When the weather cools in Detroit, the margins of a game get loud. Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler lived in those margins all year: quietly turning tough pitches into strikes, running games with a veteran’s calm, and stabbing would-be chaos into routine outs. If the casual fan missed how often the Tigers leaned on their young backstop to steady innings (and steal a few), opposing dugouts didn’t. Dingler’s presence changed how lineups attacked Detroit’s staff, which is the truest compliment you can pay a catcher.
That’s why this Gold Glove nod lands with more weight than a line on a résumé.