Most Gold Glove Awards in MLB History

The greatest defensive players in MLB history have been showered with Gold Glove Awards.

In 1957, the people at Rawlings Sporting Goods came up with the idea to honor the best defensive players in Major League Baseball with an annual award for each position with an award that reflected their signature item — a baseball glove. Fast forward almost 70 years and the Gold Glove Award has become ubiquitous with the game itself.

While the award has evolved over the years, so have the players who have won it. This list of Golden Glove winners includes some of the greatest baseball players of all time and continues to add more and more members to its elite fraternity each year. It’s not a stretch to say “Gold Glove Award winner” is something you can have etched on your tombstone … or your Hall of Fame plaque.

Here are the MLB players with the most Gold Glove Awards in history.

10. (Tie) Nolan Arenado — 10 Gold Glove Awards

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado

Jeff Roberson / AP Photo

Position: Third baseman

Career: 10 seasons (2013-present)

Teams: Colorado Rockies (2013-20), St. Louis Cardinals (2021-present)

Career highlights: 10-time Gold Glove Award winner (2013-22), seven-time MLB All-Star (2015-19, 2021, 2022), five-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2015-18, 2022)

Bottom line: The only active player to make this list is Nolan Arenado, who won his 10th consecutive Gold Glove Award in 2022. He’s in the midst of what seems like a Hall of Fame career so far — he’s also a five-time Silver Slugger Award winner, seven-time All-Star and has led the National League in home runs three times.

Arenado was the first MLB third baseman to win a Gold Glove Award as a rookie since 1957 and the first third baseman in MLB history to win five consecutive Gold Glove Awards to start his career. He’s also led the National League in four different defensive categories — putouts, double plays turned, assists and range factor — 26 times.

*Note: All Gold Glove Award totals are through the 2022 season.

10. (Tie) Al Kaline — 10 Gold Glove Awards

AP Photo

Position: Right fielder

Career: 22 seasons (1953-74)

Teams: Detroit Tigers

Career highlights: 10-time Gold Glove Award winner (1957-59, 1961-67), World Series champion (1968), 18-time MLB All-Star (1955-61, 1962-67, 1971, 1974), Roberto Clemente Award (1973)

Bottom line: Al Kaline was a wunderkind baseball prospect out of Baltimore who skipped the minor leagues altogether and was playing in the Detroit Tigers outfield shortly after his high school graduation in 1953.

Kaline won the first of three consecutive Gold Glove Awards in 1957 and then won seven more in a row from 1961 to 1967. Kaline led the Tigers to the World Series title in 1968, leading them back from a three-games-to-one deficit against the St. Louis Cardinals for their first championship since 1945.

The scariest moment of Kaline’s career came in the outfield when he suffered a near-fatal collision with center fielder Jim Northrup. Left fielder Willie Horton saved Kaline’s life after he cleared his airway once he noticed Kaline was beginning to turn blue.

Kaline died much later in April 2020 at 85 years old.

10. (Tie) Johnny Bench — 10 Gold Glove Awards

AP Photo

Position: Catcher

Career: 17 seasons (1967-83)

Teams: Cincinnati Reds

Career highlights: 10-time Gold Glove Award winner (1968-77), two-time World Series champion (1975, 1976), two-time National League MVP (1970, 1972), World Series MVP (1976), National League Rookie of the Year (1968), MLB All-Century Team

Bottom line: Two-time National League MVP and two-time World Series champion Johnny Bench is where we start when talking about the greatest catcher of all time — after all, he’s a two-time National League MVP and two-time World Series champion.

Part of Bench’s genius behind the plate was his ability to handle pitchers. During 1968 spring training, Cincinnati pitcher Jim Mahoney ignored Bench’s signals for breaking balls in order to throw his fastball and cursed Bench when he tried to talk to him. Bench called for a fastball the next inning, and instead of catching it with his mitt, he caught it with his bare hand. Point taken. Bench was also the catcher when Mahoney threw a no-hitter in 1969.

10. (Tie) Mike Schmidt — 10 Gold Glove Awards

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt

Lennox Mclendon / AP Photo

Position: Third baseman

Career: 18 seasons (1972-89)

Teams: Philadelphia Phillies

Career highlights: 10-time Gold Glove Award winner (1976-84, 1986), World Series champion (1980), three-time National League MVP (1980, 1981, 1986), World Series MVP (1980), 12-time MLB All-Star (1974, 1976, 1977, 1979-84, 1986, 1987, 1989), six-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1980-84, 1986)

Bottom line: Mike Schmidt’s reputation to baseball fans was largely as a power hitter — he smashed 548 home runs during his Hall of Fame career and led the National League in home runs eight times.

