It's official: Detroit Tigers starting catcher Dillon Dingler has won his second Gold Glove Award in as many years, defeating the competition from Brandon Valenzuela of the Toronto Blue Jays
and Austin Wells of the New York Yankees.

Dingler once again proved in 2026 why he's one of the best catchers the Tigers have had in recent franchise history, only this time showing it with the bat. While his hitting prowess didn't win him the Gold Glove, Dingler has become a dual threat at a position not commonly known for offensive numbers.

With this second Gold Glove, Dingler becomes the first Tigers catcher to win back-to-back American League Gold Glove Awards since fellow catcher and Hall of Famer Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez accomplished the feat with back-to-back Gold Glove wins in 2006-2007.

A 20-year drought has now ended, but that's not the only history the Detroit catcher made. Dingler becomes the first AL catcher to win back-to-back Gold Glove Awards since Roberto Perez did so in 2019-2020 with the Cleveland Guardians.

Dillon Dingler 2026 Defensive Numbers

When looking at Dingler's Baseball Savant fielding percentiles, they are paved with the color red, with the following rankings in specific categories for catchers at their positions.

Blocks Above Average : 11 (95th percentile)
Caught Stealing Above Average : 5 (93rd percentile)
Framing : 9 (100th percentile)
Pop-Time : 1.86 seconds (95th percentile)

Additionally, according to Statcast, Dingler had the best fielding run value among catchers across Major League Baseball with 17, besting Joe Mack of the Miami Marlins by four.

Another important metric to consider when awarding Gold Gloves to catchers is their ABS Challenge Success Rate. Although it may not be a physical statistic, it indicates how well catchers understand the strike zone. The Tigers' catcher has shown success with this new addition to the game.

Dingler had a 65.7% success rate, going 71-for-108 in challenges behind the plate this season. Among the American League's Gold Glove finalists for catchers, Wells had a 62.6% success rate, and Valenzuela didn't have enough to qualify for ESPN's Top 20 rankings.

In a nutshell, Dingler deserved this award more than his competition.

To determine the award winners, 30 managers and up to six coaches from each team vote from a pool of players in their league, excluding players from their own team. Dingler's impressive statistics earned him another accolade, meaning he'll need to make more space in his trophy case.