Breaking down MLB award races 1 month into season

We're barely a month into the 2026 season, but it's never too early to take a look at the front-runners for MLB's major awards. With a long way to go, there are a few surprising names among the leaders - and some shocking omissions, for now.

Here's a breakdown of the early races.

AL MVP

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Alvarez has put his injury-shortened 2025 campaign behind him with an April to remember, and he's showing no signs of slowing down. The Astros slugger is slashing an MLB-best .358/.465/.755, leads his league in homers (11), RBIs (26), hits (38), and extra-base hits (20), and has more walks (19) than strikeouts (11). Alvarez is almost single-handedly powering the last-place Astros.

Perhaps the only Junior Circuit players within spitting distance of Alvarez right now are Rice and Judge. Somehow, despite being a teammate of Judge, Rice has been New York's most complete hitter to start the year, sitting fifth in the AL in average (.322) and second to Alvarez in OBP (.447), SLG (.744), and OPS (1.191). Judge, who's looking to win his third straight MVP, has pushed his way into the conversation over the last week.

Breaking into our top five is another three-time winner: Trout, who seems to be mounting a long-awaited comeback season. McGonigle, the future face of the Tigers, is making a huge impact on his team as a rookie and deserves a spot one month in. The question is whether he can hold onto it for another five months.

Apologies to: Munetaka Murakami (CWS), José Ramírez (CLE).

NL MVP

Yes, you're reading this right: Shohei Ohtani didn't make our initial top five NL MVP rankings. He'd be among our top 10 candidates, but Ohtani's recent offensive slump squeezed him off the short list for the moment. Don't worry, though - we haven't forgotten about the two-way superstar entirely.

For now, the NL's top honors go to Stewart, Cincinnati's rookie first baseman, in a narrow decision over Olson. Stewart earned it by carrying his surprising Reds into first place over the last month. The 22-year-old's 29 RBIs lead the majors, and he's top five in his league in homers (nine), SLG (.602), OPS (.987), and wRC+ (164). Olson's keeping it close, though, powering the Braves to MLB's best record by hitting .296/.374/.609 with eight homers, 25 RBIs, and an NL-best 20 extra-base hits. He also continues to play Gold Glove-caliber defense at first, never taking a day off.

Our top five in the Senior Circuit also includes a pair of Dodgers in Muncy, the NL's leader in OPS (1.006) and wRC+ (177), and Pages, who's playing elite center-field defense while breaking out offensively. Edwards is the shocker here, but he is worthy. The Marlins second baseman leads his league in average (.340) and OBP (.435), while his 36 hits are tied for second. Although Edwards is likely to fall back as the season progresses, he deserves recognition for his fantastic start as Miami's lineup continues to exceed expectations.

Apologies to: Drake Baldwin (ATL), Nico Hoerner (CHC), Ohtani (LAD), James Wood (WAS)

AL Cy Young

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Even the Angels couldn't have forecasted Soriano's brilliance. He's easily the current AL Cy Young leader, thanks to his 43 strikeouts, 0.82 WHIP, and microscopic 0.24 ERA. Soriano's the first starting pitcher in MLB history to allow one run or fewer through his first six outings of a season. Nobody's expecting him to keep up this historic pace all year, but the Angels clearly have something in Soriano, and he should stay in the Cy Young conversation at least through the summer.

Right behind him is Schlittler, one of two Yankees starters in our top five. The second-year right-hander owns an AL-best 0.73 WHIP and 1.53 FIP while allowing just one homer and walking only four in 35 2/3 innings for an MLB-low 1.01 BB/9. That's enough for Schlittler to have a very comfortable hold on the No. 2 spot ahead of Skubal, the two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner. Although he has a higher ERA, Skubal is still dominating for Detroit, sitting second in the majors in FIP (1.97) and top 10 in WHIP (0.99) with just one homer and six walks allowed in his six starts.

Fried's held opponents to a .161 average, and his 0.80 WHIP is second only to his teammate Schlittler on the MLB leaderboard. Rounding out our AL pitchers is Messick, the Guardians' burgeoning ace who sits near the top of most categories. He's making a clear case to be in Cy Young discussions in addition to Rookie of the Year.

