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Blue Jays: Assessing Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s chances at winning his second Gold Glove
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Photo credit: © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Cynthia Ryley Delaney
Oct 19, 2026, 17:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 19, 2026, 15:54 EDT
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It was a tough season for the Toronto Blue Jays and their star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but the first baseman still has a chance to bring home some hardware.
Guerrero Jr. was one of five Blue Jays’ nominated for a Gold Glove at their respective positions. The 27-year-old is seeking his second award for his defensive prowess, after winning the American League Gold Glove for the position in 2022, and finishing as a finalist in 2025.
After falling to then-fellow Blue Jay Ty France in 2025, Guerrero Jr. is up against the Kansas City Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino and the Houston Astros’ Christian Walker. In this article, we’ll see how he performed defensively, as well as how he stacks up against his competition. 
If you missed the last article, you can read about Brandon Valenzuela’s chances here.

Guerrero Jr.’s 2026 season at first base

The less said about Guerrero Jr.’s season with the bat, the better. But what a great defensive season he had, easily the best of his career.
Looking at the advanced metrics, his 10 Defensive Runs Saved ranked first in the American League, three ahead of the next best player. Only two players, former Blue Jay Ty France and Matt Olson finished with a higher DRS in 2026.
They also happened to be the only other first basemen with higher Outs Above Average than Guerrero Jr., who led American League first basemen with 6 in his 1095.1 innings. The lone defensive metric Guerrero Jr. didn’t lead AL first basemen in was Fielding Run Value, as his six was bested by Walker.
This past season, Baseball Savant introduced a new defensive metric for first basemen, Receiving OAA. It was the area where Guerrero Jr. lacked, as his 1 ROAA ranked tied for 15th in Major League Baseball. It’s a metric he’s never graded particularly well at, as the stat’s data goes back to the 2021 season, but 2026 is the lone time he was positive in the stat.
First base defence is one of the harder metrics to quantify. The good news is that Guerrero Jr. also passes the eye test. It seems like once every 10 games, he’ll make an over-the-head basket catch in foul territory.
Guerrero Jr. fields the position well, making diving stops to rob hits. On occasion, the former third baseman will showcase why he came up the minor leagues at the hot corner, throwing out runners at third base.
The defensive metrics are some of the best in MLB, and he passes the eye test as well, but how does he stack up against Pasquantino and Walker?

How Guerrero Jr. stacks up against the other nominees

Walker is a three-time Gold Glove winner, securing the award in three consecutive seasons from 2022 until 2024 with the National League’s Arizona Diamondbacks. The Astros’ first baseman is the only AL first baseman with a higher FRV than Guerrero Jr., finishing with seven in his 1,299.2 innings. However, he only finished with 3 DRS and 3 OAA. Walker can pick it as well, finishing the year with 2 ROAA.
Pasquantino finished the season with the second-highest DRS in the AL, totalling seven. That said, he finished with just 1 OAA and FRV, and also played the fewest number of innings out of the three, just 943. He matched Guerrero Jr. with 1 ROAA.

So who wins?

Like the Gold Glove for AL catchers, there’s a clear winner for the Gold Glove at first base, and it’s Guerrero Jr. Not only did he have the best defensive metrics of the three finalists, but he made several spectacular plays in the process.
On November 1st, expect the first baseman to win his second Gold Glove at the award. Hopefully, he finishes the 2027 season with rewards relating to the bat, though.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
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