Max Anderson wins Minor League Gold Glove as he adds to a solid legacy of minor leaguers who have won

Max Anderson has added a Minor League Gold Glove to his 2026 season, earning the award at second base. He becomes the first Tigers prospect to receive the honor since Jace Jung in 2023, giving Detroit another winner at the position.

The 24-year-old finished the season with a .302 batting average, .386 on-base percentage and .872 OPS across Toledo and a rehabilitation assignment with Lakeland. He collected 130 hits in 430 at-bats, hit 17 home runs and drove in 61 runs. Those numbers provided plenty of reasons to follow his progress, but his work at second base now has its own recognition.

At Toledo, Anderson committed three errors in 71 games at second base, covering 599 innings. His 84 putouts and 165 assists produced a calculated .988 fielding percentage across 252 chances. Fielding percentage cannot measure every part of a defender’s performance, particularly range, but those totals show how consistently he converted his recorded chances into outs.

We named Anderson, our 2026 TMLR player of the year in September. His offensive production, improved plate discipline and ability to sustain that performance against Triple-A pitching drove that selection. The Gold Glove adds another accomplishment to a year that also included a Futures Game appearance and International League postseason All-Star recognition.

Jung offers the most direct connection among previous Tigers winners. He earned the 2023 award at second base while splitting the season between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie. In 109 games at the position, Jung handled 447 chances, committed three errors and participated in 62 double plays, finishing with a .993 fielding percentage. Minor League Baseball recognized that work during his first full professional season.

Reese Olson preceded Jung in 2022, winning the pitching award while with Erie. His selection gave the SeaWolves another defensive honoree before Jung followed the next year, and Anderson now extends that recent group of Tigers recipients. Olson handled 13 chances in 26 appearances during his award-winning season.

The organization’s history with the award also includes Mike Gerber in 2016 and Dominic Ficociello in 2015. Jordan Lennerton won in both 2013 and 2014, with Chad Wright joining him in 2014. Detroit had three recipients in 2013, when Lennerton, Wade Gaynor and Jason Krizan earned awards at first base, third base and left field, respectively.

Anderson’s recognition also gives us another piece to consider when evaluating his eventual role in Detroit. Baseball America’s 2026 in-season report still graded his fielding below average, so the award should be considered alongside the scouting assessments. A productive minor league defensive season and questions about how that defense will translate against major league competition can both be part of the evaluation.

For Anderson, the practical goal remains earning regular opportunities to put his bat in a major league lineup. Holding his own at second base would give him a more direct route to those at-bats. He heads into 2027 with another season of offensive production and a defensive award to support that case.