Schmidt was also brilliant at the hot corner. The three-time National League MVP is one of just three players in MLB history to hit 500 home runs and win 10 Gold Glove Awards alongside Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr., but Schmidt is the only infielder to ever do so.

10. (Tie) Roberto Alomar — 10 Gold Glove Awards

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Roberto Alomar

John Swart / AP Photo

Position: Second baseman

Career: 17 seasons (1988-2004)

Teams: San Diego Padres (1988-90), Toronto Blue Jays (1991-95), Baltimore Orioles (1996-98), Cleveland Indians (1999-2001), New York Mets (2002-03), Chicago White Sox (2003, 2004), Arizona Diamondbacks (2004)

Career highlights: 10-time Gold Glove Award winner (1991-96, 1998-2001), two-time World Series champion (1992, 1993), ALCS MVP (1992), four-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1992, 1996, 1999, 2000), 12-time MLB All-Star (1990-2001)

Bottom line: Roberto Alomar had one of the greatest careers of any MLB second baseman, ever, winning 10 Gold Glove Awards and back-to-back World Series titles with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993.

While Alomar, a 12-time All-Star, remains in the Baseball Hall of Fame, he is banned from MLB for life by commissioner Rob Manfred in 2021 following an investigation into an accusation of sexual harassment by a Blue Jays employee in 2014.

10. (Tie) Ken Griffey Jr. — 10 Gold Glove Awards

Seattle Mariners center fielder Ken Griffey Jr.

Gary Stewart / AP Photo

Position: Center fielder

Career: 22 seasons (1989-2010)

Teams: Seattle Mariners (1989-99, 2009-10), Cincinnati Reds (2000-08), Chicago White Sox (2008)

Career highlights: 10-time Gold Glove Award winner (1990-99), American League MVP (1997), 13-time MLB All-Star (1990-2000, 2004, 2007), seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996-99), National League Comeback Player of the Year (2005), MLB All-Century Team

Bottom line: One of the most beloved MLB players of all time, Ken Griffey Jr. was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with a then-record 99.32 percent of the vote in 2016, his first year of eligibility.

Griffey Jr. shot to fame in the late 1980s and early ’90s for his tape-measure home runs and his highlight-reel catches as a center fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Griffey played his first 11 seasons in the majors for the Mariners, winning all 10 of his Gold Glove Awards in 10 consecutive years from 1990 to 1999.

At his height, Griffey Jr. was arguably the most popular professional athlete in the U.S., with his own signature shoe from Nike and his own video game, which is still one of the most beloved sports video games of all time.

10. (Tie) Andruw Jones — 10 Gold Glove Awards

Atlanta Braves center fielder Andruw Jones

Gregory Smith / AP Photo

Position: Center fielder

Career: 17 seasons (1996-2012)

Teams: Atlanta Braves (1996-2007), Los Angeles Dodgers (2008), Texas Rangers (2009), Chicago White Sox (2010), New York Yankees (2011-12)

Career highlights: 10-time Gold Glove Award winner (1998-2007), five-time MLB All-Star (2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008), Silver Slugger Award winner (2005)

Bottom line: The Atlanta Braves signed Curacao native Andruw Jones at 16 years old — he was on the big-league roster three years later and, in 1998, began a string of 10 consecutive Gold Glove Award wins. What made Jones such an elite outfielder was his absolute cannon of an arm, leading the National League in putouts from 1998 to 2002 and becoming one of only five outfielders to record 400 putouts in six different seasons.

Jones’ son, Druw Jones, is one of the top outfield prospects of the last decade and was selected No. 2 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

10. (Tie) Ichiro Suzuki — 10 Gold Glove Awards

Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki

Denis Poroy / AP Photo

Position: Right fielder

Career: 19 seasons (2001-19)

Teams: Seattle Mariners (2001-12, 2018-19), New York Yankees (2012-14), Miami Marlins (2015-17)

Career highlights: 10-time Gold Glove Award winner (2001-10), American League MVP (2001), 10-time MLB All-Star (2001-10), American League Rookie of the Year (2001), three-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2001, 2007, 2009)

Bottom line: Ichiro Suzuki actually won 17 Gold Glove Awards in his career — unfortunately, he won the first seven while playing professional baseball in Japan.

Ichiro was almost 28 years old when he made his MLB debut in 2001 and won both American League Rookie of the Year and American League MVP in the same year … along with his first Gold Glove Award. Had he come up in the current era, Ichiro would have likely been playing in the majors in his early 20s.

