THE APEX TIMES
The 2026 Minor League Gold Glove Award class highlights defensive standouts across nine positions, with top prospect Josiah Hartshorn earning the first-base honor after showing rare error-free steadiness.
Major League Baseball and Rawlings announced the 2026 Minor League Gold Glove Award winners, a nine-player group recognized for superior defensive play across Minor League Baseball. Among them, Chicago Cubs prospect Josiah Hartshorn won at first base and became one of three Top 100 prospects featured in the class.
Hartshorn, ranked as the Cubs’ No. 1 prospect and MLB’s No. 35, finished 2026 with just five errors at first base. He also showed defensive range by going errorless in 21 games in center field, reflecting the positional comfort the award is designed to reward.
The first-base Gold Glove adds to Hartshorn’s early offensive impact in the same season. Across his first full professional year, he produced 23 home runs, drove in 112 runs, and posted a.925 OPS while moving through multiple levels as the Cubs tested his development.
Boston’s Franklin Arias, MLB’s No. 2 prospect, earned the shortstop Gold Glove after committing only five total errors in 117 games between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. Arias also generated notable power, slugging 25 homers and recording a.957 OPS.
Tampa Bay’s Caden Bodine was the catcher Gold Glove winner after turning in 19% thrown-out baserunners with a.988 fielding percentage behind the plate. Offensively, he improved across four levels, posting a.342/.410/.517 batting line.
The remaining award winners included Max Anderson at second base, Ethan Hedges at third base, Carlos Jorge and Druw Jones in the outfield, Carson Roccaforte as the other outfield winner, and Cade Smith as the pitching Gold Glove recipient.
MLB listed all nine positional winners by club and level: 1B Josiah Hartshorn, 2B Max Anderson, SS Franklin Arias, OF Carlos Jorge, OF Carson Roccaforte, C Caden Bodine, 3B Ethan Hedges, OF Druw Jones, and RHP Cade Smith.