Baseball’s season ended less than a week ago, but the race for its biggest individual honors is now set. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed the three finalists for each of its major awards on Monday night, Nov. 2, live on MLB Network. Winners will be announced over four nights next week, beginning Monday, Nov. 9.
This year’s list includes a brand-new honor, Relief Pitcher of the Year, and several players from the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers, who beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 on Oct. 28 to win the first title in franchise history.
The MVP races
In the National League, Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is a finalist after a 45-homer, 41-steal season that put him in the 40-40 club, according to MLB.com. He is joined by two-way star Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who posted a 1.79 ERA on the mound while batting .275 with 11 steals, and Brewers second baseman Brice Turang, who hit 21 homers with 100 RBIs.
The American League finalists are Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, who hit 42 home runs and led qualifying hitters in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging; Tampa Bay third baseman Junior Caminero, who also hit 42 homers and played all 162 games; and Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
Cy Young and the new relief award
Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski headlines the NL Cy Young field after leading the majors with 252 strikeouts and posting a 1.80 ERA. Yahoo Sports described him as expected to win, which would add the award to a championship season that ended with him throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the clinching game, according to ESPN. Atlanta’s Chris Sale and Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez are the other NL finalists.
In the AL, the finalists are Toronto’s Dylan Cease, the New York Yankees’ Cam Schlittler, who led the league with a 1.95 ERA, and Cleveland’s Parker Messick. Messick is also a finalist for AL Rookie of the Year, a rare double nomination.
The first Relief Pitcher of the Year finalists are Bryan Baker (Rays), Cade Smith (Guardians) and Louis Varland (Blue Jays) in the AL, and Jhoan Duran (Phillies), Trevor Megill (Brewers) and Mason Miller (Padres) in the NL. Megill recorded the final out of the World Series.
Rookies and managers
- AL Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle (Tigers), Parker Messick (Guardians), Payton Tolle (Red Sox).
- NL Rookie of the Year: Carson Benge (Mets), Sal Stewart (Reds), JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals).
- AL Manager of the Year: Kevin Cash (Rays), Chad Tracy (Red Sox), Will Venable (White Sox).
- NL Manager of the Year: Don Mattingly (Phillies), Pat Murphy (Brewers), Walt Weiss (Braves).
The manager races carry some of the best stories. Murphy led Milwaukee to a major league-best 103-59 record, and MLB.com notes he would become the first manager to win the award three years in a row. Venable’s White Sox improved from 60-102 to 84-78. Tracy and Mattingly each took over midseason, Tracy as interim manager in Boston and Mattingly after replacing Rob Thomson in Philadelphia, and both reached the postseason.
When the winners are announced
- Monday, Nov. 9: AL and NL Rookie of the Year
- Tuesday, Nov. 10: AL and NL Manager of the Year
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: AL and NL Cy Young and Relief Pitcher of the Year
- Thursday, Nov. 12: AL and NL MVP
Why it matters for families
Award week is a fun way to keep young fans connected to baseball during the long offseason. Families can make their own picks before Monday and compare them with the writers’ votes, or look up the finalists’ stats together, which is a sneaky bit of math practice. The finalists also include a mix of veterans, rookies and comeback stories, which give parents plenty to talk about with kids on hard work and teamwork.
If you missed it, our look at a first World Series title and other stories this week recaps how Milwaukee finished the job. For more from this week in sports, see our story on the first College Football Playoff rankings of 2026.
Upstormed News will report the winners as they are announced next week.
Read more: Bears Beat Champion Seahawks 34-17 on MNF as Swift Scores Three Times
Who gets your vote for MVP and Cy Young this year?
Sources: MLB.com, “Here are the finalists for MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, more” (November 3, 2026); Yahoo Sports, “MLB finalists for MVP, Cy Young Awards, others include Jacob Misiorowski, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Yordan Alvarez” (November 2, 2026); NBC Sports, “MLB Awards: 2026 BBWAA Award finalists for MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year” (November 2, 2026); ESPN, “Brewers 4-1 Rays (Oct 28, 2026) Game Recap” (October 28, 2026)
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