Six Biggest Snubs From MLB’s Gold Glove Finalists

MLB announced its finalists for the 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Award on Wednesday, designating six players from each position, three from the American League and three from the National League, that will be in consideration for the award.

As a reminder, the Gold Glove Award is determined by two key factors; 75% of the vote comes from the manager and coaches of each club, while the remaining 25% is determined by the Society for American Baseball Research’s defensive index. Pitchers are required to have logged at least 149 innings by the team’s 149th game in order to be eligible for the award. Catchers must have been behind the plate for at least half of the team’s games in that same span of 149 games. As for infielders and outfielders, in order to be eligible they must have played in at least 750 innings by the team’s 138th game, and will qualify for the award at the position they played the most innings. A full look at the eligibility requirements can be found here.

This year, there were some notable omissions from the list of finalists, with some of MLB’s top defensive standouts being excluded. Let’s dive into the full list of finalists from each league and highlight a few players that were snubbed.

National League Gold Glove Award finalists

Pitcher: Nolan McLean, Mets; Michael McGreevy, Cardinals; Chris Sale, Braves
Catcher: Freddy Fermin, Padres; Luis Torrens, Mets; Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks
First base: Ty France, Padres; Matt Olson, Braves; TJ Rumfield, Rockies
Second base: Brandon Lowe, Pirates; Brice Turang, Brewers; JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals
Third base: Alex Bregman, Cubs; Max Muncy, Dodgers; Javier Sanoja, Marlins
Shorstop: Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks; Dansby Swanson, Cubs; Masyn Winn, Cardinals
Utility: Mauricio Dubón, Braves; Jared Triolo, Pirates; Idelmargo Vargas, Diamondbacks
Left field: Jackson Chourio, Brewers; Ian Happ, Cubs; Daylen Lile, Nationals
Center field: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs; Michael Harris II, Braves; Andy Pages, Dodgers
Right field: Carson Benge, Mets; Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks; Seiya Suzuki, Cubs

American League Gold Glove Award finalists

Pitcher: Tanner Bibee, Guardians; Jacob deGrom, Rangers; José Soriano, Blue Jays
Catcher: Dillon Dingler, Tigers; Brandon Valenzuela, Blue Jays; Austin Wells, Yankees
First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays; Vinnie Pasquantino, Royals; Christian Walker, Astros
Second base: Michael Massey, Royals; Chase Meidroth, White Sox; Cole Young, Mariners
Third base: Caleb Durbin, Red Sox; Brooks Lee, Twins; Nick Loftin, Royals
Shortstop: Andrés Giménez, Blue Jays; Taylor Walls, Rays; Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
Utility: José Caballero, Yankees; Ezequiel Duran, Rangers; Zach McKinstry, Tigers
Left field: Cody Bellinger, Yankees; Wyatt Langford, Rangers; Chandler Simpson, Rays
Center field: Evan Carter, Rangers; Steven Kwan, Guardians; Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox
Right field: Wilyer Abreu, Red Sox; Nathan Lukes, Blue Jays; Cam Smith, Astros

Notable snubs

Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres

Tatis was excellent defensively in 2026 despite splitting his role between right field and second base. The 27-year-old made 104 starts in right field and 53 at second base, yet he isn’t a finalist at either position, nor the utility spot.

Tatis is one of the best defenders in all of MLB, having won the Platinum Glove in two of the last three seasons. It’s possible devoting so many games to second base resulted in the Padres star getting overlooked, but it’s a big surprise to see him not even in consideration for the Gold Glove among utility players.

He’s a human highlight reel in the outfield, using his elite athleticism to cover tons of ground and make jaw-dropping plays. He registered three outs above average in right field this year, as well as two at second base.

DID HE CATCH IT?!

Fernando Tatis Jr. robs a grand slam from Francisco Lindor! pic.twitter.com/6m2O0Yrb2a
— MLB (@MLB) August 18, 2026

Brayan Rocchio, Guardians

Rocchio was one of the best shortstops in MLB this season, yet he was left off the list of AL finalists in favor of Rays shortstop Taylor Walls. Rocchio had 13 outs above average and nine runs prevented, both of which ranked third at the position in the American League.

Compare that to Walls, who ranked 33rd among all shortstops with -3 outs above average and -2 defensive runs saved. Walls had three fewer errors than Rocchio and a narrowly higher fielding percentage, but Rocchio was considered a superior defender by most metrics, so it’s certainly a head scratcher that the Guardians shortstop was overlooked.

Brayan Rocchio gets the @CLEGuardians out of a jam with an UNREAL double play 🤯 pic.twitter.com/63fODZSEPQ
— MLB (@MLB) June 9, 2026

Manny Machado, Padres

Machado had his best season at third base this year, and led all players at the position with 12 outs above average and nine runs prevented. Despite that, he wasn’t included among the three finalists at the position for the National League. Machado is a two-time Gold Glove winner, though it’s been more than a decade since he won the award.

Still, Machado had the fewest errors among all qualified third basemen (3) this season and had the best fielding percentage at the position (.990). He has elite range at the hot corner and a solid arm to go with it, yet was rather egregiously overlooked as a finalist for this year’s Gold Glove award.

San Diego Padres infielder Manny Machado — Manny Machado hasn't won a Gold Glove since 2015, but he would have been a deserving winner this year. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nico Hoerner, Cubs

Hoerner didn’t have his best season at the plate, but he was sound as ever on defense. Hoerner had nine outs above average at second base this season, along with seven runs prevented. He had a .990 fielding percentage with just five errors on the year, tied for the fourth fewest among all qualified second basemen. In addition to his 119 starts at second base, Hoerner helped fill in at shortstop for the Cubs, making 38 starts at the position and registering two outs above average.

Chicago was MLB’s best defensive team in 2026, and despite the team getting plenty of representation in the league’s finalists for the Gold Glove award, tied for the league lead with five finalists, Hoerner was stunningly left out.

Nico Hoerner WHAT A CATCH 😱 pic.twitter.com/UnEYJCWDXd
— MLB (@MLB) September 3, 2026

Tristan Peters, White Sox

Peters was phenomenal in the outfield for the White Sox this season, registering 11 outs above average and 10 runs prevented. He ranked fourth among American League center fielders in both categories, and recorded just three errors throughout the entire season. The rookie center fielder was a stalwart defensively, showcasing some truly impressive range in the most important ouftield position. Despite his defensive excellence, Peters was overlooked in favor of Guardians star Steven Kwan, who had seven outs above average and played nearly half of his defensive innings in left field.

Tristan Peters goes FULL EXTENSION! pic.twitter.com/Jk2X2Mc47K
— MLB (@MLB) May 16, 2026

Cedric Mullins, Rays

Another deserving American League center fielder who was left off the list of finalists is Rays veteran Cedric Mullins. The 32-year-old didn’t have a great year at the plate, but he was an elite defender in center field. Mullins ranked fourth among all center fielders with 12 outs above average and 10 runs prevented. His fielding run value of 10 is tied for the best of his career, on level with his defensive production from 2022, when he was a finalist for the award but ultimately lost out to Astros center fielder Myles Straw.

Ced from center with the armmmm 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/3Iu70MGtxU
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 4, 2026

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