The Texas Rangers entered Gold Glove season with a strong defensive footprint, and they’re still in position to come away with some hardware when the winners are announced Sunday.
Texas placed four players among the 2026 Gold Glove finalists, putting the club in rare company. Only six teams had four or more nominees: the Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs with five each, plus the Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals with four apiece. That comes after a slight dip defensively this year following a 2025 season in which the Rangers won the Rawlings Gold Glove Team Award.
Jacob deGrom, Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter and Ezequiel Duran all made the finalist list, giving Texas a chance to add individual honors to a season that still featured plenty of defensive shine.
DeGrom is the most decorated name in the group, with two Cy Young awards, five All-Star selections, the 2018 ERA title and the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year award already on his résumé. The one thing still missing is a Gold Glove.
The 38-year-old right-hander is up against Tanner Bibee of the Cleveland Guardians and Shane Baz of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Bibee looks like the favorite on paper after leading all AL pitchers in Defensive Runs Saved despite a 7-15 record and 4.36 ERA. None of the three finalists has won the award before, so deGrom’s best path may come from his reputation and career body of work.
Langford’s case is a little different. Injuries slowed him for much of the season, and he missed 52 games because of forearm, hamstring, foot and ankle issues.
Even so, the 24-year-old still earned a nomination in left field alongside Cody Bellinger of the New York Yankees and Chandler Simpson of the Tampa Bay Rays. Langford started 87 games in left and still posted a +5 Outs Above Average, which tied him for fourth among left fielders.
Bellinger appears positioned to claim his second Gold Glove, but Langford and Simpson, who is 25, look like names that could keep showing up in this race for years.
Carter’s first full season as Texas’ center fielder was eye-opening on defense. He played 140 games in center and finished with a +11 OAA, powered by elite speed.
That kind of number would make him a strong favorite in plenty of years, but this year he’s chasing Ceddanne Rafaela of the Boston Red Sox. Rafaela’s +15 OAA makes him the class of the group and puts him in line for a second straight Gold Glove in center.
Carter may not have the edge right now, but he’s clearly in the mix.
Then there’s Duran, whose versatility fits the utility award perfectly. MLB created the Gold Glove utility category in 2022, and Duran spent the season all over the field, starting games at every position except pitcher and catcher.
He logged 116 games in the infield and 30 in the outfield, while posting a team-best +17 OAA across all positions and a 4.4 WAR, according to FanGraphs. His competition includes José Caballero of the New York Yankees and Zach McKinstry of the Detroit Tigers, but this looks like Duran’s award to lose.
Texas could wind up with more than one winner, but Duran appears to be the safest bet. Even if the Rangers don’t sweep the board, four finalists is still a strong sign of how much defensive talent they brought to the 2026 season.
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