Is Ichiro the greatest right fielder of all time? He’s definitely in the conversation thanks to his great fielding, but it’s his MLB record of 10 consecutive seasons of 200-plus hits that might put him over the top.

7. (Tie) Keith Hernandez — 11 Gold Glove Awards

New York Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez

Paul Benoit / AP Photo

Position: First baseman

Career: 1974-1990 (17 seasons)

Teams: St. Louis Cardinals (1974-1983), New York Mets (1983-1989), Cleveland Indians (1990)

Career highlights: 11-time Gold Glove Award winner (1978-1988), two-time World Series champion (1982, 1986), National League MVP (1979), five-time MLB All-Star (1979, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1987)

Bottom line: One of the great Hall of Fame debates of all time, regardless of sport, is the candidacy of first baseman Keith Hernandez.

Hernandez won 11 consecutive Gold Glove Awards for two different teams — the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets — from 1978 to 1988. He also won World Series championships for both teams and was the unquestioned leader of the 1986 New York Mets team, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time.

So, why isn’t he in Cooperstown? Most will say it’s his power numbers, as he only had 162 career home runs and 1,072 career RBI. But common sense tells us that Hernandez’s role in one of the worst MLB scandals of the time — the widespread use of cocaine in the late 1970s and early ’80s — is probably the culprit.

7. (Tie) Omar Vizquel — 11 Gold Glove Awards

Cleveland Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel

Ron Schwane / AP Photo

Position: Shortstop

Career: 24 seasons (1989-2012)

Teams: Seattle Mariners (1989-93), Cleveland Indians (1994-2004), San Francisco Giants (2005-08), Texas Rangers (2009), Chicago White Sox (2010-11), Toronto Blue Jays (2012)

Career highlights: 11-time Gold Glove Award winner (1993-2001, 2005, 2006), three-time MLB All-Star (1998, 1999, 2002), Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame

Bottom line: Omar Vizquel is definitely in the conversation for the greatest fielding shortstop of all time — he holds the MLB records for shortstops for best fielding percentage (.985), games played and double plays turned.

Vizquel won 11 Gold Glove Awards, including nine consecutive, and was no slouch at the plate. He came perilously close to having 3,000 hits and 1,000 RBI for his career, finishing with 2,877 hits and 951 RBI. Vizquel is one of just 29 players in MLB history to play in four different decades and the only shortstop to do so.

7. (Tie) Willie Mays — 12 Gold Glove Awards

San Francisco Giants center fielder Willie Mays

AP Photo

Position: Center fielder

Career: 22 seasons (1951-52, 1954-73)

Teams: New York Mets/San Francisco Giants (1951-52, 1954-72), New York Mets (1972-73)

Career highlights: 12-time Gold Glove Award winner (1957-68), World Series champion (1954), two-time National League MVP (1954, 1965), National League Rookie of the Year (1951), 24-time MLB All-Star (1954-73), Roberto Clemente Award (1971), MLB All-Century Team

Bottom line: Willie Mays is arguably the greatest baseball player of all time and owns what is widely thought of as the greatest catch in MLB history with his over-the-shoulder catch of a fly ball by Vic Wertz in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.

Mays was playing professional baseball in the Negro Leagues by the time he was 16 years old and in the majors by the time he was 19. The two-time National League MVP won all 12 of his Gold Glove Awards in a row from 1957 to 1968 and had a penchant for making clutch plays in the field and getting clutch hits — he still holds the MLB record with 22 extra-inning home runs.

6. Roberto Clemente — 12 Gold Glove Awards

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente

AP Photo

Position: Right fielder

Career: 18 seasons (1955-72)

Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates

Career highlights: 12-time Gold Glove Award winner (1961-72), two-time World Series champion (1960, 1971), National League MVP (1966), World Series MVP (1971),

Bottom line: Roberto Clemente was magic in the outfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates over 18 seasons, leading his team to two World Series titles in 1960 and 1971 and winning 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1961 to 1972.

Clemente was just 38 years old when he died tragically in a plane crash while trying to deliver aid to victims of the 1972 Nicaragua earthquake. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

4. (Tie) Ozzie Smith — 13 Gold Glove Awards

St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith

John Swart / AP Photo

Position: Shortstop

Career: 19 seasons (1978-96)

Teams: San Diego Padres (1978-81), St. Louis Cardinals (1982-96)

Career highlights: 13-time Gold Glove Award (1980-92), World Series champion (1982), NLCS Most Valuable Player (1985), 15-time MLB All-Star (1981-92, 1994-96), 13-time Gold Glove Award (1980-92), Silver Slugger Award (1987), Roberto Clemente Award (1995)

Bottom line: St. Louis Cardinals shortstop was one of MLB’s superstars from the “forgotten era” of the 1980s, literally backflipping his way into the hearts of fans.

