The Baseball Writers Association of America, the BBWAA, just dropped the finalists for Major League Baseball’s 2026 major awards, and if you thought the regular season buzz was over, think again. These awards, including MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Reliever of the Year, and Manager of the Year, are all about regular-season dominance. Ballots were due even before playoff baseball started, so what we are seeing now are just the top three vote-getters for each award, designed to get us hyped before the winners are actually announced.
AL MVP Race Heats Up With Young Guns and Consistent Power
The American League MVP race is absolutely stacked. We’ve got Yordan Alvarez from the Astros, who managed to stay healthy for a full 158-game season. He delivered exactly what everyone expected, leading the majors in a ton of categories: .316/.432/.601 (that’s a 190 OPS+!), 34 doubles, 42 homers, 106 RBI, and 105 runs scored. He even led the league in walks and intentional walks, showing just how dangerous he was at the plate.
Then there’s the phenom, Junior Caminero of the Rays. This kid is only 22 years old and he played all 162 games, helping lead the Rays to the best record in the AL. He crushed it with a .276/.360/.524 line (144 OPS+), adding 42 home runs, 101 RBI, and 100 runs. His 5.7 WAR is no joke. Caminero has already etched his name in the history books, becoming the first Rays player ever to finish in the top five for MVP voting. That’s a huge deal!
Rounding out the AL MVP finalists is Bobby Witt Jr. from the Royals. This guy’s consistency is wild. This is his fourth straight season finishing in the top seven for MVP, and his third straight in the top four. He was even second back in 2024. This season, Witt Jr. put up a .281/.359/.441 line (125 OPS+), with 33 doubles, 18 homers, 54 RBI, 94 runs, and a blistering 45 steals. His 6.7 WAR proves he’s one of the best in the game, year in and year out.
AL Cy Young Sees New Faces Step Up
Over in the American League Cy Young race, it’s a battle of the aces. Dylan Cease, in his first season with the Blue Jays after signing a massive deal, was a real bright spot for a team that probably didn’t meet expectations. He went 11-6 with a fantastic 2.40 ERA (184 ERA+) and a 1.10 WHIP. Cease racked up 239 strikeouts in just 169 innings, earning a 5.5 WAR. Oh, and he was the All-Star Game starter, too.
Challenging him is Parker Messick from the Guardians. Messick made 32 starts, posting a 12-9 record with a 2.56 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 193 strikeouts across 186 ⅓ innings. He was a key part of the Guardians winning the AL Central for the third consecutive season. That’s some serious pitching dominance!
New Hardware and Upcoming Reveals
On top of all this, the BBWAA has introduced a brand new award: the Relief Pitcher of the Year for each league. This is a big step, as MLB previously named the Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman awards, but this is the first time the BBWAA is officially recognizing the league’s top relievers. We’ll find out all the winners next week, starting with the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Awards on Monday, November 9th. Manager of the Year follows on Tuesday, November 10th. Then it’s a double-header on Wednesday, November 11th, for both the Cy Young and the new Relief Pitcher of the Year awards. Finally, the big one, the Most Valuable Player Awards, get announced on Thursday, November 12th. Get ready, because these announcements are going to keep us talking for days!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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