Apologies to: Dylan Cease (TOR), Kevin Gausman (TOR), Gavin Williams (CLE)

NL Cy Young

The BBWAA created a Reliever of the Year award that will be handed out for the first time this winter. And yet, Miller's threatening to run away with the NL Cy Young as well. That's what happens when you allow two runs, six hits, and eight total baserunners in 14 appearances while striking out 28 of 50 batters faced. In case you still aren't convinced, Miller also owns an 17.6 K/9 and minus-0.38 FIP. Oh, and he's got 10 saves. This is shaping up to be the kind of historic relief season that will outdo any starting pitcher.

A bunch of NL starters are doing their best to try and catch Miller. Glasnow's 38 strikeouts and MLB-low 0.70 WHIP have him squarely in the runner-up slot. Right now, it appears that only health can stop Glasnow from being a contender. Skenes, last year's NL winner, has crept back into the picture after a slow start. Sale's also hanging around in what's becoming a very tight race, and could easily rise up these rankings if he keeps this pace.

And then there's Ohtani, who hasn't qualified for the pitching leaderboards but clearly has a Cy Young - the one award he's yet to win - in his sights. Ohtani has the NL's lowest ERA (0.38) and FIP (1.92) among Senior Circuit starters with at least 20 innings. He's yet to allow a homer and has walked only six batters. There's no doubt he'd be higher than fourth were he qualified. Assuming he keeps up this pace, Ohtani will shoot up this list once he has enough innings.

Apologies to: Bryce Elder (ATL), Shota Imanaga (CHC), Nolan McLean (NYM), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD)

AL Rookie of the Year

McGonigle, who's third in our AL MVP rankings, is the front-runner here. The 21-year-old is hitting .330/.423/.528, sits second in the AL in average, sixth in OPS (.951), and is tied for third with 35 hits and fourth with 15 extra-base hits. He also has more walks (16) than strikeouts (15) and plays plus defense at two positions. But he's still not quite running away with top rookie honors, as Messick and Murakami are both keeping pace.

Messick, easily the AL's best rookie pitcher, is in Cy Young consideration at least for the moment, making him a close second to McGonigle here. However, second place was basically a coin flip between him and Murakami, who leads the majors with 12 homers. The White Sox slugger's .965 OPS ranks fifth in the AL. This is already an unbelievably tight race between the three young stars, and it should remain as such throughout the season.

Apologies to: Connelly Early (BOS), Carter Jensen (KC)

NL Rookie of the Year

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The NL's 2026 rookie class seems to be top-heavy and thinner than the AL's overall. Stewart, our April NL MVP, is the easy choice for NL Rookie of the Year after one month, but McLean can easily close the gap. The Mets right-hander has risen above his lowly team and owns the third-lowest WHIP (0.85) in the NL along with 45 strikeouts and just two homers allowed in 35 1/3 innings. A two-horse race between Stewart and McLean wouldn't be shocking to see at season's end.

Ballesteros may be a distant third, but don't sleep on him completely. Despite recording 53 fewer plate appearances than Stewart, Ballesteros' .710 SLG leads all qualified NL rookies.

Apologies to: Jose Fernandez (ARI), Foster Griffin (WAS), JJ Wetherholt (STL)

AL Reliever of the Year

The new Reliever of the Year awards are hard to assess in the early going. Will voters look primarily at saves or consider high-leverage relievers and set-up men for their all-around excellence? Varland currently stands out in the AL on account of his stats and his rescue of the Blue Jays' bullpen. He's allowed one earned run in 15 innings, and his 0.86 FIP is the second lowest among AL relievers. Those numbers, along with Varland's bulldog mentality, explain why the 24-year-old has usurped Jeff Hoffman as Toronto's closer. Sabrowski (2.70 ERA, 14.2 K/9) and Lynch (0.87 ERA, 0.48 WHIP, 13 Ks) represent his closest competition.

Apologies to: Tyler Alexander (DET), David Bednar (NYY), Aroldis Chapman (BOS)

NL Reliever of the Year

This is obviously a battle for second place behind Miller. Shockingly, the easy choice for runner-up is the Rockies' Senzatela, who, before moving to the bullpen this year, had been a mediocre staple of their rotation since 2017. The 31-year-old's 0.50 ERA would lead NL relievers with at least 10 IP if not for Miller, and Senzatela also owns a 0.67 WHIP. Suarez, a former Padre, has been stellar in the Braves' bullpen, sporting a 0.77 ERA and 1.5 BB/9 with three saves.

Apologies to: Brennan Bernardino (COL), Riley O'Brien (STL), Gregory Soto (PIT)

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