The Rangers have a real shot to show up big when the Gold Gloves are handed out next month, with four players among Wednesday’s American League finalists: Jacob deGrom at pitcher, Wyatt Langford in left field, Evan Carter in center field and Ezequiel Duran as the utility player.
The easiest path to a trophy may belong to Duran. He’s the only player in the majors who started at all seven non-pitcher/catcher spots in 2026, and the defensive numbers back up the versatility.
Fangraphs credited him with positive outs above average at shortstop (11), second base (three) and third base (two). That 11 OAA at shortstop ranked fourth in the AL even though he played just 53 games there.
Across all seven positions, he was charged with six errors and posted a 12.7 overall fielding value at Fangraphs. It’s his first time as a finalist.
His competition is Detroit’s Zach McKinstry and the Yankees’ Jose Caballero. McKinstry also played seven positions, though not as a starter at all of them, and his overall fielding value at Fangraphs was 11.9.
He had four errors, a fielding run value of 12 and a Statcast fielding run value of 12 compared with Duran’s 13. Caballero played six positions, was charged with 12 errors, and finished with a -0.8 overall Fangraphs fielding value and a Statcast fielding run value of zero.
The read here is clear: Duran looks like the Rangers’ best bet.
Langford’s case is harder. He made 100 starts, 87 of them in left field, and committed just one error in 242 chances.
He had five outfield assists and a .996 fielding percentage, plus nine defensive runs saved from Fangraphs, which ranked third among AL left fielders. Statcast had him at five outs above average, tied for fourth.
He’s never won the award and was a finalist a year ago, but the competition is steep. The Yankees’ Cody Bellinger finished with 20 DRS, eight outfield assists, a .989 fielding percentage and three errors.
Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson had 8 DRS, a .991 fielding percentage and five outfield assists. The numbers point toward Bellinger.
Carter also enters as a first-time finalist after a strong year in center. He played 140 games, started 112, and all of those starts came in center field, tying him for second-most among AL players.
He was charged with two errors, posted a .994 fielding percentage that was tied for fewest among AL center fielders, and finished with 11 outs above average at Statcast and six defensive runs saved from Fangraphs. But the top of the position is crowded.
Cleveland’s Steve Kwan has already won four Gold Gloves, and he put up 17 defensive runs saved with only three errors and 11 outfield assists. Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela brought 21 DRS, two errors and eight outfield assists.
Carter’s breakthrough was real, but the field is brutal.
deGrom has a decent argument on the mound, even if the race looks tougher than it first appears. He didn’t commit an error in 18 total chances and finished with a 1.000 fielding percentage for the seventh straight season.
His last charged error came in 2019, when he was with the Mets. Fangraphs credited him with two defensive runs saved.
Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee and Jose Soriano, who pitched for the Angels and Blue Jays, are the other finalists. Soriano has a plus-3 in DRS and no errors, while Bibee has a plus-5 with three errors. deGrom’s case is solid, but Soriano’s numbers may have the edge if voters lean heavily on analytics.
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