The hot stove season is already burning, but amid roster moves for 2026 we have one last bit of 2025 business: handing out the major awards. The four most prestigious honors are determined by BBWAA voting and will have a lasting impact on history and Hall of Fame résumés.
On Monday, Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz was unanimously selected as the American League Rookie of the Year, and Atlanta Braves rookie catcher Drake Baldwin earned the National League honor.
Schedule (awards announced at 7 ET each night on MLB Network):
– Tuesday: Managers of the Year
– Wednesday: Cy Young Awards
– Thursday: MVP Awards
MLB’s awards show in Las Vegas on Thursday will also name All-MLB squads, Hank Aaron Awards, Comeback Player, top relievers, Edgar Martinez Awards and Executive of the Year.
American League Rookie of the Year
Winner: Nick Kurtz, Athletics (unanimous)
Final tally: Nick Kurtz 210 (30 first-place votes); Jacob Wilson 107; Roman Anthony 72; others trailed.
Doolittle’s pick: Kurtz
Takeaway: Kurtz arrived fast. The fourth overall pick in 2024 debuted April 23 and in 117 games produced a 1.002 OPS (fifth-best ever for a rookie minimum 480 PAs) and a .290/.383/.619 slash at age 22. He tied Shawn Green’s record for total bases in a game (19) with four homers in that outing. Kurtz is the ninth ROY in Athletics history and projects as a premier hitter.
Other finalists Roman Anthony and Jacob Wilson validated preseason hype; Anthony’s season ended Sept. 2 with an oblique injury.
National League Rookie of the Year
Winner: Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves
Final tally: Drake Baldwin 183 (21 first-place votes); Cade Horton 139 (9); Caleb Durbin 69; others trailed.
Doolittle’s pick: Baldwin
Takeaway: Voters favored Baldwin’s full-season production over Horton’s spectacular second half. Baldwin hit .274/.341/.469 in 124 games and also DH’d on off days, a key role given Sean Murphy remains on Atlanta’s roster. Baldwin became the first NL catcher to win ROY since Buster Posey (2010).
American League MVP
Finalists: Aaron Judge (NYY); Cal Raleigh (SEA); Jose Ramirez (CLE)
My pick: Cal Raleigh
What to know: AXE (a metrics consensus) favored Judge, but narrative and context push me to Raleigh. Raleigh’s 60-homer season shattered single-season marks for catchers and broke Mickey Mantle’s switch-hitter home run record. He was also the defensive anchor and clubhouse leader on a division champion. Ramirez once again finished among the top vote-getters but was outshone this year. Bobby Witt Jr. was a notable omission from the top three.
National League MVP
Finalists: Shohei Ohtani (LAD); Kyle Schwarber (PHI); Juan Soto (NYM)
My pick: Shohei Ohtani
What to know: The three finalists logged most of their time as DHs. Ohtani was the first exclusive DH to win an MVP last year and added 1.1 pitching bWAR this season from 47 innings, a tiebreaker if needed. Ohtani led the league in WPA and outpaced Schwarber and Soto in combined offensive and pitching value. This will be Ohtani’s fourth MVP.
American League Cy Young
Finalists: Hunter Brown (HOU); Garrett Crochet (BOS); Tarik Skubal (DET)
My pick: Tarik Skubal
What to know: Skubal is positioned to become the AL’s first repeat Cy Young winner since Pedro Martinez (2000). He posted a 2.21 ERA, 241 strikeouts, lower ERA than his 2024 award year, and led the AL in pitching bWAR, FIP and ERA+. Crochet led the league in innings (205⅓) and strikeouts (255) and was a close challenger; Brown rounded out a strong top three.
National League Cy Young
Finalists: Cristopher Sanchez (PHI); Paul Skenes (PIT); Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD)
My pick: Cristopher Sanchez
What to know: Sanchez and Skenes separated themselves from the pack. Skenes struck out more and posted a 1.97 ERA; Sanchez logged more innings (202) and pitched for a division champ, which factors into championship probability added. Sanchez’s season produced more value in context for a contender; I expect the vote could go the other way toward Skenes.
American League Manager of the Year
Finalists: John Schneider (TOR); Stephen Vogt (CLE); Dan Wilson (SEA)
My pick: John Schneider
What to know: Schneider guided Toronto from last place to an AL East title and a World Series appearance, overseeing an offensive makeover that produced one of baseball’s most prolific attacks.
National League Manager of the Year
Finalists: Terry Francona (CIN); Pat Murphy (MIL); Rob Thompson (PHI)
My pick: Pat Murphy
What to know: Murphy would be a two-time winner as a full-time manager after guiding the Brewers to repeat playoff berths despite low expectations and a younger roster. Milwaukee won many close games with impactful rookies and strong clubhouse culture.
Other awards (picks)
– Executive of the Year: Matt Arnold, Milwaukee Brewers (metric for organizational performance favored Arnold; Seattle’s Jerry Dipoto an alternate)
– All-MLB (AXE All-MVP first team): 1B Matt Olson; 2B Nico Hoerner; SS Bobby Witt Jr.; 3B Jose Ramirez; C Cal Raleigh; OF Juan Soto; OF Aaron Judge; OF Corbin Carroll; DH Shohei Ohtani; LHP Tarik Skubal; RHP Paul Skenes; RP Aroldis Chapman.
– Hank Aaron Award: Aaron Judge (AL); Shohei Ohtani (NL)
– Mariano Rivera Award: Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox
– Trevor Hoffman Award: Edwin Diaz, New York Mets
– Gold Gloves: Winners announced (linkable list); Doolittle’s quibbles included preferring Alejandro Kirk over Dillon Dingler at AL catcher and wanting Jacob Young recognized despite LF/CF/RF distinctions.
Notes on metrics: Doolittle referenced AXE (a consensus index drawing on WAR from FanGraphs and Baseball Reference plus contextual WPA/CPA from Baseball Reference) to compare players; 100 represents MLB average.
I’ll be reacting to each night’s awards announcement throughout the week with updates and deeper analysis as winners are revealed.
