BBWAA announces finalists for MLB's major awards

The Baseball Writers' Association of America revealed the finalists for Major League Baseball's most prestigious awards Monday.

The top three vote-getters for the four awards in each league were determined by members of the BBWAA. Two writers from each major-league city vote for awards in their city's league.

Winners will be announced beginning on Nov. 10 with Rookie of the Year followed by Manager of the Year on Nov. 11, Cy Young on Nov. 12, and Most Valuable Player on Nov. 13.

AL MVP

Judge is looking to join an exclusive group by winning his second consecutive AL MVP, and third in the last four seasons. The Yankees captain led the majors in all four slash-stat categories (.331/.457/.688), and his 53 homers are the most ever by a batting champion. He also led the AL in runs scored, walks, total bases, and extra-base hits.

Raleigh recorded the ninth 60-homer season in MLB history, while also serving as the Mariners' everyday catcher. He led the AL in RBIs (125) and was the only position player besides Judge with more than 9 fWAR in either league. Defensively, Raleigh ranked in the 93rd percentile of framing and didn't allow a passed ball in over 1,072 innings behind the plate.

Ramírez is an AL MVP finalist for the first time since he was the runner-up in 2020, and the fourth time in his 13-year career. The Guardians superstar recorded his third career 30-30 season and second 30-homer, 40-steal campaign, while striking out just 66 times in 673 plate appearances. He's trying to become the first Cleveland MVP winner since Al Rosen in 1953.

NL MVP

*Combined hitter and pitcher stat

Ohtani is trying to join Barry Bonds as the only players with four MVP awards. The two-way star led the NL in slugging and OPS and led the majors in runs scored (145) and total bases (380) as a DH. He also returned to being a two-way player, putting up a 2.87 ERA, 1.90 FIP, and 1.04 WHIP along with a 11.9 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 over 14 starts.

Schwarber led the NL with 56 homers and drove in an MLB-best 132 runs to help the Phillies to another NL East title. He also finished second in the NL in slugging, OPS, and total bases, and third in walks. This is his first time finishing in the top-10 of MVP voting.

Soto's first season in Flushing was a smashing success, and now he has a chance to become the first Mets player to ever win an NL MVP. He turned in a shocking 30-30 season and finished two steals shy of 40-40, while leading the NL in steals and OBP and taking an MLB-best 127 walks. This is the third time in eight big-league seasons that Soto's been an MVP finalist.

AL Cy Young

Brown's stellar breakout season led to his receiving Cy Young votes for the first time in his four-year career. The Astros right-hander didn't finish atop any leaderboards but ranked second in the AL in ERA, third in strikeouts, and fourth in WHIP (1.02), K/9 (10.0), and fWAR (4.6). He's looking to become the third Astros pitcher to win a Cy Young in the last seven seasons, after Justin Verlander earned it in 2019 and '22.

Crochet is also a first-time finalist after a dominant first season in Boston. He won 18 games while leading the majors in strikeouts and topping all AL pitchers in K/9 rate (11.2) and innings pitched (205 1/3). Crochet also ranked top-five in his league in ERA, FIP, WHIP, and BB/9. The 26-year-old is trying to become the first Red Sox hurler to win this award since Rick Porcello in 2016.

Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, is widely regarded as the favorite in this race. The Tigers ace had an MLB-best 0.89 WHIP, 1.5 BB/9 rate, and 7.30 K/BB ratio, while also leading the AL in ERA, FIP (2.45), ERA+ (187), and placing second in his league in strikeouts and innings. Should he defend his crown, Skubal will be the first AL pitcher to win consecutive Cy Youngs since Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez in 1999 and 2000.

NL Cy Young

Sánchez took the mantle of Phillies ace from Zack Wheeler and turned in a quietly dominant campaign. Sánchez finished with the NL's third-lowest ERA and second-most innings, while also ranking second in fWAR, third in BB/9 (2.0), and top-10 in strikeouts (212), K/9 (9.5), and fWAR. He's hoping to become the Phillies first Cy Young winner since Roy Halladay in 2010, and join four-time winner Steve Carlton as the only left-handed pitchers to win it in Philadelphia.

Skenes outdid his remarkable rookie campaign by posting an ERA below two for the second straight year while leading the majors in ERA+, FIP, and HR/9, leading the NL in WHIP, and finishing with the second-most strikeouts in the NL. Skenes now looks to join Dwight Gooden and Fernando Valenzuela as the only pitchers to win both Rookie of the Year and a Cy Young in their first two seasons. At 10-10, he'd also become the first starting pitcher to win a Cy Young with a win-loss record of .500 or worse.

