Thursday’s Fielding Bible Awards gave the Cubs and Red Sox plenty to carry into the offseason, while a pair of Tigers helped end long waits for Detroit at their positions. The 2026 selections honored Major League Baseball’s top defenders across nine spots, plus a multi-position winner, an overall Defensive Player of the Year and a Defensive Team of the Year.
Chicago came away with three major pieces of recognition. Alex Bregman took third base, Pete Crow-Armstrong was named Defensive Player of the Year, and the Cubs repeated as Defensive Team of the Year after finishing the regular season with 115 Defensive Runs Saved, 28 more than any other club.
Quick facts
- The Fielding Bible Awards are in their 21st season and are presented by Sports Info Solutions.
- A panel weighs statistical measures, scouting observation and other voter-selected considerations.
- Wilyer Abreu led all MLB defenders with 28 Defensive Runs Saved.
- Center field voting ended level between Ceddanne Rafaela and Pete Crow-Armstrong before a DRS tiebreaker.
- The Cubs have won both Defensive Team of the Year honors since the category began in 2025.
Dillon Dingler earned the catcher award after posting 15 Defensive Runs Saved, the best total among catchers. He is Detroit’s first winner behind the plate since Ivan Rodriguez claimed the inaugural catcher honor in 2006.
Matt Olson captured first base for the sixth time, edging Padres first baseman Ty France in a close race. The Braves slugger moved past Albert Pujols for the most Fielding Bible Awards at first base and now shares second place on the all-time list with Yadier Molina and Andrelton Simmons; only Mookie Betts, with seven, has more.
At second base, Brice Turang gave Milwaukee its first Fielding Bible winner since Lorenzo Cain took center field in 2019. Turang’s 23 Defensive Runs Saved ranked second in the majors.
Bregman’s 15 DRS led all third basemen, earning the veteran his first Fielding Bible Award in his 11th big-league season. It is also the first such honor for a Cubs third baseman.
Taylor Walls owned the shortstop field, finishing with 21 DRS. That total tied him for third overall in MLB and was eight better than the next-best shortstop, while giving the Rays their first Fielding Bible recipient since Kevin Kiermaier in 2020.
Cody Bellinger returned to the awards board in left field, his first Fielding Bible recognition since 2019. That year he won both right field and the multi-position category; this season, his 21 DRS tied for third across the majors.
Center field produced the closest call of the ballot. Rafaela and Crow-Armstrong each received eight first-place votes, seven second-place votes and two third-place votes, leaving the decision to the defensive metric tiebreaker. Rafaela’s 21 DRS topped Crow-Armstrong’s 16, putting the Red Sox defender in the center-field slot.
Crow-Armstrong still received the larger individual prize as Defensive Player of the Year, where the vote includes defenders from every position. Sports Info Solutions vice president of analytics Joe Rosales said the split recognition reflected just how narrow the gap was between the two center fielders, adding that both players deserved to be honored after outstanding seasons.
Abreu joined Rafaela in the Red Sox outfield haul by winning right field for the second time. His 28 DRS led the majors and stood five clear of every other player, giving Boston two of the three outfield awards.
Tanner Bibee took the pitcher award, his second after winning in 2024. He remains the only Guardians pitcher to claim a Fielding Bible Award.
Zach McKinstry collected the multi-position honor for his first Fielding Bible Award. He became the sixth different winner in six years in that category and joined Riley Greene, the 2024 left-field winner, as the only Tigers recipients since 2015.
Chicago’s team prize was built on a defense that created separation throughout the regular season. With Bregman’s corner work and Crow-Armstrong’s range in the middle of the outfield, the Cubs again finished atop the team fielding recognition, making them 2-for-2 since the award was introduced.
