Cole Young Wins Gold Glove in Sophomore M's Campaign
The Mariners' Cole Young has officially won the AL Gold Glove at second, beating out the Royals' Michael Massey and the White Sox' Chase Meidroth. For Young, it's a massive accomplishment. Is it a snub for the others? Well, that's complicated.
If you only looked at the way Cole Young flashed the leather in April and May, this result would have been a given. Even with his defense cooling off towards the end of the year, it was still well earned for the Mariners infielder.
Young has officially won the Rawlings Gold Glove award for AL second basemen, beating out the Royals' Michael Massey and the White Sox' Chase Meidroth. Young, a 23-year-old in his second big league season, became the third-youngest second baseman to win the award, only behind 20-year-old Ken Hubbs in 1962 and 21-year-old Bill Mazeroski in 1958.
Compared to Young's rather pedestrian 2025 from a defensive standpoint, 2026 was certainly an upgrade. He was faster to get a jump on the ball and more nimble with his finishes and hops to his feet, especially when moving towards the first base side of the infield.
It should be noted that he wasn't a slam dunk Gold Glove winner compared to Meidroth and Massey. Young's arm is a notable weakness, clocking in at 71.8 miles an hour on average and limiting the Mariners infield's ability to turn double plays. And while Young's jumps on the ball were better in 2026 than 2025, he still often had to use his excellent finishing ability merely to make good plays rather than be able to get to great ones.
Still, he was one of the best second basemen in the league, a veritable feat for a 23-year-old MLB sophomore. There's a decent likelihood - though Seattle has had issues with in-MLB development beyond a player's first full year - that he will continue his upward defensive trajectory in 2027.
Did either Meidroth or Massey get snubbed? Well, that's complicated.
