Gold Glove Winners 2026: Christian Walker Wins His Fourth for the Astros, and the Rangers' Ezequiel Duran Takes the Utility Award
Nine first-time winners, a rookie pitcher making history, and two Texas infielders on the list - MLB's Sunday-night Gold Glove announcement closed the book on the 2026 season's defense.
Major League Baseball announced the 2026 Gold Glove Awards on Sunday night, honoring the best defensive player at each position in each league, Reuters reported. Nine of the winners were first-time recipients, and the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers added two more honors to their season: second baseman Brice Turang collected his second career Gold Glove, and left fielder Jackson Chourio won his first.
Texas placed two infielders on the American League list. Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker won his fourth Gold Glove, and Texas Rangers utility player Ezequiel Duran won his first, MLB Trade Rumors reported. The utility award is decided separately, by a defensive formula calculated by SABR and Rawlings, while the position awards combine votes from managers and coaches - 75 percent of the total, with voters barred from choosing their own players - and SABR's Defensive Index for the remaining 25 percent.
The night also produced a first in the award's history: New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean became the first rookie pitcher to win a Gold Glove, Reuters reported. Arizona and Boston led all clubs with three winners each - the Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno, Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll, and a Red Sox group led by third baseman Caleb Durbin - and the Braves' Mauricio Dubon won a record third utility Gold Glove, two of them earned earlier with Houston. Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong collected his second consecutive Gold Glove.
