The principal professional baseball league, working alongside the Baseball Writers Association of the United States, has revealed the individuals in contention for the esteemed accolades of 2025: Player of Greatest Merit, Pitcher of the Year, Top First-Year Player, and Skipper of the Year.
Just to reiterate, the polling process concluded even before the postseason commenced. Indeed, voting forms were expected before the initial postseason matchup. This signifies these honors pertain to performances during the regular games. Moreover, there’s no further voting after contenders are announced or anything similar. The designation “finalists” can be somewhat deceptive. The ballots have already been processed and tallied, with the league’s administrative division simply publicizing the top three vote recipients for each distinction to generate anticipation ahead of the official unveilings.
The scheduled times for the announcements are detailed below.
Monday, Nov. 10: Jackie Robinson Award for Top First-Year Player
Tuesday, Nov. 11: Skipper of the Year Awards
Wednesday, Nov. 12: Pitcher of the Year Awards
Thursday, Nov. 13: Player of Greatest Merit Awards
Let’s move on to the finalists.
American League Player of Greatest Merit
Aaron Judge, Yankees: The two-time titleholder batted .331 with a .457 on-base percentage and a .688 slugging percentage (215 OPS+), tallying 30 two-base hits, 53 round-trippers, 114 runs batted in, 137 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, and a 9.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR). If Judge were to secure victory, he would join a select company of a dozen players who have clinched three or more Player of Greatest Merit awards, which encompasses fellow Yankees Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Alex Rodriguez (though his first came while with the Rangers).
Cal Raleigh, Mariners: He posted a .247 average, a .359 on-base mark, and a .589 slugging figure (169 OPS+), notching 24 doubles, 60 circuit clouts, 125 RBIs, 110 runs, 14 swipes, and a 7.3 WAR, thus becoming the first receiver and first ambidextrous hitter to attain 60 homers. The Mariners have only seen two of their own players take home the Player of Greatest Merit title (Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997, Ichiro Suzuki in 2001).
José Ramírez, Guardians: He’s previously been the second-place finisher and has secured third place twice. He’s all but assured to land third again. This would represent his seventh time concluding in the top six without ever winning the accolade. This year, he amassed a .283 batting average, a .360 on-base percentage, and a .503 slugging percentage (137 OPS+) along with 34 two-baggers, 30 dingers, 85 batted-in runs, 103 runs scored, 44 steals, and a 5.8 WAR.
American League Pitcher of the Year
Hunter Brown, Astros: The 26-year-old right-handed pitcher enjoyed a banner season, going 12-9 with a 2.43 earned run average, a 1.03 walks and hits per inning pitched, and 206 Ks versus 57 walks through 185 ⅓ frames. Thanks to the Prospect Promotion Incentive, the Astros are awarded an extra draft choice due to Brown’s placement in the top three.
Garrett Crochet, Red Sox: Across 205 ⅓ innings pitched, Crochet fanned 255 hitters and issued 46 free passes. He registered an 18-5 record with a 2.59 ERA during his inaugural season with the Red Sox. The last Red Sox hurler to capture the Pitcher of the Year award was Rick Porcello back in 2016.
Tarik Skubal, Tigers: The American League hasn’t had successive Pitcher of the Year awardees since Pedro Martinez in 1999-2000, yet Skubal stands a formidable chance of repeating. Last year’s Pitcher of the Year had a 13-6 record along with a 2.21 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 241 strikeouts compared to just 33 walks over 195 ⅓ innings.
American League Rookie of the Year
Roman Anthony, Red Sox: While Anthony participated in merely 71 contests, he certainly made his mark. He slashed .292/.396/.463 (140 OPS+) with 18 doubles, one triple, eight homers, 32 RBI, 48 runs, four swipes, and a 3.1 WAR.
Nick Kurtz, Athletics: Despite not making his debut until April 23, Kurtz compiled impressive statistics, culminating in 36 homers. He also batted .290/.383/.619 (173 OPS+) while amassing 26 doubles, two triples, 86 RBI, 90 runs, and a 5.4 WAR.
Jacob Wilson, Athletics: As an All-Star Game starter, he hit .311/.355/.444 (121 OPS+) with 26 doubles, 13 circuit clouts, 63 runs batted in, 62 runs scored, and a 2.9 WAR. There have been eight A’s Rookies of the Year, but none since Andrew Bailey in 2009.
