Dillon Dingler joins elite club of Tigers catchers with 2nd Gold Glove

For the second year in a row, Dillon Dingler is the American League’s best defensive catcher.The Detroit Tigersbackstop was named the 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove winner at his position on Sunday, Nov. 1, marking the first time in nearly 20 years a Tigers catcher has won the award in back-to-back seasons.Dingler’s repeat nod was the first for the franchise at catcher since Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez won it three straight seasons (2005-07). Lance Parrish also won the award three straight seasons from 1983-85, and Bill Freehan won it five straight seasons (1965-69).JEFF SEIDEL: Tigers top prospect Zyhir Hope showing growth at Arizona Fall LeagueHe wasn’t the only Tiger up for an award on Sunday night, with teammate Zach McKinstry a finalist at utility player. 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.Dingler beat out Toronto Blue Jays catcher Brandon Valenzuela and New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells for the award. Dingler was not only the reigning winner, 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 only by two catchers this season: Milwaukee's William Contreras and Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto, both in the National League).This is a breaking news story and will be updated.This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dillon Dingler joins elite club of Tigers catchers with 2nd Gold Glove