The major 2026 MLB awards are set to be announced in just a couple of weeks. Beginning with Rookie of the Year on Nov. 9 and ending with the league MVPs on the 12, it is an exciting time for fans to see if their favorite players will take home any hardware during award season.
While there will be plenty of intriguing storylines with the award races, many of the winners are likely set in stone already thanks to overwhelmingly dominant performances. How will the awards likely shake out this year?
Rookie of the Year
National League: Sal Stewart (Cincinnati Reds)
Stewart debuted briefly at the end of the 2025 season and impressed, with five home runs in an 18-game sample. Reds fans saw him as a building block in the lineup next to Elly De La Cruz, and in his first full season, he did not disappoint. An ice-cold September (24 games, one home run, .280 slugging percentage) brought his season numbers down, but he still managed to put up 32 home runs and 111 RBIs, finishing third amongst all rookies in homers and first in RBIs.
American League: Kevin McGonigle (Detroit Tigers)
McGonigle made an instant first impression, tallying four hits in his MLB debut on Opening Day. Three days later, the Tigers signed him to an eight-year, $150 million extension. He rewarded their faith in him with a very consistent season, leading all rookies in FanGraphs’ wins above replacement (5.4) and batting .278 with an .806 OPS. His 168 hits tied with New York Mets outfielder Carson Benge for the most among all rookies, and his 95 walks just topped Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox for first place.
Cy Young Award
National League: Jacob Misiorowski (Milwaukee Brewers)
Misiorowski impressed in his rookie season, but faded down the stretch with a 5.89 ERA in his last nine starts of the 2025 season. The Brewers kept their trust in him and tabbed him as the Opening Day starter, and he hit the ground running, striking out 11 over five innings against the White Sox. From there, he continued to dominate, with the exclamation point of his season being a 15-strikeout complete-game shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies, in which he allowed just one hit. “The Miz” led all pitchers in ERA (1.80), strikeouts (252), and FanGraphs WAR (6.6).
American League: Cam Schlittler (New York Yankees)
In any category that Misiorowski led baseball in, Schlittler was not far behind. The fellow second-year righty established himself as a true ace in the Bronx, leading the AL in ERA (1.95), FanGraphs WAR (6.2), and tying for second in strikeouts (239) with the likely runner-up, Toronto Blue Jays starter Dylan Cease. Though the team’s veteran frontline starter Gerrit Cole returned to pitch after recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2025, and lefty Max Fried put up another strong season, Schlittler made it very clear who the ace of the team would be in the future.
Most Valuable Player
National League: Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs)
At the midpoint of May, Crow-Armstrong was hitting just .236 with four home runs. It looked like the Cubs’ outfielder was on track for a lost season, and that Shohei Ohtani would take home a third consecutive NL MVP award. But while Ohtani faded down the stretch due to injury, eventually being shut down from pitching over the summer, “PCA” continued to shine. Crow-Armstrong’s defense shone as usual, with an MLB-best 26 outs above average, but he also put together a 40-40 season, tying Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead in home runs (45) and putting up a rare 10-WAR season (10.6), a testament to the impact he made.
American League: Yordan Alvarez (Houston Astros)
As someone who is limited defensively and rarely plays in the field, Alvarez had to be on top of his game to be a true MVP candidate. Injuries kept him from doing so in 2025, but he returned with his best season yet for Houston. Alvarez led all hitters in batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.432), and slugging percentage (.601), while finishing third in home runs (42) and fifth in RBI (106). After finishing in the top 10 of MVP voting twice in his career, including third in 2022, the slugger looks primed for his first-ever win.
Reliever of the Year
National League: Mason Miller (San Diego Padres)
With the year that Phillies closer Jhoan Durán had (1.82 ERA, 33 saves, 35.6% strikeout rate), it was going to take a truly special year from someone to beat him in the Reliever of the Year race. Sure enough, Mason Miller was up to the challenge. Miller’s 1.67 ERA was fourth among baseball’s relief corps, but more impressive was his fielding independent pitching (FIP), a stat that focuses solely on what pitchers can control. Miller posted an unreal 1.17 FIP, holding the lead over Durán by almost 30 points. With a wipeout slider and a fastball that can reach 105 MPH, it’s no wonder he struck out an eye-popping 47.4% of batters- nearly 7% better than second place.
American League: Louis Varland (Toronto Blue Jays)
Despite a great year from Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith (1.95 ERA, 41 saves) and Tampa Bay Rays relief ace Bryan Baker (second-best relief ERA of 1.44), Varland’s season dominance stands head and shoulders above the rest in the AL. His 1.27 ERA was the best amongst all relievers in baseball, and his FanGraphs WAR of 3.1 was second behind Mason Miller (3.7). Varland made it tough for batters to find that big-impact hit, and it showed: over 78 innings, he allowed just two home runs.
