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Pete Crow-Armstrong and Cody Bellinger have been awarded the 2026 Platinum Glove honors, given annually to the best all-around defensive player in each league. The news was released at 11 p.m. ET on a Friday, a timing choice that raised eyebrows and suggested the league might not have been eager for widespread attention.
This marks the first Platinum Glove for both players, who expressed satisfaction with the recognition. The award is determined by a combination of fan voting and the SABR Defensive Index (SDI), a metric that quantifies defensive performance.
Gold Glove Finalists and Selection Process
The Platinum Glove is chosen from the pool of Gold Glove winners in each league. This year's American League Gold Glovers were: pitcher Tanner Bibee (Cleveland Guardians), catcher Dillon Dingler (Detroit Tigers), first baseman Christian Walker (Houston Astros), second baseman Cole Young (Seattle Mariners), shortstop Taylor Walls (Tampa Bay Rays), third baseman Caleb Durbin (Boston Red Sox), left fielder Cody Bellinger (New York Yankees), center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (Boston Red Sox), right fielder Wilyer Abreu (Boston Red Sox), and utility player Ezequiel Duran (Texas Rangers). In the National League, the Gold Glovers included pitcher Nolan McLean (New York Mets), catcher Gabriel Moreno (Arizona Diamondbacks), first baseman Matt Olson (Atlanta Braves), second baseman Brice Turang (Milwaukee Brewers), shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (Arizona Diamondbacks), third baseman Alex Bregman (Chicago Cubs), left fielder Jackson Chourio (Milwaukee Brewers), center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs), right fielder Corbin Carroll (Arizona Diamondbacks), and utility player Mauricio Dubón (Atlanta Braves).
Bellinger topped the AL in SDI, while Crow-Armstrong finished second in the NL, trailing only Turang. In other advanced defensive metrics, Crow-Armstrong led his league in Statcast's Fielding Run Value and ranked third in Defensive Runs Saved. Bellinger placed 21st and second in those categories, respectively.
Analysis: The Challenges of Comparing Defenders
Evaluating defenders across different positions is inherently difficult, as metrics struggle to equate the value of an outfielder making spectacular catches with a catcher's ability to control the running game and frame pitches. This limitation is a fundamental flaw of the Platinum Glove, though it matters little if the award isn't taken seriously. Regardless, the honor adds to Crow-Armstrong's impressive season; the Cubs star is widely expected to win NL MVP next week after becoming the seventh player in MLB history to record a 40-40 season. Bellinger, who returned to the Yankees last winter on a five-year, $162.5 million deal, earned his first All-Star selection since his 2019 NL MVP campaign and was among New York's top performers.
Rawlings also announced the Team Gold Glove winners: the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs. The Cubs ranked third in MLB in defensive efficiency (the rate of converting balls in play into outs), while the Blue Jays placed 13th and led the AL in errors despite having no individual Gold Glovers.
Originally reported by yahoo.