New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger took home the 2026 American League Platinum Glove Award, Rawlings announced on Friday, Nov. 6. Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs won the National League honor.
The Platinum Glove goes to the best defender in each league. Gold Glove winners are eligible, and the winner is determined by combining fan votes with an adjusted SABR Defensive Index.
Bellinger is only the second Yankee to win it. Catcher Jose Trevino claimed the award in 2022, the New York Post reported.
His numbers were strong. He saved 21 defensive runs, good for third in baseball. He played 130 games in the outfield, 123 of them in left, and filled in for six games at first base.
He fielded .989 with eight assists as an outfielder. Baseball Savant placed him in the 87th percentile in fielding run value, and his six outs above average landed in the 91st percentile.
Bellinger got into the Platinum Glove pool by winning the AL Gold Glove in left field on Nov. 1. That was his second Gold Glove. His first came in 2019 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ceddanne Rafaela of the Boston Red Sox also had a great year in center field. He matched Bellinger with 21 defensive runs saved and won his second straight Gold Glove, the Boston Herald reported.
Crow-Armstrong took his second straight Gold Glove in center field as well. He finished with 26 outs above average. At the plate, he hit .280 with 45 home runs, 107 RBIs, and 41 stolen bases.
Bellinger also won the All-Star Game MVP in July. His single drove in two runs in the AL’s win in Philadelphia. Over 132 games this season, he hit .264 with 17 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases.
He re-signed with New York in January on a five-year, $162.5 million deal. The Yankees then lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Division Series, and that ended their season.
Crow-Armstrong is a finalist for NL MVP and the Silver Slugger Award. The MVP winner will be announced on Thursday, Nov. 12. Silver Slugger winners follow on Tuesday, Nov. 17.