two clubs split the top of the table: the Boston Red Sox and the Arizona Diamondbacks placed three winners apiece, according to the Field Level Media and ESPN reports read by the desk. Boston's haul was right fielder Wilyer Abreu, winning for the third year in a row, center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela and first-time winner Caleb Durbin at third base. Arizona matched it with catcher Gabriel Moreno, his second Gold Glove and first since 2023, and two first-time winners, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and right fielder Corbin Carroll.
The night's history came from the mound and the margins. The Mets' Nolan McLean became the first rookie pitcher to win a Gold Glove, and the Braves' Mauricio Dubon won his record third Gold Glove as a utility player, a category only introduced in 2022 — two of his three came with Houston. The Milwaukee Brewers, the World Series champions, added two more honors to their season: second baseman Brice Turang won his second, after 2024, and left fielder Jackson Chourio was one of nine first-time winners across the two leagues. First base belonged to the veterans: Houston's Christian Walker and Atlanta's Matt Olson each collected a fourth Gold Glove.
The rest of the American League list: Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee, Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (his second), Mariners second baseman Cole Young, Rays shortstop Taylor Walls, Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger and Rangers utility man Ezequiel Duran. In the National League: Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong each won a second. The awards are voted on by each league's managers and coaches, who cannot vote for their own players — which is why a Gold Glove list is as close as baseball gets to the game's own verdict on who actually caught everything in 2026.
