By MATT PIKE
Rawlings announced the finalists for the 2026 Gold Glove awards at each position on Wednesday and four Kansas City Royals were named finalists on the American League side, while three St. Louis Cardinals were finalists on the National League.
For the Royalsm first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, second baseman Michael Massey, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and third baseman Nick Loftin were chosen as finalists. It's the third time Witt Jr. has been named a finalist, after winning the award in 2024 and 2025, as well as the Rawlings Platinum Glove last season, which is given to the top defender in the league, while Pasquantino, Massey and Loftin are finalists for the first time in their careers.
Pasquantino made just 108 starts at first base due to two stints on the Injured List, but his .994 fielding percentage ranked tied for 8th among American League first basemen. He was charged with only five errors in 883 chances, which were tied for the fifth fewest among all AL first basemen with at least 800 chances. Pasquantino also helped turn 93 double plays in 2026, which were the fifth most by any AL first baseman, trailing leader Spencer Torkelson of the Detroit Tigers.
Pasquantino is attempting to become the Royals second first baseman to win the award, joining Eric Hosmer, who won a Gold Glove in three straight years from 2013-15, as well as 2017. He is a finalist alongside Vladimir Guererro Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays and Christian Walker of the Houston Astros.
Massey made a career-high 114 starts at second base in 2026, posting a .990 fielding percentage at the position. He helped turn 69 double plays, which ranked second among American League second basemen, behind only Seattle’s Cole Young. Among all AL second basemen, Massey ranked second with 11 Outs Above Average to New York’s Jazz Chisholm Jr., according to Baseball Savant. His eight runs prevented also finished second in the AL, behind Chisholm Jr.’s 11.
Massey is attempting to become the Royals third second basemen to win a Gold Glove Award, and would join Frank White and Mark Grudzielanek. The other finalists among AL second baseman are Young and the White Sox's Chase Meidroth.
Witt Jr. made 140 starts at shortstop this season, which were the fourth most in the American League. He ranked third among AL shortstops with 326 assists and was tied for seventh with a .981 fielding percentage. Among AL shortstops with at least 750.0 innings at the position, his 10 errors were the fourth fewest. Witt Jr. led all American League players, regardless of position, with 24 Outs Above Average, ahead of the next-closest the Toronto Blue Jays Andrés Giménez, according to Baseball Savant.
Should he win the award, Witt Jr. would be the first three-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner at shortstop in Royals history, and he would be the first American League shortstop to win the award in three consecutive seasons since J.J. Hardy with the Orioles from 2012-14. He is a finalist alongside Giménez and the Tampa Bay Rays Taylor Walls.
Loftin, appeared at six different positions in 2026, but spent most of his time at third base, where he made 64 starts. Despite this, his six Outs Above Average and five Runs Prevented matched Boston’s Caleb Durbin and Minnesota’s Brooks Lee for the most among all American League third basemen, per Baseball Savant. Among AL players with at least 500.0 innings at third base, Loftin’s .973 fielding percentage ranked second to only Josh Jung of the Rangers.
Teammate Maikel Garcia won the Gold Glove Award at third base in 2025, and Loftin would become the third Royals third baseman to win overall, also joining George Brett in 1985. Both Durbin and Lee are the other two finalists at third base.
The Cardinals have two first time finalists on the National League side in pitchers Michael McGreevy and rookie second baseman J.J Wetherholt. Also a finalist is reigning winner at shortstop Masyn Winn, being named a finalist for the third year in a row.
McGreevy became a mainstay in the Cardinals’ starting rotation this year. He was excellent at fielding his position, to the tune of five Defensive Runs Saved, tied for the most among pitchers in MLB. He is a finalist alongside the New York Mets Nolan McLean and veteran pitcher Chris Sale who seeks his second Gold Glove award. McLean just narrowly trails McGreevy with four Defensive Runs saved.
A favorite for National League Rookie of the Year, Wetherholt impressed both at the plate and in the field in his rookie campaign. Wetherholt could be a favorite to also bring in a Gold Glove, leading all second basemen and coming in second among all players, regardless of position, with 25 Outs Above Average. He is a finalist along with the Milwaukee Brewers Brice Turang and the Pittsburg Pirates Brandon Lowe.
Winn eyes his second consecutive Gold Glove award, his numbers in 2025 (+17 FRV, +21 OAA) are more or less identical to his numbers in ‘26 (+17 FRV, +19 OAA), even though a left thumb fracture limited him to just 136 games. Where Winn did get better in 2026 is his throw power, with 94.4 mph average arm strength leading all middle infielders. He is a finalist alongside the Chicago Cubs Dansby Swanson and Arizona Diamondbacks Geraldo Perdomo.
The winners of the Gold Glove awards are set to be unveiled on ESPN on Sunday, November 1st. Following that presentation, voting will open for the Platinum Glove Award.
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