Smith did much more than backflips — he won 13 Gold Glove Awards, made 15 All-Star teams and helped lead the Cardinals to the World Series three times, winning once in 1982.

Smith was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 in his first year of eligibility.

4. (Tie) Ivan Rodriguez — 13 Gold Glove Awards

John Todd / AP Photo

Position: Catcher

Career: 21 seasons (1991-2011)

Teams: Texas Rangers (1991-2002, 2009), Florida Marlins (2003), Detroit Tigers (2004-08), New York Yankees (2008), Houston Astros (2009), Washington Nationals (2010-11)

Career highlights: 13-time Gold Glove Award winner (1992-2001, 2004, 2006, 2007), World Series champion (2003), American League MVP (1999), NLCS MVP (2003), 14-time MLB All-Star (1992-2001, 2004-07), seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1994-99, 2004)

Bottom line: Ivan Rodriguez — better known as “Pudge” to baseball fans around the world — was the greatest catcher of his generation, winning 13 Gold Glove Awards in his 21 seasons in the majors. He won his first 10 Gold Glove Awards in consecutive years from 1992 to 2001.

Rodriguez did everything a baseball player could do and had his best individual season in 1999 when he was named American League MVP after he set new AL records for home runs in a single season for catchers and became the first catcher in MLB history with more than 30 home runs, 100 RBI and 100 runs in a single season. Rodriguez also won a World Series in 2003 with the Florida Marlins when he was also named National League Championships Series MVP.

2. (Tie) Brooks Robinson — 16 Gold Glove Awards

Baltimore Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson

Bob Daugherty / AP Photo

Position: Third baseman

Career: 23 seasons (1955-77)

Team: Baltimore Orioles

Career highlights: 16-time Gold Glove Award (1960-75), two-time World Series champion (1966, 1970), 18-time MLB All-Star (1960-74), American League MVP (1964), World Series MVP (1970), MLB All-Century Team

Bottom line: The greatest defensive third baseman of all time was Baltimore Orioles star Brooks Robinson, who won 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1960 to 1975 and retired with the MLB record of most games played at a single position — 2,870 career games at third base.

Robinson led the Orioles to two World Series titles and was so good at third base he was nicknamed “The Human Vacuum Cleaner” and “Mr. Hoover” and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1983.

2. (Tie) Jim Kaat — 16 Gold Glove Awards

Robert Walsh / AP Photo

Position: Left-handed pitcher

Career: 25 seasons (1959-83)

Teams: Washington Senators (1959-73), Chicago White Sox (1973-75), Philadelphia Phillies (1976-79), New York Yankees (1979-80), St. Louis Cardinals (1980-83)

Career highlights: 16-time Gold Glove Award winner (1962-77), World Series champion (1982), three-time MLB All-Star (1962, 1966, 1975)

Bottom line: Jim Kaat had one of the longest careers in MLB history, spanning four different decades as he pitched his first game for the Washington Senators in 1959, stayed with the franchise as it became the Minnesota Twins and then pitched his final game with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1983.

Kaat not only won 16 Gold Glove Awards, but he also won them in consecutive years from 1959 to 1973. While Kaat won 283 games during his career, he became even more well-known for a four-decade broadcasting career following the end of his playing days. He was finally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2021.

1. Greg Maddux — 18 Gold Glove Awards

Eric Gay / AP Photo

Position: Right-handed pitcher

Career: 23 seasons (1986-2008)

Teams: Chicago Cubs (1986-92), Atlanta Braves (1993-2003), Chicago Cubs (2004-06), Los Angeles Dodgers (2006, 2008), San Diego Padres (2007-08)

Career highlights: 18-time Gold Glove Award winner (1990-2002, 2004-08), World Series champion (1995), four-time National League Cy Young Award winner (1992-95), eight-time MLB All-Star (1988, 1992, 1994-98)

Bottom line: Greg Maddux was a Harry Potter-level wizard when it came to fielding — the greatest fielding pitcher of all time with the most Gold Glove Awards in MLB history.

Along with his 18 Gold Glove Awards, Maddux had 17 consecutive seasons of at least 15 wins and is one of only two pitchers to win four consecutive Cy Young Awards alongside Randy Johnson.