Yamamoto, a three-time winner of the Sawamura Award in Japan, now has a chance to become the first Japanese-born Cy Young winner. The Dodgers ace showed why he was worth the biggest contract ever given to a pitcher by placing top-three in the NL in ERA, WHIP (0.99), K/9 (10.4), and was also top-five in fWAR, FIP, and strikeouts. If he wins, he'll be the 13th Dodgers pitcher to claim a Cy Young Award, by far the most for any team.

AL Manager of the Year

Schneider is a first-time Manager of the Year finalist after deftly guiding the Blue Jays from worst to first during a remarkable 2025 season. The 45-year-old led the Jays to their first AL East title in a decade and an AL-best 94 wins, marking the franchise's best record since 1993. Schneider is trying to become the first Blue Jays skipper to win it since Hall of Famer Bobby Cox in 1985.

Vogt, the reigning AL Manager of the Year, has a chance to become the first skipper ever to win this award in his first two seasons. Under his watch, the Guardians pulled off the biggest in-season turnaround in MLB history, erasing a 15.5-game deficit in mid-July to win a second consecutive AL Central title. He'd be the first repeat AL winner since the Rays' Kevin Cash in 2020-21.

Wilson, who took over the Mariners late in 2024 after Scott Servais was fired, is a finalist for this award following his first full season in the dugout at any professional level. The 56-year-old led the Mariners to a 90-72 record and their first division title since 2001 - when he was Seattle's starting catcher. Wilson's trying to join his former skipper, Lou Piniella (1995 and '01), as the only Mariners managers to win this award.

NL Manager of the Year

Francona is once again a finalist after returning to the dugout and leading the Reds to their first playoff berth during a full season since 2013. The future Hall of Fame skipper is trying to win this award for a fourth time, which would tie Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa, and Buck Showalter for the most ever, and the ninth to win it in both leagues.

Murphy became the first Brewers manager to claim this honor last year, and is now looking to join Cox, Cash, and possibly Vogt as consecutive Manager of the Year winners. The 66-year-old led the Brewers to an MLB-best 97 wins and a third straight division title, defying virtually every preseason prognosticator in the process.

Thomson, a first-time finalist, is attempting to become the first Canadian skipper to win this award. His Phillies waltzed to a second straight NL East title, and their 96 wins marked the franchise's best record in 14 years. Only one Phillies manager - Larry Bowa in 2001 - has ever been named Manager of the Year.

AL Rookie of the Year

Anthony, baseball's consensus top prospect entering 2025, lived up to the hype during his rookie season. Despite not getting called up until June and then suffering a season-ending oblique injury in early September, the 21-year-old owned the second-best OPS, highest walk percentage, and fourth-most fWAR among qualified AL rookies. He's trying to become the first Red Sox rookie to win since Dustin Pedroia in 2007.

Kurtz, the fourth overall pick in 2024, emerged as one of the most feared sluggers in baseball. His .619 slugging percentage was the fifth-highest by a rookie in MLB history (minimum 400 plate appearances), and he's one of only eight rookies in the modern era to finish with an OPS above 1.000. Kurtz's 36 homers were by far the most among rookies, and recorded the first four-homer game in MLB history by a rookie.

Wilson was the AL's starting shortstop at this year's All-Star Game, and could have challenged Judge for the batting title if not for a couple of hard-luck injuries. A contact machine, his .311 average placed third in the AL and his 7.5 K% was the lowest among qualified AL hitters. Wilson or Kurtz would be the first A's winners since Andrew Bailey in 2009, and the nomadic club's first rookie position player to earn it since Bobby Crosby in 2004.

NL Rookie of the Year

Baldwin became the Braves' primary catcher and an offensive force during his rookie season. The 24-year-old led all NL rookies in fWAR and RBIs (80) while ranking second among qualified Senior Circuit freshmen in OPS, homers (19), and slugging (.469). He's trying to become just the seventh NL catcher to win Rookie of the Year, and the first since Buster Posey in 2010.

Durbin served as the primary third baseman for the 97-win Brewers after he was acquired in an offseason trade. His 2.6 fWAR was tied for second among qualified NL rookie position players, and his 18 stolen bases led rookies in both leagues. Durbin also provided a solid glove at third base, where he accrued five defensive runs saved, and also started 10 games at second. If he wins, he'll be the first Brewers player to earn Rookie of the Year since Devin Williams - the man he was traded for - in 2020.

Horton emerged as the Cubs' homegrown ace this summer. His ERA was the lowest among qualified rookie pitchers in both leagues, and was one of only three rookie pitchers to throw over 100 innings. The 24-year-old allowed just 10 home runs in 118 innings before an injury ended his season and forced him to miss the playoffs. Horton is hoping to join Kerry Wood in 1998 as the only Cubs pitchers to win Rookie of the Year.