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2026 American League Gold Glove finalists announced
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

2026 American League Gold Glove finalists announced

By Andrew Wright  |  Last updated Oct 14, 2026 3:17 PM ET
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With the Major League Baseball season dwindling down toward its final few weeks, the time has come for award finalists to be announced.

That began Wednesday when the finalists for the 2026 Gold Glove Awards were revealed. Let's take a look at the finalists at each position in the American League.

Pitcher

  1. Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers
  2. Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians
  3. Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels/Toronto Blue Jays

None of these three have won the award in their careers, one of three positions where that is the case this season.

Catcher

  1. Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers
  2. Brandon Valuenzela, Toronto Blue Jays
  3. Austin Wells, New York Yankees

Dingler was the recipient of the 2025 Gold Glove Award, so he'll be looking to win the award for the second straight season, while Valuenzela and Wells are hoping to win the first of their careers.

First Base

  1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
  2. Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals
  3. Christian Walker, Houston Astros

Guerrero is one-time Gold Glove Award winner (2022), while Walker is a three-time winner (2022-2024, all three in NL). Pasquantino is hoping to win the award for the first time in his career.

Second Base

  1. Michael Massey, Kansas City Royals
  2. Chase Meidroth, Chicago White Sox
  3. Cole Young, Seattle Mariners

Much like the case with the pitchers, one of these three will win the first Gold Glove Award of their careers.

Shortstop

  1. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
  2. Andres Giminez, Toronto Blue Jays
  3. Taylor Walls, Tampa Bay Rays

Witt is the frontrunner for this award, as he finished with 24 Outs Above Average (OAA) this season, the third most in MLB and the most in the American League. If he does indeed win, it'll be his third straight season winning the award.

Third Base

  1. Caleb Durbin, Boston Red Sox
  2. Brooks Lee, Minnesota Twins
  3. Nick Loftin, Kansas City Royals

This is the third position in the American League that will see a first-time winner. Each of them finished in the top six in Outs Above Average from third basemen this season.

Left Field

  1. Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees
  2. Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers
  3. Chandler Simpson, Tampa Bay Rays

Bellinger is the lone previous Gold Glove winner in this group and his came all the way back in 2019. If it isn't Bellinger, it will be a first-time winner.

Center Field

  1. Evan Carter, Texas Rangers
  2. Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians
  3. Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox

Both Kwan (2022-25, all in LF) and Rafaela (2025) are former Gold Glove winners. Rafaela was also the AL's Platinum Glove Award runner-up last season.

Right Field

  1. Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox
  2. Nathan Lukes, Toronto Blue Jays
  3. Cam Smith, Houston Astros

Abreu (2024-25) is the lone previous winner of this group. Smith figures to be the favorite, though, as his seven OAA are the most among the three finalists.

Utility

  1. Jose Caballero, New York Yankees
  2. Ezequiel Duran, Texas Rangers
  3. Zach McKinstry, Detroit Tigers

The total numbers of the finalists

In total, there are 21 players hoping to win the first Gold Glove Awards of their careers, while the other nine are looking to add to their resume of being a Gold Glove winner.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan. 

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