2026 MLB Award predictions
Photo Courtesy of thatlostdog- Wikimedia Commons
Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has separated himself in the AL MVP race, leading the American League in batting average and OPS while threatening to secure Major League Baseball's first Triple Crown since 2012.
As the Major League Baseball (MLB) season winds down and fans start looking forward to playoff baseball in October, this season’s fascinating awards race also concludes. This season has featured some fascinating individual performances such as a near 40-40 season, a possible triple crown, and microscopic earned run averages. We will break down each individual race and predict who goes home with some shiny hardware.
American League (AL) MVP: Yordan Alvarez
After last season’s historic race between sluggers Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge, this year's AL MVP debate is much less contentious. With an injured Judge and Raleigh struggling mightily, there was room amongst the pantheon of great American League hitters. Once the season got rolling, the Astros Yordan Alvarez seemed hellbent to cement himself as one of the premier power hitters in the game. As of Sept. 22, Alvarez leads the AL in On-Base Percentage (OPS) (1.027) and batting average (.313). On top of that, Yordan is second in home runs and Runs Batted In (RBIs) in the league; if Yordan finishes first in the AL in homeruns, RBIs, and average, that would mean he would be baseball’s first triple crown winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
National League (NL) MVP: Pete Crow-Armstrong
I would be kidding myself if I pretended to believe that this award was going to anyone else not named Shohei Ohtani. The future Hall of Famer has captured the award four times in the last five seasons, and he looked destined for a fifth one this season. Yet, everything changed when Ohtani went down with an injury in early September. At the very same time, Cubs centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is affectionately known as PCA, was amidst one of the most remarkable streaks of hitting we have seen in recent memory—highlighted by a 23-game on-base streak, where he batted .412 AVG,.468 OBP,and a.835 Slugging Percentage (SLG). This historic season has resulted in a 9.6 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) for PCA this season, which is higher than any of Ohtani’s previous MVP seasons. Barring anything crazy, PCA seems all but assured to supplant Ohtani as the preeminent hitter in the National League.
AL Cy Young: Cam Schlittler
Much like the NL Cy Young race, this has mostly been a two-horse race for most of the season—although, akin to PCA, Schlittler has run away with the award in large part due to a dominant final season of pitching. The Yankees ace recorded a 0.86 Earned Run Average (ERA) across 27.0 innings over four September appearances. On the season, the right-hander has an impressive 1.94 ERA, 234 strikeouts, and almost 200 innings pitched. Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease deserves praise, but Schlittler has just been otherworldly.
NL Cy Young: Jacob Misirowski
Milwaukee’s lanky 6-foot-7 flamethrower has taken the baseball world by storm this season. The soft-spoken 24-year-old holds a 15-5 record with a 1.86 ERA and 247 strikeouts. In the process of this historic season, “the Miz” has set numerous MLB records, including the fastest pitch ever by a starting pitcher and the most 100 + MPH pitches in a single season. There are other pitching performances worth noting, such as Chris Sale and Christopher Sanchez, but the Miz truly exists on another planet entirely.
Even without any of the typical razor-tight award races, all of these remarkable individual performances are unquestionably worth highlighting. Obviously, playoff performance is where the elite players are truly measured against one another, but to perform at such a high level over an entire baseball season is no easy feat. This is especially true in modern-day baseball, as the game has been reshaped completely. Pitchers are throwing harder than ever with more and more relievers being used per game, which makes consistent performances that much harder. So before we move our attention to the playoffs and who is going to win the World Series, let’s just for a moment appreciate the best players in the sport.