In his first season with the New York Yankees, Max Fried won the 2025 American League Gold Glove for pitchers, his fourth career award and first as a Yankee, announced Sunday by Rawlings Baseball.
The 31-year-old southpaw joins an elite group of New York pitchers to earn the honor, including Ron Guidry, Mike Mussina, and Bobby Shantz. His defensive excellence also earned him the 2025 Fielding Bible Award, recognizing him as baseball’s best defensive pitcher.
Fried, who signed an eight-year, $218 million contract last offseason, the largest ever for a left-handed pitcher, stepped into the role of the Yankees’ ace following Gerrit Cole’s season-ending elbow surgery in spring training. Over 32 starts, he compiled a league-leading 19 wins against five losses, posting a 2.86 ERA while striking out 189 batters across 195.1 innings. Experiencing a blister-related hiccup around the All-Star break, Fried went through a seven-game stretch with a 6.00 ERA. Nonetheless, he finished the season among the top ten in innings pitched, ERA, FIP, and fWAR.
On the defensive side, Fried’s fielding numbers were exceptional. He led all pitchers with 10 Defensive Runs Saved, 39 assists, and seven pickoffs, including pickoff caught stealings, while allowing only six stolen bases.
His .925 fielding percentage, combined with his ability to field bunts and dribblers around the mound, demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the most complete pitchers in baseball. Although he recorded a career-high four errors, Fried’s defensive contributions were strong enough to earn him the Gold Glove.
Fried is now the first Yankees pitcher to win a Gold Glove since Mussina in 2008 and only the fourth in franchise history. He had previously won three consecutive Gold Gloves with the Atlanta Braves from 2020 through 2022, including during their 2021 World Series run.
