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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. robbed of American League’s Gold Glove at first base
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Photo credit: © Dennis Lee-Imagn Images
Cynthia Ryley Delaney
Nov 2, 2026, 14:00 ESTUpdated: Nov 2, 2026, 10:43 EST
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For the first time since the 2020 season, a Toronto Blue Jay has failed to win a Gold Glove award.
On Sunday evening, winners for the Gold Gloves were announced, with none of the five finalists who spent their 2026 season with the Jays winning the award. That included Vladimir Guerrero Jr. falling short of winning his second Gold Glove at first base, an absolute robbery.
In some cases, like Brandon Valenzuela and Nathan Lukes, it made sense. While there was an argument for José Soriano and Andrés Giménez to win, Guerrero Jr. absolutely deserved to win the American League Gold Glove at first base.
There isn’t much of an argument as to why Christian Walker won instead of Guerrero Jr. The Blue Jay was by far the better player in terms of Defensive Runs Saved, as his 10 DRS led the AL by a fair margin. For comparison, Walker had just 3 DRS.
Another defensive metric, Outs Above Average, also went in Guerrero Jr.’s favour, as his 4 OAA finished top among American League first basemen, ahead of Walker’s 3 OAA. The only advanced metric that Walker has superior numbers in is Fielding Run Value, as his FRV of 7 was slightly better than Guerrero Jr.’s 5.
Make no mistake about it, Guerrero Jr. is the rightful winner of the Gold Glove at first base, but it’s not the first time a Blue Jay has been robbed of a Gold Glove award.
Look no further than Alejandro Kirk’s 2025 season behind the plate. In 965.1 innings behind the plate, Kirk’s 9 DRS ranked second in the American League, but his 22 FRV was far and away the best in the AL, beating Dillon Dingler’s 12. Despite that, as well as excellent framing and blocking, Dingler earned the award.
It’s not the only time Kirk lost out on the award despite deserving his flowers. The catcher wasn’t even nominated in 2024 and was only a finalist after finishing with 17 DRS in 2023. The 2023 robbery was particularly brutal, as his 17 DRS was far and away the best, while his 10 FRV ranked second, only to Jonah Heim’s 15. Heim won the award.
Kirk and Guerrero Jr. aren’t the only Blue Jays in recent memory to be robbed of a Gold Glove Award. Between second, third, and first base, Ernie Clement’s 22 DRS was tied for top among all AL fielders, alongside Steven Kwan. He was up for both the utility Gold Glove and third base Gold Glove.
Mauricio Dubón was eventually named the winner for the utility award, finishing with 14 DRS, 19 OAA, and 17 FRV, as opposed to Clement’s 22 DRS, 13 OAA, and 9 FRV. Alex Bregman eventually won the Gold Glove for third base, finishing with 1 DRS, 3 OAA, and 3 FRV. At the hot corner, Clement finished with 11 DRS, 6 OAA, and 4 FRV in 2025.
In 2023, Daulton Varsho was nominated for the Gold Glove Award in left field, finishing with 10 DRS, 1 OAA, and 2 FRV. Kwan eventually won with 15 DRS, 7 OAA, and 6 FRV, which sounds better, but Varsho finished with 27 DRS, 9 OAA, and 11 FRV in all three outfield positions.
Unfortunately, Guerrero Jr. is just the latest in a sizable list of Blue Jays who have been robbed of a Gold Glove Award these past four seasons.
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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