The 2026 MLB Gold Glove Award winners were announced Sunday, with the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks each producing three honorees to lead all teams. Major League Baseball has handed out Gold Gloves since 1957, recognizing the top defensive player at each position in each league.
Voting is done by managers and up to six coaches per team, none of whom can vote for their own players. Since 2013, those ballots have been combined with a defensive metric from the Society for American Baseball Research, which makes up about 25% of the final result.
Red Sox Sweep Three Outfield And Infield Spots
Boston’s trio covers multiple areas of the diamond. Right fielder Wilyer Abreu won his third straight Gold Glove, while center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela picked up her second consecutive award. Third baseman Caleb Durbin rounded out the group with his first career Gold Glove.
The repeat wins for Abreu and Rafaela point to a Red Sox outfield and infield that has maintained its defensive reputation for multiple seasons running, with Durbin’s addition showing the recognition has spread to the infield as well.
Diamondbacks Become Third Trio To Sweep Three Awards Together
Arizona’s three winners made the Diamondbacks just the third group of teammates in Gold Glove history to claim three awards in the same season. Catcher Gabriel Moreno won his second Gold Glove and his first since 2023, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo earned his first, and right fielder Corbin Carroll also won his first.
Moreno’s defensive honor came in a season that also included a batting title, as he hit .311 with 16 home runs and 83 RBI. That combination made him just the second catcher ever to pair a Gold Glove with a batting crown in the same year, joining Joe Mauer, who did it in both 2008 and 2009.
Repeat Winners Across The League
Outside of Boston and Arizona, several players added to already decorated defensive résumés. Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker won his fourth Gold Glove, following previous wins in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and the award comes with a $75,000 bonus, according to FOX Sports.
Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson also claimed his fourth career Gold Glove, adding to wins in 2018, 2019 and 2025. His teammate, utility player Mauricio Dubón, won his third Gold Glove after previous honors in 2023 and 2025.
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong won his second straight Gold Glove after posting a plus-26 Fielding Runs Value in 2026, the fifth-best single season mark since the metric began in 2016 and the second-best ever by a non-catcher, per CBS Sports.
Major League Honors Distinct From Minor League Gold Gloves
These awards are separate from the Minor League Gold Gloves handed out earlier in the year, which recognize defensive standouts at the minor league level rather than among major league rosters. The major league awards announced Sunday are determined through the manager and coach voting process combined with the SABR defensive index, a different system than the one used for minor league honors.
What’s Next
With the 2026 Gold Glove Awards announced, MLB‘s offseason awards calendar continues as teams and players shift attention toward Silver Slugger announcements and other end-of-season honors, according to ESPN.
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