SEATTLE – Seattle Mariners second baseman Cole Young has won the 2026 Rawlings American League Gold Glove Award, as announced today by the Rawlings Sporting Goods Company and Major League Baseball.
Young, 23, is a first-time Gold Glove Award winner. He is the first Mariners Gold Glove Award winner since catcher Cal Raleigh and utility Dylan Moore in 2024 and the first infielder since J.P. Crawford in 2020. He joins Bret Boone (3x, 2002-04) and Harold Reynolds (3x, 1988-90) as the only second basemen in Mariners history to win a Gold Glove Award.
Young is the 18th different player to win a Gold Glove with the Mariners. He is also the second Mariners player to win a Gold Glove Award in his age-22 season or younger, joining Ken Griffey Jr., who won 3 prior to his age-23 season.
Young tallied 16 defensive runs saved (per Sports Info Solutions) which led American League second basemen and trailed only Brice Turang-MIL (23) in MLB. Young’s 16 DRS are the most by a Mariners second baseman in a season since Sports Info Solutions began tracking the statistic in 2003.
Young also led American League second basemen in nearly every traditional defensive category, including games played (157), innings (1,350.1), putouts (223), assists (397) and fielding percentage (.990). Young’s .990 fielding percentage is the tied for the 3rd-best single-season mark in by a second baseman in Mariners history, trailing only Robinson Canó, who had a .996 fielding percentage in 2016 and a .991 fielding percentage in 2015.
Young had a breakout season in 2026, batting .246 (142x577) with 76 runs, 19 doubles, 4 triples, 17 home runs, 66 RBI, 4 stolen bases and a .694 OPS in 160 games. He became the 5th Mariners player in their age-22 season or younger to have at least 4.0 Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement, joining Alex Rodriguez (3x, 1996-98), Ken Griffey Jr. (3x, 1990-92), Julio Rodríguez (2x, 2022-23) and Ruppert Jones (1977).