Major League Baseball’s awards week opened Monday night with two young infielders taking home the top rookie honors. Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle won the American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award in a near-unanimous vote, and Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart claimed the National League prize, according to results released by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) on November 9, 2026. Thirty BBWAA members vote in each league, and ballots were cast before the postseason.
The announcements kick off four straight nights of awards. Manager of the Year winners are set to be revealed Tuesday, November 10, followed by the Cy Young and Relief Pitcher of the Year awards on Wednesday and Most Valuable Player on Thursday, per MLB.com’s published schedule.
McGonigle runs away with the AL vote
McGonigle received 28 of the 30 first-place votes and 204 points, just six shy of a perfect score, according to the BBWAA. Cleveland Guardians pitcher Parker Messick finished second with the other two first-place votes and 122 points, and Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle was third with 54 points. Messick and McGonigle were the only two players named on every ballot.
The numbers explain the landslide. Playing most of the year at age 21, McGonigle hit .278 with a .376 on-base percentage, 18 home runs, 28 doubles, 72 RBIs, 97 runs scored and 12 stolen bases, CBS Sports reported. His 7.1 wins above replacement led all American League position players, and he drew 95 walks against 100 strikeouts, a rare level of plate discipline for a first-year player. He was also an All-Star.
He did it while moving around the diamond. The BBWAA noted he split time almost evenly between shortstop (96 games) and third base (94 games), something only one previous winner, Tony Kubek in 1957, had done in a similar way. Just Baseball reported that McGonigle played 156 of the Tigers’ 162 games and signed an eight-year, $150 million contract extension early in the season.
McGonigle is the sixth Tigers player to win the award, joining Harvey Kuenn (1953), Mark Fidrych (1976), Lou Whitaker (1978), Justin Verlander (2006) and Michael Fulmer (2016). He is the first Detroit position player to win it since Whitaker nearly five decades ago.
Stewart’s power wins a closer NL race
The National League vote was more competitive. Stewart collected 20 first-place votes and 170 points and was the only player listed on all 30 ballots, the BBWAA said. New York Mets outfielder Carson Benge was second with seven first-place votes and 107 points, and St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt placed third with three first-place votes and 99 points.
Stewart’s case rested on run production: 32 home runs and 112 RBIs, according to the BBWAA. His challengers offered different strengths. Benge hit .282 with 20 homers and 22 steals, and Wetherholt posted 17 homers, 14 steals and 89 runs in 139 games, CBS Sports reported, and both rated higher than Stewart in wins above replacement. Just Baseball noted voters also credited Stewart’s steady availability in the lineup.
Stewart, who made his big-league debut in 2025 but kept his rookie status for 2026, is the ninth Reds player to win the award. The list includes some of the most famous names in Cincinnati history: Frank Robinson (1956), Pete Rose (1963), Tommy Helms (1966), Johnny Bench (1968), Pat Zachry (1976), Chris Sabo (1988), Scott Williamson (1999) and Jonathan India (2021). He is also the ninth first baseman to win the NL honor.
What to watch the rest of the week
The finalists for the remaining awards were announced last week, and Upstormed News broke down the full list. Here is the schedule, per MLB.com:
- Tuesday, Nov. 10 – Manager of the Year: AL finalists Kevin Cash (Rays), Chad Tracy (Red Sox) and Will Venable (White Sox); NL finalists Don Mattingly (Phillies), Pat Murphy (Brewers) and Walt Weiss (Braves).
- Wednesday, Nov. 11 – Cy Young: AL finalists Dylan Cease (Blue Jays), Parker Messick (Guardians) and Cam Schlittler (Yankees); NL finalists Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers), Chris Sale (Braves) and Cristopher Sánchez (Phillies).
- Wednesday, Nov. 11 – Relief Pitcher of the Year: AL finalists Bryan Baker (Rays), Cade Smith (Guardians) and Louis Varland (Blue Jays); NL finalists Jhoan Duran (Phillies), Trevor Megill (Brewers) and Mason Miller (Padres).
- Thursday, Nov. 12 – Most Valuable Player: AL finalists Yordan Alvarez (Astros), Junior Caminero (Rays) and Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals); NL finalists Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) and Brice Turang (Brewers).
One storyline to follow: Messick, the AL rookie runner-up, is also a Cy Young finalist after going 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA and 193 strikeouts, according to CBS Sports. Upstormed News will follow each night’s results.
Why it matters for families
Rookie award winners often become the faces young fans follow for years, and both of this year’s honorees reached the majors in their early 20s. McGonigle’s season is also a useful lesson for young players: patience at the plate and willingness to play more than one position helped him lead all AL position players in wins above replacement as a rookie. For more inspiration from baseball history, read our story on Jim Abbott, the one-handed pitcher who threw a no-hitter, and catch up on Monday night’s NFL action with the Bills’ 23-6 win over the Vikings.
Read more: Misiorowski, Crow-Armstrong, Alvarez Among MLB Award Finalists
Did the voters get it right, and who do you think will win MVP on Thursday?
Sources: BBWAA, “Tigers’ infielder Kevin McGonigle wins AL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year” (November 9, 2026); BBWAA, “Slugging Reds first baseman Sal Stewart takes NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year” (November 9, 2026); CBS Sports, “2026 MLB Rookie of the Year: Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle, Reds’ Sal Stewart win BBWAA awards” (November 9, 2026); Just Baseball, “Kevin McGonigle, Sal Stewart Win 2026 Rookie of the Year Awards” (November 10, 2026); MLB.com, “2026 BBWAA Awards finalists for MVP, Cy Young, Reliever, Rookie of Year” (2026).
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