Two Detroit Tigers may be getting gold-colored hardware this year.
The 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists were announced on Wednesday, Oct. 14, with Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler and utility fielder Zach McKinstry named among the American League finalists. Dingler is looking to win the Gold Glove Award for the second straight season
as he emerged as one of baseball's most valuable catchers in 2026.Dingler is up against Toronto Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela and New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells for the award, but should be the front-runner for a second win in a row. Not only is Dingler the reigning champion, but he was also the leader among MLB catchers in Fielding Run Value (17) in 2026 according to Statcast, with Valenzuela (11)
and Wells (10) coming in fourth and sixth, respectively.
Additionally, Dingler led all catchers in Defensive Runs Saved (15) and FanGraphs' defensive value (25) while landing in the 100th percentile in framing, per Statcast. Though he played in a career-high 146 games in 2026, Dingler played in only 116 of them as a catcher, landing just over four innings short of the 1,000 inning mark (reached by two catchers this season: Milwaukee's William Contreras and Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto). But no matter how you slice it, Dingler's Gold Glove case is rock solid, and he should be the favorite to take home the trophy.
And though he suffered somewhat of a down year overall, McKinstry may have as strong a case as Dingler for his first-career Gold Glove.
Along with Texas' Ezequiel Duran and New York's José Caballero, McKinstry is one of three AL finalists as a utility player, a defensive role that first received Gold Glove recognition in 2022. Atlanta's Mauricio Dubón has won the AL utility Gold Glove Award award twice, both times with the Houston Astros (2023 and 2025).
Though McKinstry struggled at the plate with a career-low .582 OPS in 2026 after posting an All-Star season in 2025, he had his best defensive season according to several metrics. His FRV of 12 was a career-high and placed him in the 95th percentile of all fielders, according to Statcast. Additionally, he posted a career high in Defensive Runs Saved (15) while playing over 190 innings each at three different positions – right field (417⅓ innings), second base (256⅔ innings) and shortstop (191 innings). He appeared at every defensive position for the Tigers in 2026 – including two innings as a pitcher – except for first base and catcher.
Duran is likely McKinstry's biggest competition for the award, as the Rangers utility player landed in the 97th percentile in FRV (13) per Statcast, slightly ahead of McKinstry. He played at every defensive position in 2026 except for catcher and pitcher, while featuring primarily in the infield at shortstop (403 innings), third base (369⅓ innings) and second base (229 innings).
Though Duran has the edge in FRV, McKinstry has the edge in DRS, with Duran accumulating seven DRS over 153 games – less than half the value of McKinstry. The veteran utility man was not a finalist for a Gold Glove in 2025, though McKinstry was awarded an AL Silver Slugger Award as a utility player. No Tigers player has won the award at the utility spot.
Dingler was Detroit's only Gold Glove finalist in 2025 and its first Gold Glove winner since Ian Kinsler won in 2016. Prior to Dinglers' win in 2025, no Tigers catcher had won a Gold Glove Award since Iván Rodríguez in 2007.
Rawlings will reveal the Gold Glove Award winners for both leagues on ESPN on Sunday, Nov. 1.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers' Dillon Dingler, Zach McKinstry named Gold Glove finalists
