If one player broke out in a big way in 2026, it was Dillon Dingler. Dingler's first half with the Detroit Tigers put him into MVP conversations, led him to his first All-Star appearance, and potentially even more hardware this offseason.
Dingler impressed with the bat, but he also reminded everyone why he was named the American League's Gold Glove Award winner for catcher in 2025. According to Statcast, Dingler had a 17 fielding run value this season, which ranked second in the AL and fifth in Major League Baseball.
Dingler's season behind the plate didn't go unnoticed, as he was named a finalist for the 2026 Gold Glove Award for catchers, competing against Brandon Valenzuela of the Toronto Blue Jays and Austin Wells of the New York Yankees.
The winner won't be announced until Nov. 1, but Dingler's case is already pretty well set. According to Baseball Reference's defensive runs saved rankings, the Tigers catcher had a 15, while Valenzuela had a nine, and Wells had an eight.
If Detroit's catcher wins the award, he will break a 20-year drought facing the franchise.
Dingler Looks to Break Drought
Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez is highly regarded in the city of Detroit. Not only was Rodriguez a reason for the 2006 turnaround, but he was also one of the best catchers of all time, winning several awards in a Tigers uniform.
Of those awards won in his career, Rodriguez won several Gold Gloves and is notably the last Tiger to win back-to-back American League Gold Gloves in 2006 and 2007. If Dingler wins the award, he will break this 20-year streak and join Rodriguez, along with Lance Parrish and Bill Freehan, as the only Tigers catchers to earn consecutive Gold Glove honors.
Before Dingler won the Gold Glove Award in 2025, the last Tigers player to bring home the hardware was second baseman Ian Kinsler in 2016.
Dingler has become known as one of the best defensive catchers in the game, and if he can continue his power stroke in 2027, while raising his batting average and limiting strikeouts, he'll be more than just a defensive catcher.
“He was performing at such a high level that anything was going to be deemed a step back,” Manager A.J. Hinch said in the end-of-season press conference. “He’s still a great player, even in the month that he struggles. His emergence as a leader on this team, both on the field and his presence behind the plate, is a massive step forward.”
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