DETROIT – The eight-year Gold Glove drought has been broken for the Tigers thanks to Dillon Dingler. It was announced Sunday, Nov. 2 by Rawlings that Dingler had won the award.
Ian Kinsler was the last Tiger to win the Gold Glove in 2016 for his defense at second base, and the last Tigers catcher to receive the award was Iván “Pudge” Rodriguez in 2007.
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The finalists for American League catchers this year were Dingler, Carlos Narváez of the Boston Red Sox, and Alejandro Kirk of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Dingler caught 1011.2 innings behind the plate this year, second most in the American League behind AL MVP candidate Cal Raleigh.
He finished in the 95th percentile for blocks above average and was one of two catchers who did not allow a single passed ball during the regular season. He was one of one who did not allow a single passed ball in both the regular and the postseason.
Dingler leads the league in arm strength, with his throws averaging 85.3 MPH. He ended the season sixth in the league in framing runs (pitches in the “shadow zone” converted to strikes).
He finished in the 91st percentile for catcher framing, or converting pitches in the “shadow zone” to called strikes.
Finishing in the 85th percentile for caught stealing above average (The number of extra caught stealing compared to the expectation of an average catcher), Dingler (30%) beat out both Narváez (29%) and Kirk (17%) in caught stealing percentage (Caught stealing/Throw opportunities).
It was Dingler’s first full year behind the plate after winning over the starting job in April of 2025 after Jake Rogers went on the IL.
Dingler was pertinent to the Tigers’ success in 2025 both defensively and offensively (Although offense isn’t taken into account for the Gold Glove award) and will surely play a huge role for the team moving forward.