American League Manager of the Year
John Schneider, Blue Jays: Remember that the ballots were counted before the playoffs, so Schneider cannot be credited with bringing the Blue Jays their first pennant since 1993. Nonetheless, they topped the AL in victories and secured their first AL East division crown since 2016. And this follows their last-place finish in 2024.
Stephen Vogt, Guardians: The Guardians seized the AL Central title for the second year running, and this one was particularly notable. They trailed the Tigers by up to 15 ½ games and faced an 11-game deficit with just 23 games remaining. They then proceeded to go 19-4 to conclude the season as division victors.
Dan Wilson, Mariners: The Mariners took the AL West for the first occasion since 2001, doing so thanks to an impressive late-season surge. They triumphed in 17 of 18 games to clinch the division before the final series of the campaign. They were trailing by 3 ½ games before their strong run.
National League MVP
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: There’s little intrigue here, so there is no point feigning otherwise. Ohtani will win this distinction, pairing him with Barry Bonds as the only players in baseball history with at least four Player of Greatest Merit awards. Bonds possesses seven, and this will be Ohtani’s fourth. This season, he recorded a .282/.392/.622 slash line (179 OPS+) along with 25 doubles, nine three-base hits, 55 homers, 102 RBIs, 146 runs scored, 20 stolen bases, and a 6.6 WAR on offense. On the pitching rubber, he was 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 62 Ks against nine walks in 47 innings.
Kyle Schwarber, Phillies: Schwarber had previously peaked at 15th in MVP voting. This season, he appeared in all 162 games, batting .240/.365/.563 (150 OPS+) with 56 round-trippers, 132 RBIs, and 111 runs scored. He headed the NL in homers and led all of major league baseball in RBIs.
Juan Soto, Mets: Soto had never swiped more than 12 bags in prior seasons but shockingly led the NL this year with 38. He also belted 43 big flies, drove in 105 runs, scored 120, and slashed .263/.396/.525 (160 OPS+) with a 6.2 WAR.
National League Cy Young
Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies: Sánchez led the majors in pitcher WAR with 8.0. With Zack Wheeler getting injured near the end of the season, Sánchez became the Phillies’ ace this year. Sánchez went 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 212 strikeouts against 44 walks.
Paul Skenes, Pirates: The 2024 Rookie of the Year took third in this same race last year. This year, he finished with a 10-10 record, a 1.97 ERA (tops in the majors), 0.95 WHIP, and 216 Ks over 187 ⅔ innings. His WAR was 7.6. There have only been two Pirates Cy Young winners (Vernon Law in 1960 and Doug Drabek in 1990).
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers: If postseason play were factored in, Yamamoto would probably win it. However, it isn’t. During the regular season, he went 12-8 with a 2.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 201 strikeouts in 173 ⅔ innings along with a 5.0 WAR.
National League Rookie of the Year
Drake Baldwin, Braves: The 24-year-old backstop posted a .274/.341/.469 slash line (126 OPS+) with 18 two-base hits, 19 home runs, 80 RBI, 56 runs, and a 3.3 WAR. The Braves boast a distinguished history with this accolade, having claimed nine of them, most recently Michael Harris II in 2022.
Caleb Durbin, Brewers: Coming over in the trade that sent Devin Williams to the Yankees, Durbin hit .256/.334/.387 (101 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 11 homers, 53 RBI, 60 runs, 18 steals and 2.9 WAR. Only three Brewers have ever won this award, most recently Williams in 2020.
Cade Horton, Cubs: Over just 23 appearances, Horton went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA (144 ERA+), a 1.09 WHIP, and 97 Ks across 118 innings. The last Cubs Rookie of the Year was Kris Bryant in 2015.
National League Manager of the Year
Terry Francona, Reds: After a sabbatical year, Francona transitioned from Cleveland to the other Ohio franchise, guiding the Reds into the playoffs for the first occasion in a full season since 2013.
Pat Murphy, Brewers: Only twice has a manager won this title in consecutive years (Bobby Cox in 2004-05 and Kevin Cash in 2020-21). Murphy aims to be added to this listing after the Brewers led the majors in wins this season with 97.
Rob Thomson, Phillies: The Phillies captured the NL East division title for the second straight year under Thomson, something they hadn’t accomplished since 2011. They finished with a 96-66 record, their best since 2011.
