Vladimir Guerrero Jr. headlines group of five Blue Jays Gold Glove Award finalists

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It may have been a disastrous year at the plate for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but the Blue Jays all-star first baseman was his usual reliable self defensively.

And for his work in the field, Guerrero was one of five Jays recognized on Wednesday as a finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

Guerrero is joined in the final three in his category, as are a quartet of teammates: Shortstop Andres Gimenez, right fielder Nathan Lukes, pitcher Jose Soriano — a trade-deadline acquisition who split his season between Toronto and the Angels — and rookie catcher Brandon Valenzuela.

Guerrero, who won the award in 2022, is joined by Vinnie Pasquantino of the Kansas City Royals and Christian Walker of the Houston Astros as the AL nominees at first.

Guerrero, who was held to just nine home runs and a batting average of just .260, making it the worst offensive season of his career, was still solid defensively, a point of pride for the 27-year-old.

Who are the other Jays nominees?

Lukes, who had a solid year in right field, faces Wilyer Abreu of the Boston Red Sox and Cam Smith of the Houston Astros in his category, earning his nod as the most reliable and consistent Jays outfielder in 2026.

Valenzuela, who made his big league debut in April, became more than just a reliable backup from Alejandro Kirk while filling in for the all-star when he was on the injured list. Valenzuela was lauded for his arm and quickly run over the trust of his teammates.

Valenzuela joins Dillion Dingler of the Tigers and Austin Wells of the Yankees as finalists for the AL Award.

In his first full season as Bo Bichette’s replacement at shortstop, Gimenez flashed his defensive skills in the middle of the infield and joins Taylor Wells of the AL East champion Rays and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals. Gimenez is a three-time Gold Glove winner at second base, winning that award with Cleveland in 2022, 2023 and 2024. In 2023, Gimenez also captured the AL Platinum Glove Award as the league’s overall top defender.

Soriano, meanwhile, is up against fellow finalists Tanner Bibee of the Guardians and Jacob deGrom of the Rangers.

What is the Gold Glove Award?

The Gold Glove Award is given annually to the top defensive player at each position in both the American League and National League.

Voting is conducted by all 30 MLB managers and up to six coaches from each team, who are asked to make their selections from a designated pool in their league. Voters are not allowed to select players on their team.

The votes comprise 75% of the selection total with the SABR Defensive Index determining the remainder.

The winners will be unveiled on Nov. 1 during a one-hour special aired on ESPN at 8:30 p.m.

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