Dingler, McKinstry win Fielding Bible Awards for 2026, with Cubs’ Crow-Armstrong named Player of the Year

Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler and teammate Zach McKinstry were among the major-league standouts honored Thursday as the Fielding Bible Awards recognized top defenders at every position and select overall categories.

By The Apex Times Newsroom1 min readAI-assisted Apex article

Major League Baseball’s 2026 Fielding Bible Awards were announced Thursday, naming top defenders at each of the nine fielding positions plus multi-position and year-end honors.

Dillon Dingler, the Tigers’ catcher, won for catcher after leading all MLB catchers with 15 defensive runs saved in 2026. The award also ended a drought for Detroit in the category that stretched back to the last time a player took home the Fielding Bible as a catcher.

Zach McKinstry of the Tigers captured the multi-position Fielding Bible Award, his first in the category. The release described McKinstry as one of the league’s few repeat multi-position winners in recent years, reflecting the award’s emphasis on value across roles.

Elsewhere across the ballot, Alex Bregman (third base), Taylor Walls (shortstop), Wilyer Abreu (right field), and Tanner Bibee (pitcher) were recognized as the Fielding Bible Award winners at their respective positions.

In center field, a mathematical tie in first- and second-place vote totals was resolved by a defensive runs saved tiebreaker. The Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong was also named Player of the Year for 2026, even though Ceddanne Rafaela won the center-field position award via the DRS tiebreaker.

Why It Matters

The awards provide a league-wide snapshot of defensive impact by position, highlighting which teams and players emphasized run-prevention through fielding in 2026.
Detroit’s two wins underscore a season in which the Tigers had standout defensive value both behind the plate and across multiple roles.
With the Cubs collecting Team of the Year and the Player of the Year award, Chicago’s 2026 defensive profile was recognized as both deep and consistent across categories.

Sources

Key Facts

The 2026 Fielding Bible Awards named a winner at each of the nine defensive positions, plus multi-position, Player of the Year, and Team of the Year.
Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler won the catcher Fielding Bible Award after leading all catchers with 15 defensive runs saved in 2026.
Tigers utilityman Zach McKinstry won the multi-position Fielding Bible Award, his first in that category.
Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman won at third base, while Rays shortstop Taylor Walls won at shortstop.
In center field, Ceddanne Rafaela won the position award on a defensive runs saved tiebreaker following a voting tie with Pete Crow-Armstrong.
The Cubs were named Team of the Year, described as having 115 defensive runs saved during the regular season.