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The 2026 Fielding Bible Awards will be announced on October 22 from 2 to 3pm on Bluesky. Shortly after, they will be updated on FieldingBible.com.
The Fielding Bible Awards were invented by Bill James, who sent a memo to SIS co-founder John Dewan suggesting their creation. As John wrote in our book, The Fielding Bible Volume II:
“The intent of The Fielding Bible Awards is to provide an alternative to The Gold Glove Awards. Instead of giving an award to one player in each league at each position, we want to recognize the best of the best and only award one player in each league at each position. At the same time we want to correct several of the problems inherent in the Gold Glove process. Things like a voting process that can easily award or Gold Glove to the wrong player. Or the lack of distinction among outfield positions [since corrected]. Or lack of information about the actual voters and award totals.”
The voting panel is charged with the task of determining the best fielders in baseball, using all the tools and criteria at their disposal. It’s not just about the numbers, it’s also about observing players in action and understanding what goes into playing good defense.
Our group selects one winner at each of the nine positions, a multi-position winner, a Defensive Player of the Year, and a Defensive Team of the Year.
| Started in … | |
| 9 Positions | 2006 |
| Multi-Position | 2014 |
| Defensive Player of the Year | 2023 |
| Defensive Team of the Year | 2025 |
Our voting panel is demographically diverse and comes from different parts of the baseball industry. It typically includes former players, media members, and statistical analysts, as well as the Sports Info Solutions baseball operations staff and our seasonal Data Scouts.
Position players are eligible if they played at least 600 innings, while catchers require a minimum of 500 innings. Either can qualify with 10 Runs Saved, as well. Pitchers require a minimum of 120 innings pitched or 5 Runs Saved.
For the Multi-Position Award, the panel votes on a list of players generated from a Defensive Versatility Score formula created by Bill James to measure a combination of defensive versatility and value. Eligible players include those who exhibit a high degree of positional versatility and value; players who usually play many positions over the course of the season, play multiple types of positions (e.g. infield and outfield), and have demonstrated the ability to handle high-leverage positions when the team needs him to.
For the Defensive Player of the Year Award, all players eligible for a Fielding Bible Award at an individual position can be voted on.
We use a five-player ballot and a five-point scale. We ask each member of the panel to rank their top 5 players at each position. We then give five points for each first place vote, four points for each second place vote, etc., down to one point for fifth place. Votes are tallied and tiebreakers are implemented if necessary (most first place votes, most second place votes, all the way down to most fifth place votes; Our last tiebreaker is most Defensive Runs Saved).
We have a separate vote and voting panel for the NPB Fielding Bible Awards, which honor the best defensive players in Japanese baseball. That began in 2020.
The winners of The Fielding Bible Award each receive a trophy. We’re told that some former players have the trophy on display in their man cave and we think that’s an awesome testament to how much the award is valued.
The awards have gotten a great critical response from media, players, and fans and we’re highly appreciative.
All-Time Leaders Entering 2026
| Position-Player | Times Won |
| P- Dallas Keuchel | 5 |
| C- Yadier Molina | 6 |
| 1B- Albert Pujols Matt Olson |
5 |
| 2B- Dustin Pedroia | 4 |
| SS- Andrelton Simmons | 6 |
| 3B- Nolan Arenado | 5 |
| LF- Alex Gordon | 4 |
| CF- Kevin Kiermaier | 3 |
| RF- Mookie Betts | 5 |
| Overall- Mookie Betts | 7 |
For more information and the full list of winners, go to FieldingBible.com.
