Six rookies are still standing in the 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove race, a group that includes a catcher who seized an opening in Toronto, an electric Cardinals infielder, a pair of Mets products with two-way backgrounds, and several young defenders trying to beat established winners for the hardware.
The finalists were revealed Wednesday, with managers and coaches set to cast the votes that will account for 75 percent of the result. The remaining 25 percent comes from the SABR Defensive Index. ESPN will unveil the winners on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Rookies have made a habit of crashing this party lately. Steven Kwan, Jeremy Peña and Brendan Donovan each won in their first season in 2022, and every year since has produced at least one rookie winner. This class has six chances to keep that run alive.
Young gloves against proven competition
Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela was called upon when Alejandro Kirk dealt with injuries early in the season, and the 26-year-old did more than merely cover the innings. Valenzuela posted 11 Fielding Run Value, matching Kirk and placing third among American League catchers. He ranked second overall in Statcast framing and led AL catchers in caught stealings above average.
His path is complicated by Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler, a finalist alongside Yankees backstop Austin Wells. Dingler led all big-league catchers with 17 Fielding Run Value, topped the framing rankings, handled more innings than any AL catcher and finished with an MLB-leading 15 Defensive Runs Saved.
Mariners second baseman Cole Young offers the ballot a different kind of decision. In a difficult Seattle season, the 22-year-old carried much of the load at second and showed enough offense to suggest he belongs in a major league lineup. Defensively, his 16 DRS led the American League at the position and trailed only Milwaukee’s Brice Turang across baseball. Yet Young’s range-based measurements were less forgiving: minus-4 Fielding Run Value and minus-5 Outs Above Average.
That leaves Royals second baseman Michael Massey and White Sox infielder Chase Meidroth very much in the conversation. Meidroth led AL second basemen with 10 FRV, while Massey tied for second at eight. Neither, however, recorded more than five DRS.
Mets outfielder Carson Benge enters the National League right-field field after a late-season surge that also placed him in the broader Rookie of the Year picture. His throwing arm was his calling card. Benge produced seven fielding runs with his arm, the highest total of any player in the majors, carrying over the tools he displayed as a college two-way player.
Still, Benge has work to do against Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll and Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki. Suzuki narrowly led the group in FRV with eight and DRS with 14, while Carroll posted 10 Outs Above Average. Benge finished behind both veterans in each of those three categories.
Mets pitcher Nolan McLean, another former two-way player, brought that athleticism to the mound even as pitching became his professional focus. McLean recorded four DRS, one of the better totals among NL pitchers. Cardinals pitcher Michael McGreevy finished at five, while Braves left-hander Chris Sale had three.
At first base, rookie Ben Rumfield paired a .300 batting average and .843 OPS with a solid defensive season. The 26-year-old produced four FRV, third among National League first basemen, with plus-2 marks in both range and receiving. He also tied for third with two Outs Above Average and ranked fourth with six DRS.
Rumfield’s challenge is the caliber of the two other finalists, Padres first baseman Ty France and Braves star Matt Olson. Both already own Gold Gloves, and both finished ahead of the rookie in every major defensive measure while ranking first and second among major league first basemen.
The clearest rookie case may belong to Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt. His breakout season helped energize St. Louis, and his glove was as important as his bat. Wetherholt finished second in the majors with 23 Fielding Run Value, trailing only likely NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 26. His 25 Outs Above Average also ranked second, again one behind Crow-Armstrong.
DRS is the lone statistical opening for Brewers standout Turang, the 2024 Gold Glove winner and a fellow finalist with Pirates infielder Brandon Lowe. Turang led major league second basemen with 23 DRS, while Wetherholt checked in at 13. Wetherholt held the FRV edge, 23 to 14, but Turang’s reputation and previous Gold Glove will give the voters a familiar choice.
For the rookies, that is the test of this ballot: not simply proving they can make the play, but showing they belong beside veterans who have spent years turning the routine play into an expectation.
