Just seven days ago, the New York Yankees played their final game of the 2026 MLB season.
The Tampa Bay Rays played clean baseball, and beat the Yankees with fundamentals, showing cracks in their defense.
Although the Bronx is still in mourning, there’s positive news surrounding three of their beloved players. Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, and Jose Caballero.
Yankees’ Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, and Jose Caballero Are Gold Glove Finalists
On Wednesday afternoon, the MLB made their official Gold Glove finalists announcement. Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, and Jose Caballero were all named American League finalists in their respective positions.
This nomination is Bellinger’s third, and first with the Yankees. He won in 2019 as a right fielder with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
For both Wells and Caballero, this is their first nomination. It comes as a bit of a surprise for Wells considering their catching woes throughout the season, and Brian Cashman’s blunt take that things need to change behind the plate.
However, taking a deeper look into his stats, and noting that he was the backstop for baseball’s best pitching staff, Wells earned his nomination.
“Wells, who caught baseball’s best pitching staff in terms of ERA, ranked 4th in framing, 7th in blocking and 3rd in successful ABS challenges,” Yankees beat writer Gary Phillips wrote on X. “Bellinger, looking for his second Gold Glove, led all left fielders in DRS and FRV and was second in OAA. José Caballero (utility) was also named a Gold Glove finalist. He played 6 positions this year. Shortstop was his best (13 DRS).”
Of the last five years, the Yankees have had four Gold Glove winners.
What Are the Odds of Bellinger, Wells, and Caballero Taking Home a Gold Glove?
Now, whether or not a Yankee will end up taking home a Gold Glove is up in the air. Bellinger has the best chance. While leading all left fielders in DRS and FRV, Bellinger ranked in the 94th percentile for arm strength.
The two he’s competing against are Wyatt Langford of the Texas Rangers and Chandler Simpsons of the Rays.
“[Langford] started 87 games in left field and totaled +5 OAA, tied for fourth most among all left fielders,” per MLB.com “That range stems from a strong jump; only Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ceddanne Rafaela had better initial reactions than Langford. Simpson is one of the fastest players in baseball, and he put all that speed to good while roaming the outfield for the AL-best Rays in 2026 Few players improved their range more than Simpson, who led all left fielders with +8 OAA in ‘26 after accruing -5 OAA in ‘25.”
While Simpson may lead all left fielders with +8 OAA, Bellinger leads in two other categories, giving him a slight edge.
As for Wells, he’s up against Brandon Valenzeula of the Blue Jays and arguably the best all-around catcher in the majors, Detroit’s Dillon Dingler.
“Dingler’s +17 Fielding Run Value (per Statcast) ranked tops among all catchers and was tied for third best among any defenders,” per MLB.com. “He also led catchers with a +22.1 Defensive Rating, via FanGraphs. Dingler took home Gold Glove honors in 2025, so he’s looking to make it two straight years.”
It’s hard to look in any other direction with those stats.
Caballero is facing a career low FRV with zero, as opposed to his competitors Detroit’s Zach Mckinstry and the Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran. Mckinstry’s 12+ FRV is 14th among all players, while Duran ranked sixth in OAA with +17.
Yankees Announce Bellinger, Wells, Caballero News 7 Days After Elimination